We were able to park our car very close to the summit, and only had to walk less than .5 km. We found an open spot along the barricades, about 20 yards from the summit. The biggest challenge was where to hang our Hincapie banner. As you can see in the pictures it started out in a tree behind us, but right before the riders arrived we hung it right on the barricades so that it could be easily seen on TV and by the riders.
The weather was sunny and warm for the race; shorts, t-shirts, and sun block were required.
Since we were watching at an early place on the stage, the riders were scheduled to arrive at 1:05 pm, which would give us all afternoon to drive to Chamonix, which is about 130 northeast of Aix.
The first riders arrived at 1:22 and continued in a steady flow for about twelve minutes. From our vantage point we couldn't see them until they were right on top of us, however, we got to watch many of the riders pick up bags of water bottles, which they would enjoy during their descent. My photos today focused on the fans. So I hope you enjoy them. They certainly kept us amused.
After the race we got to our car quickly and headed for Chamonix, where we spent part of our honeymoon 39 years ago. We took the long but more picturesque route, which passed through Albertville and Megeve. The mountains just kept getting taller the closer we got to Chamonix. Just as the Rockies of the West seem to dwarf our White Mountains in New Hampshire, the Alps do the same to the Rockies. They are really overwhelming; words can't capture their majesty and presence. I had always remembered them to be spectacular, but I always that that time was exaggerating that recollection. I was wrong. They were more spectacular than I remembered.
While in Chamonix, we actually did our laundry since we've now been away for 7 days. We took turns walking the streets and watching the clothes. Joni bought postcards and I bought tent pegs, 10 meters of line, and a Swiss Army breadknife. While in the laundramat, we talked to a nice family from Denver, who just came from Paris, and were eventually heading to the Dolomites to hike among the huts. Chamonix has such a different feel to it to all the other towns we've visited. Everyone is there to enjoy the mountains, so the fashion statements are right up my alley; hiking clothes and boots. The climbing stores were incredibly stocked with ropes, climbing shoes, and carabiners. I'm sure Alex could find a few items he needs here.
For dinner Joni researched a Creperie, which is one of the specialities of this region, the Savoie. We actually had gallantes, which are just crepes folded in squares instead of being rolled up. They were delicious and we had them for our main course as well as desert.
We spent 30 minutes trying to find the Hotel Mont Blanc where we stayed on our honeymoon. The GPS in our Citroen, which we have been thoroughly enjoying, couldn't handle the detours that were set up for a concert, so our search was in vain. A good reason to return to Chamonix if the mountains weren't enough.
The trip back to Aix went very quickly. It's all highway so we were back in our B&B in 75 minutes!
Overall, I loved the Alps even more than I expected I would. Any future trips to France will have to include returning to the Alps.
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