Friday, December 1, 2023

The Mont Blanc Esprit de Corps – Rick Steves’ Journey Weblog




 

Climbing Europe’s Tour du Mont Blanc was a completely completely different slice of European tradition for me: Coming upon a distant farmhouse-turned-thriving-cafe serving fantastic lunches…flowers and cows (with basic bells) scenically sprinkled all through…and an esprit de corps the place everyone seems to be like household.

 

Our path went via three nations — France, Italy, and Switzerland — earlier than returning to our start line in France. This cow is completely Swiss.
One of many delights of the TMB is coming upon an outdated farmhouse on a mountain alp (or pasture) that, lately, is a thriving little restaurant for hungry and thirsty hikers. Costs are affordable, service is pleasant, the meals is nice, and the vibe is certainly one of pleasure.

As practically everybody hikes in the identical path (counter-clockwise), you grow to be associates with fellow hikers. It appeared like half the individuals on the path had been from the US, and I met numerous Seattleites.

It was straightforward to move lengthy stretches of the hike immersed in deep dialog with individuals we met alongside the way in which.
I loved assembly this fan of my books and TV exhibits, who was celebrating his sixtieth birthday by climbing the TMB along with his son.

And within the curiosity of climbing gentle, lunches had been quite simple — only a sandwich from the lodge, perhaps a carrot, a chunk of fruit, and water. However upon reaching the mid-day summit, lunch was a marmot’s banquet. (Talking of marmots, we noticed no wildlife besides a few mice that had been squished below climbing boots on the path.)




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