Today was one of the coolest days I’ve ever had in my life!  

I mentioned yesterday that we were traveling to Chamonix, France today to visit the alps - specifically, to see Mont Blanc! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Blanc). I was really excited for this part of the trip and it was absolutely incredible. 

We began the day around 9 am and hopped on a bus that took us from Geneva into Chamonix. Crossing into France from Geneva isn’t a long drive at all - only around 25 minutes or so. (During our time here, we’ve heard from several people that very often, people who work in Geneva will live in France and commute in because the cost of living is so much lower). We arrived in Chamonix around 11 am and it is a beautiful little town (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamonix). It was home to the very first Winter Olympics in 1924 and we spotted several skiers preparing to ski their way down the mountains.

View from the top!

After settling into the town, we set out to catch cable cars up Aiguille du Midi, a peak within the mountain chain where you are able to travel over 12,600 feet up to catch an amazing view of Mont Blanc. Words really can’t describe what this was like. We climbed into the cable car, which held around 25 people and began our ascent. Going up that high is pretty intense! As you travel up the mountain, you see far and wide and it is probably one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. As we travelled up, more snow progressively began to pile up. We even passed through a cloud on our way up!

Chamonix, France

You have to take 2 cable cars to reach the highest point where you’re able to view Mont Blanc. In all, it probably took about 30 or more minutes to get to the top. When you get off the cable car, you’re able to climb some stairs to an open-air observation platform. I’ve added some pictures to truly give the view justice. It really was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen!

It was slightly overcast down on the ground, but up that high, the sky was a really brilliant blue and you’re just surrounded by snowy peaks. Being up that high, you also felt the pressure of the altitude in your chest - breathing was a little more constricted and it was much easier to gulp in fresh air once we were back on the ground! 

After spending about 2 hours at the top, we made our way back down. As you’re descending, you notice patches of hikers and skiers at various points on the mountain. We even shared a cable car with several people toting their ski gear. I can’t even imagine what that would be like!

When we reached the bottom, we explored Chamonix and had some lunch - more fondue and blueberry crepes. It was really delicious :) As we explored Chamonix, we also saw a glacial lake at one end of the town. Also a beautiful sight! I can’t express that enough - I would definitely travel back to this area some day and would encourage it to anyone else!

This entire trip has been wonderful - I have had the opportunity to see, do, and learn so much in just a short period of time. I’ve appreciated the time so much!

Tomorrow, we have free time in Geneva to spend, along with working in our groups on our final presentation to be delivered on Thursday. We are also visiting the International AIDS Society as well. Our work continues on!