Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France
One weekend, I grabbed my parents’ camper van and drove through Switzerland to visit a friend from Colombia who was working in the French Alps in Chamonix, next to Mont Blanc. It’s a touristy mountain town I’ve never visited, and since I’m finally back in Switzerland, it’s time to explore it a bit more. The route into the French Alps was a 6-hour car drive over 400km, which led me over multiple mountain passes into the valley of Valais. A famous photo spot is the Belvedere Hotel at the Furka mountain pass, a building in the middle of a 180-degree turn. It looks interesting. And to the other side, there’s a beautiful view down the valley.
I continued through the long valley. It was very dry then, with forest fires in one area. I could see some helicopters going up and down to control the flames. Good look, things got under control, and luckily, no people were harmed. The last piece of the trip was up another mountain pass, the 4th of the day, over the border to France. Just before sunset, I arrived in the town of Chamonix to visit my friend. Then, I drove to a parking spot by the forest to sleep. The following day, I was up not too late, so I went into a coffee shop and drove back to Switzerland. For sure, I didn’t go back the same way. This time, I passed by the lake of Geneva and took the highway towards Bern. They quickly passed by the office to replace my bed sheets and cushions.
From Bern, I continued into the canton of Aarau to visit a friend living there. We grabbed a Döner box and walked into a nearby park beside the river. We enjoyed the food there and had some good talks. Since I’m not often back in Switzerland, I rarely meet my friends from my youth (school and work). When I’m back, I try to meet as many people as possible and enjoy quality time with them. That day was one of those cases.