8/10 - 12 Chamonix

I'll just summarize our time in this fun town. I love it of course for the magnificent setting, but there is the sense of history here as the birthplace of Alpinism as hobby, passion, sport and profession. The town crawls with tourists always someone gazing / photographing the peaks. You can't help it. It is such a stunning sight continually changing with clouds and light. Consumerism chases the visitors and virtually all top gear manufacturers have a presence it there own venues or the specialty shops. People troop through town and it's fun took try and pick out the surely serious from the surely imitators. And there is everyone else - you must wear a backpack and boots to be properly attired it seems.
On Friday in perfect weather we rode the tram to the Aiguille Du Midi @ 12600 ft and the then cable cars to Pt Helbronner for almost an hour a stunning views. We even had the cabin to ourselves. Expensive- and worth it! Pictures don't really do justice to the scenary - not at all the experience! Afterwards we walked to and artisanal maker of cowbells where Tammy picked out a souvenir for us which we shipped home. We had hamburgers for dinner with fries - strangely the fries were on the burger!
On Saturday we took the cog railway up to the Mer de Glacé and the old Montvenors hotel there now a restaurant. I'd stayed there in 2000 and visited again in 2006 both times with my daughters. So I arrived with nostalgia but stll in wonder of the place. The ice level is visibly lower with the warming. We visited the new glacier exhibit near the hotel, the crystal display, and desended to the glacier to walk through the ice tunnel.
We returned on the train to town and rested. Tammy had a quality deep tissue massage while i checked out the spa. Later we had a upscale meal at the restaurant L Atmosphere where I had eaten at the end of my 2 prior visits- more nostalgia.
On Sunday we slept in then had breakfast on the street - wasn't any cheaper really then the hotel. We went to the amazing crystal display in Chamonix - as rock hounds we loved it!
Later we went over and took a spin on the luge - fun. Another burger for dinner with gelato afterward. Good thing we are walking tommorrow !!
Mostl though we rested and watched Olympics on Tv.