Chamonix, France

Hurry up and snow! We've never been more excited for winter to arrive in our lives. Today we saw a little glimpse of what the Alps have to offer in Chamonix - Mont Blanc, France. Chamonix is at the base of Mont Blanc (the highest peak in the Alps), and was the site of the first ever winter olympics. The village itself is surrounded by mountains, and what looks to be at least a dozen or more ski resorts.
We finally had a forecast for mostly clear skies, so we got up early and drove the hour-and-a half to Chamonix to see the Alps from the top. Two tram rides took us up to nearly 13,000 feet at the top of a sharp rocky peak called L'Aiguille du Midi (aiguille means needle in french) that sits just below the peak of Mont-Blanc.
The tram station at the top of L'Aguille du Midi is absolutely incredible and so are the views. A tunnel built into the peak leads to an elevator that takes you to the top of a tower built on the peak for panaromic views. From the top, you could even see the Matterhorn, which is about 40 miles away. See our pictures on Shutterfly.
Mason had a great time at the top of the mountain, but having him there was slightly stressful, as he had no fear of the heights whatsoever. He became a very popular subject of Japanese tourists, many of whom turned their cameras from the peaks to focus on Mason. When Mason would take off running across the observation deck, the Japanese tourists would let out a squeal as if they thought Mason was going to jump four feet over the railing and fly off the mountain. At one point, Mason was surrounded by abut 6 Japanese tourists with video cameras capturing his every move. We figure that Mason will either be the next pop-culture icon in Japan, or he might be the subject of a Japanese documentary on poor parenting.
We passed on taking a gondola ride from the top of the peak, across a glacier to another mountain peak that is actually in Italy. The gondola goes for over 3-miles, 1,300 feet above a glacier, and is suspended between the two peaks with no ground support! It was getting cloudy, so we decided to pass on taking the ride. We weren't scared - really.