Mont Blanc, the highest point in Europe

Sunday June 15 I went to the bus station to check out the options for visiting any city in France. Mont Blanc was an option. It was an extra day for me because I arrived for the conference early so that I could be relaxed. The bus station was close to my hostel, and I liked the idea of getting into a bus and then riding somewhere peacefully. I knew nothing about Mont Blanc. I liked the price and had low expectations, so I went.

I was very impressed. The bus took me to Chamonix. Our driver said that if we liked, we could take a trolley up the mountain. I looked at the trolley and it seemed neither very high nor very interesting, but I liked the town so I went for a walk and found a coffeehouse. This was my first time seeing French-made pastries. I had never seen their equal in presentation quality anywhere, and I very much enjoyed my coffee and pastry. After thinking a bit I thought it might be nice to have coffee and read all day, but then I thought – why not check out the mountain? So I went back, and took the trolley up the mountain. It was a lot higher than I expected.

It was really high.

I am not sure what to say. It was a relaxing experience. Had I been more warmly dressed, better equipped, and with more time, I would have liked to have played in the snow and ice with others who had come up at sunrise for a day of that fun. I entirely enjoyed the experience and was lacking for nothing, but it did cross my mind that many of the tourists also there seemed to have more money and more dedication to leisure time than tourists that I have met in India.