Day 12 - June 18th
As heartbroken as we were to leave Lauterbrunnen, our bus pulled away against our will. This was our last bus ride together with our tour group. Chamonix is one of the oldest ski resorts in France and has long been a hub for mountaineering, even hosting the first ever 1924 Winter Olympics. Towering above it all is Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Western Europe and the Alps, clocking in at 15,771 feet. But before we venture into the French Alps, we had a stop at Lake Gruyere, Switzerland.
Being that we are in Switzerland, and the namesake of Gruyere Cheese, this rest stop had THE best cheese counter. I obviously also had to get a few bars of Swiss chocolate for the road. I must say, every single gas station/rest stop we stopped at during this trip was wonderful. I guess it is standard to have to pay for toilets in Europe…but they take apple pay and are always sparkling clean. We all got together to take a group photo and spend a few more moments outside before getting back in the bus. Axel arranged a special Swiss cheese flight for us as we had our last moments with our bus driver, Rob.
We finally made it to beautiful Chamonix - I have to admit, before planning this trip, I didn’t know too much about Chamonix and never would have traveled here if it wasn’t for this tour… but this town was one of my favorite stops! It had a different feel than every other place we went - lots of bustling streets full of bars, cafes, shops, bursting with energy. We checked in to our hotel and were eager to hit the town.
Bonjour!
WHERE WE STAYED: Plan B Hotel
We were just a short walk from the main drag in town, we arrived in the heat of the day and man, was it hot! Andrew and I opted for an indoor activity to escape the heat - The Chamonix Crystal Museum or Musée des Cristaux. It felt like stepping into a glittering treasure room, with crystals, minerals, and golden nuggets dancing under the lights. It’s a quick but interesting stop if you’re in to this sort of thing!
We wandered around the town for a few hours, popping into shops, and ultimately finding a nice pub to sit and have dinner, cocktails, and people watch for the rest of the night. We had a jam packed day planned with Cindy and Timmy… going up to Mont Blanc!