Day 2

Day 2, typing on a European keyboard... Yaaaawn, Strrrretch. We are so tired! We had our first hike today; in the mountains across the valley from Mont Blanc. Our hotel provided breakfast (chocolate croissants, yummy coffee) We met up with our guides who had prepared a buffet for us to pack our lunches (fresh fruit and vegis, baguette; meats and cheeses... We were driven about 10 miles north of Chamonix and hit the trail: Up, up, up: We don't think the french believe in switchbacks. With one guide in front and one in back, the pace was pretty good. The views were spectacular. The skies cleared quickly and we shed layers. Our guides kept talking about La Floria, and said we were lucky, as the flowers were beautiful right now. I thought they were referring to wild flowers, but no. La Floria is a little refuge for hikers. It is a little cafe, with colorful tables for 2; a spectacular view of Mont Blanc, and tons of pots of flowers: Unfortunately, the cafe was closed, but we stopped for a break anyway. It would be like finding a quaint cafe halfway up Mt Si. Unreal. We continued up to the top of the cable car line, and started our way south back towards Chamonix along the Grand Balcony. We were above the tree line, so it was quite warm. Our guides provided chocolate, cookies, and hot tea/coffee (carried by John) before we made our trek to the lunch spot. We encountered many more hikers in this area, as we figured most people take the cable car up the mountain and walk back down. Cheaters! We had about 45 minutes to eat lunch and rest our feet before heading back to town (another 2 hours down). The guides had said todays hike would be 7 miles, John's pedometer said 25,000 steps. John and I each consumed 2.5 Liters of water, not quite enough for the hot day. We have napped; showered; and are heading out to find dinner. Tomorrow takes us to Les Contamines, the last town we will see for awhile. Oceans of love, Katie and John We will add pics when we get a better internet connection