Day 2 - June 29, 2024 (France/Italy; Chamonix to Courmayeur)

We ate breakfast at the hotel, which was an excellent, extensive buffet. Miles had a bounce while we waited until 10:00 am, to check if his fleece hoodie was at the Musée des Cristaux, as it was missing and he remembered leaving it in the bathroom. But it didn't seem to be open, although that was the posted opening time. So, we walked over to the Montenvers train station, to see about visiting the Mer de Glace, which Mark and I had visited on a weekend stay from Grenoble during his sabbatical in 2011. However, there was a sign that the ice cave was closed, and we decided it wasn't worth the cost of the trip without the ice cave (particularly when we told Miles that, unlike our visit to the Columbia Icefield in Banff, he wouldn't be able to walk on top of the ice and drink fresh glacier water).

So, we returned to the hotel for another long bounce on the trampoline, then went in search of lunch. Unfortunately, Miles became desperately thirsty and started fading out, so we stopped at a candy store with slushy machines out front. Miles drank his life-restoring slushy, thanked the friendly store owner in French (he felt a bit rusty, but did great), then found a restaurant with a patio and relaxed vibe. There was a toddler who kept wanting to wander off (but kept checking to ensure his family was watching), which was very amusing.  

When we returned to the museum after the lunch hour, it was open - and they knew right away when I asked about the "manteau"! We were relieved to not have to shop for a new one, although if we had needed to, it seemed like every third store in Chamonix sold outdoor gear and clothing. We spent the last of our free time lounging/bouncing at the hotel, then walked to the bus station. Our Flixbus to Courmayeur was very comfortable, and the tunnel was astoundingly long (11. 6 km) - at the time of its construction, it was twice as long as any existing highway tunnel. 

It had started raining just after we got to the bus station, so we had a slightly wet, and slightly confusing (but short) walk to our hotel in Courmayeur. The hotel was lovely, our room was very spacious, and we stayed in out of the rain for the evening (Miles' verdict was that this hotel was better than the one in Chamonix - all it lacked was a trampoline). The hotel restaurant dinner was delicious - a first course of pappardelle pasta with venison and the most perfect blueberries, second course a delicious but almost too rare steak with potatoes and green beans, a cheese course with 4 local cheeses and delicious jams, and a sorbet for Miles for desert.


The terrace

Miles bouncing across the trampolines (then hanging from the top bar)

Miles grabbed my phone

The tunnel under Mont Blanc

A giant snail (I think it is Helix pomatia)

View of the cloud-covered mountainside from our hotel window in Courmayeur



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