Mountains

Today we made a side trip to Chamomix. Our original intent was to take the telepherique to the summit of the Aiguille du Midi, but it was closed due to high winds, so we took the telepherique from the other side of the valley. This is a two stage journey, initially to Planpraz at just under 2000m elevation and then to Le Brevent at 2525m. The second stage of the trip was also closed due to wind when we arrived at Planpraz, so we took a pile of photos there.

While we were at Planpraz, the tram to Le Brevent reopened and so we were able to continue to the summit. Although I am still modestly disappointed that we didn't get to the summit of the Aiguille du Midi (3842m), I have to admit that the view from Le Brevent is pretty amazing. This may be the only place I have been where it is possible to use nordic walking poles and not look ridiculous.

The cable car we rode to the summit is the small speck near the center of this photo.

CERN is surprisingly (to me) not a major tourist attraction, but it turns out that the loop of the Large Hadron Collider passes within about 100m of our quaint hotel in Ferney-Voltaire.