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

Mountain climbing Europe’s Tour du Mont Blanc was a completely totally 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 by means of three international locations — 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One of many delights of the TMB is coming upon an outdated farmhouse on a mountain alp (or pasture) that, today, is a thriving little restaurant for hungry and thirsty hikers. Costs are affordable, service is pleasant, the meals is nice, and the vibe is one in all pleasure.

As practically everybody hikes in the identical course (counter-clockwise), you develop into associates with fellow hikers. It appeared like half the folks on the path had been from the US, and I met a number of Seattleites.

It was straightforward to go lengthy stretches of the hike immersed in deep dialog with folks we met alongside the way in which.

I loved assembly this fan of my books and TV reveals, who was celebrating his sixtieth birthday by mountaineering the TMB together with his son.

And within the curiosity of mountaineering mild, 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 beneath mountaineering boots on the path.)