With weary eyes, heavier luggage than we remembered, and a fire within to keep exploring we hopped on the train for Lausanne.
Only to be greeted by our cousin proclaiming that he had plans for us to drive up and over the mountains to France.
Yes, please!

Chamonix is a bustling village during the ski season. Nestled between Europes highest mountain and a cluster of seriously impressive others, this town sits anywhere from 3,264 feet to a startling 15,781 feet.
Quite literally, you are up in the clouds.


It turns out that winding our way up through the alps proved to build quite the appetite. Buzzing to explore we took in the fresh air, and stretched a bit before setting off on our mission to find authentic food.
As you could imagine we became slightly distracted by the views.







We posted up in a sunny patch at a quaint restaurant, and began to peruse the menu. Get la tartiflette. A baked concoction of perfectly prepared potatoes, caramelized onions, finely cut pieces of bacon, all held together by molten cheese. So good in fact, I didn't even manage to get a photo of it before it disappeared.








Elevation starts to kick in, the bitter cold starts nipping at your fingers, and the reflection off of the snow can be debilitating, but it's plenty worth it to be surrounded by the French, Swiss, and Italian alps.


Oh yeah, it's an icebox up there.



We stopped at every landing to take in a different perspective, breathed in the intoxicatingly brisk air, and even got to witness a rescue taking place.

The price seems steep, but none of us walked away with regret. This is a must-see stop if you're in the area, book your visit here.


Allow for at least three hours in total. Pack your camera, some sunnies, and definitely more layers than you would even think.