it was Claire's dream (one of many) to see the white and majestic beauty And that's why we went to the Aiguille du midi. As we are budget travelers (mostly) we went to France Chamonix by bus. Which took us something like 13 hours from Prague, on our arrival we were completely broken, tired and with pain in our neck from the awkward sleeping positions on a window and table trays. But it is amazing to watch how the fields become hills and hills become mountains.
To the very top you can get via two gondolas which holds the world record as the highest vertical ascent cable car, from 1,035 m to 3842 m. There are two sections, first one goes to the height of 2317 meters. Those who have asthma, heart or blood pressure problems i would recommend to stay in this station for a while and admire the peak from there to get used to the thinner air. At the very top is only 65% of oxygen in the air which can cause trouble to some (true! Mathew had problems himself, one woman cried there and asked me to get her water and another girl was almost suffocating )
The views at 3777 meters are stunning! For mountain lovers simply paradise ( i didn´t want to leave) There is so many places from which you can admire the mountains. Either outside terraces where the entrance is through an igloo tunnel system or others by staircases. When the wind is blowing and outside is freezing, you can see all the surroundings from the inside tunnels or walk around on some sort of balconies. You can also take the panoramic gondola to the italian side of the Alps and see the beautiful and unique ,,Mer de Glace". One of the glaciers which is sadly disappearing.
And then you can go even higher! So let´s jump on the lift, where through a glass opening you can see how it was done in a rock. Lie that you can get to the highest possible spot and that is 3842 meters, there is another terrace and most importantly the glass room ,,Step in to the void" where you have the possibility to experience 1000 meters of free air directly under your feet, in total safety! Something you must try!
And once your lips turn blue and you don´t feel the tips of your fingers, it is time to have something hot. You can visit a snack bar or a restaurant, all with stunning views of the surrounding mountains.
We couldn't get enough of the views, but sadly once you finally have to return to the real world. The town of Chamonix is also very nice and offers more for your vacation - shops, bakeries, cafes all in the traditional architecture of the Alps.
HOW TO GET THERE?
Geneva airport is aprox. 80km away from Chamonix
There are buses from the airport or Geneva it self to Chamonix
Chamonix is also reachable by train.
CABLE CAR
is open ruffly from 8 to 17 (depends on the month)
Return trip: Adult 58,50 Eur Child 49,70 Eur
