Chamonix, France

Chamonix, also known as a little piece of heaven in my mind, is a town in the mountains of France. Tucked away in the Alps, this town felt a lot like being home in Colorado. The town is a bit touristy, but in the non-ski season it makes for a great home base to explore all that the surrounding area have to offer. Mont Blanc is the tallest peaks in the Alps and looms over the valley where Chamonix sits, providing dramatic scenery at any time of the day. Chamonix is an outdoor adventurers dream come true. And if you're like me (ie - you also love food) it gets even better... The borders with Italy and Switzerland are a short distance away, which makes for a melting pot of the most amazing foods (cheese, pasta, chocolate, wine... you get the point). And when I say melting pot of amazing foods, I literally meaning melting pot - melting pots of cheesy fondue, cheesy potatoes, cheesy bread. The region is called Haute-Savoie, and it is oh so wonderful for a weekend getaway and some time with nature.

Hiking

The best thing one can do in Chamonix, especially in the summer, is hike. Hike every day. Up to those tall peaks, mountain lakes and glowing glaciers. Probably the most popular hike is up to Lac Blanc, and if you do this hike you will definitely see why. The lake at the top, next to the refuge where one can stay or just enjoy the hot drinks and snacks, is a deep turquoise color that almost doesn't feel real. Although the clouds were playing with us, they would occasionally split just long enough to get a glimpse of the peaks. Bring a picnic and a sketchbook for while you relax at the lake after a long and hard climb up. The mountain sides here are covered with hiking trails, so there are many different ways to reach the lake, probably the most popular being from the Flegere lift station. Luckily for us, our hosts recommended a less crowded (and more challenging) path up from Tré-le-Champ parking area. Classified, at least in my books, as an official butt-burner. The trail goes up and up, across fields, over view points, passes a number of smaller lakes, and finishes with a scramble up to the lake.

The next day, we opted for a hike that would give us a view of the glacier. From Le Tour, we took a gondola and then a chairlift part way up the mountain to begin the hike (don't worry it's not cheating, we still went a long ways up after that). One of the best views we got back down the valley was from the chairlift with wind blowing our hair and sun shining down. The first part of the hike is more gradual, but once the glacier comes into view it is a precarious and rocky straight shot up to the Refuge Albert 1er, which is a newly renovated refuge right by the glacier and border with Switzerland. Many people leave from here to hike the glacier, of course with their ice picks and clamp ons. The refuge sitting above the glacier is another great place for our packed lunch of croissant, French bread, cheeses, apple, and Swiss chocolate. The glacier almost seems to blend in with the rocks as it has been there for so many years. According to every local we spoke with, it is quickly disappearing though, and the signs of that were obvious on the hike down as we heard many major cracks and saw massive ice chunks flowing off the glacier waterfalls and down the mountain. A magical and at the same time haunting sound to experience.

Food & drink

Restaurant Le Monchu - a cozy and lively place serving local food that was recommended to us by our hosts. It was the perfect place to fill up with cheese of all varieties, especially on a rainy afternoon. We shared the cheese fondue, obviously, which had a delicious winey flavor and was served with bread, perfectly cooked potatoes, and a sampling of cured meats.
L'Atmosphere - an upscale place recommended by Bib Gourmand. We tried the prix fixe menu and ordered different things to share, like mushroom pasta, risotto with pork cheeks, all of which was tasty. The restaurant sits over the Arve river which glows blue and is a pleasant place to spend an evening.
La Tablee - this was probably my favorite meal that we had, although I can't confirm that wasn't due to this being our first meal post long hike. We shared a local dish which consists of of gratin (potatoes, of the cheesy variety) and meats such as beef, duck and chicken that are grilled at the table, a carafe of wine and best of all the mini dessert plate with an espresso. Simply yum.
Other things to try...
- I may have already mentioned it, but cheese. Definitely eat cheese while you're here. The walking streets in Chamonix have plenty of little shops where you can buy different types of cheeses and meats to have as a snack, or brining for a hiking lunch as we did. The hard cheeses, especially those used in dishes like the fondue are the absolute best.
- Le Refuge Payot is a speciality shop selling gourmet local goods that should not be missed. I would recommend picking up some wine from the Savoie region, a raspberry tart cake, chocolate and probably everything else they sell as well.