Goodbye Mt Blanc

First I'd like to thank everyone for reading our journal and leaving so many messages and we're thrilled that you are all enjoying following our odyssey!

Tonight I'm sending this from Chamonix-Mt Blanc. We returned yesterday via the Mt Blanc Express train to collect our luggage and ride a few of the cable cars in the area for a last look at the Alps. Mt Blanc at dusk is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen and it's peak can be seen from almost everywhere in the village, so we find ourselves looking up at it constantly. We've ridden the 3 leg cable car trip that takes you to Di Aguir Di Midi (a summit  next to Mt Blanc) twice in two days because the experience is so unbelievable! The last leg is a speeding 5 min lift ride through solid rock that brings you out onto an open deck that almost allows you to touch the mountain. The views to Switzerland and Italy are unbelievable and we spent hours up there  looking for other mountain peaks such as the Matterhorn (which we had just left in Switzerland). It was absolutely freezing though! (Wait till see you the photo's of me up there with my hair almost frozen into permanent curls!). The altitude also affects your breathing and just walking around feels like you're wearing herman monster boots!

Actually, we've been riding cable cars non-stop for 4 days because there are so many in the area (we did 2 days of them in Zermatt and now 2 days here). They all take you up close to the snow capped peaks of the Alps, so it's impossible to get sick of them. (Although now after 4 days I'm starting to have the constant swaying motion feeling when back on flat ground!).

Tomorrow we unfortunately have to drag ourselves away from the Alps and will be saying our final farewells to Mt Blanc. They say the mountain has a mystical aura around it, and we can certainly feel it. We've watched mountaineers and rock climbers on it and can see why it draws so many people here to attempt to climb it. But on the other hand, I'm keen to see a different France now. We're on our way to Provence and then the French Riveria. Today the temperature was a beautiful 25 degrees so I was finally able to whip out some shorts and looking forward to some more sun and eating seafood closer to the Mediterranean (and seeing that awesome blue ocean!).

Anyhow, hope all of you are well, take care and will post again from Provence!