Hiking Europe’s Tour du Mont Blanc was a completely different part of European culture for me: serving wonderful lunches in a distant farm-turned-thriving cafe… nicely sprinkled with flowers and cows (including classic bells)… and an Esprit de Corps where everyone is like family.
Since almost everyone hikes in the same direction (counterclockwise), you make friends with fellow travelers. Half of the people on the trail seemed to be from the United States, and I’ve met a lot of Seattleites.
And for the sake of the hiking lights, the lunches were very simple – just a sandwich from the hotel, probably a carrot, a piece of fruit and water. But after arriving at the Mid-Day Summit, lunch was Marmot’s Feast. (Speaking of marmots, we didn’t see any wildlife on the trail except for a few rats trapped under the hiking boots.)
