The view from our mountain chalet in Chamonix:

Our first stop in the Alps is on the French side, in a popular resort town called Chamonix (sham-oh-nee). The tallest mountain in the alps, Mont Blanc (15,781 ft), is right outside our door. In fact I see it right now as I type this and eat breakfast:

After almost non-stop sightseeing, Ben and I were in need of a break. It turns out that backpacking is a little bit of work – just figuring out where to stay, how to take trains and metros, and finding affordable food, takes a decent amount of time and effort. Driving was a little stressful as well, so finally we both just wanted to plop down somewhere and take it easy.

Chamonix was next on our list anyway, so we booked 2 nights at a small hostel-like chalet… we’re now going on our 4th night and are considering a 5th. We couldn’t have found a better place to settle down for a few days. The chalet has 3 guest rooms, but after the first two nights, we are the only ones left. The manager, Oliver, lives downstairs and we’ve had a good time hanging out and talking with him. Did I mention the view? The living room has huge windows with a panoramic view of the mountain range. It’s spectacular. And that’s not really a word I use often.

So that’s where we are now. Yesterday we had an amazing day hiking and riding a gondola to the top of a peak next to Mont Blanc.  I’ll post photos soon…