Mont Blanc and Aosta

April 9 was Easter Holiday and we decided to head towards Mont Blanc, the imposing peaks that stand between France and Italy. On clear days, we can see this Alps from our house, and it’s just 2 hour away. The drive is full of small villages nestled on green hills, and as every mile goes by, the alps grow in imposing magnificence.

Mont Blanc from our house

The pretty villages on our drive

 

This was a spur-of-the-moment type of trip so we didn’t have a plan. Once we started to drive up to the alps, we ended up in a toll, where we had to pay the hefty amount of 50 EU for a tunnel round-trip. The tunnel crosses right through Mont Blanc and is 11 km long, it takes about 20 minutes to cross, and at times claustrophobia kicks in. Once on the other side, we get to see a perfect view of the impressive peaks, and get to cross another country off our list, Italy.

 

One of the villages at the bottom of Mont Blanc

 

 

Mont Blanc from the Italian Side

 

We decided to go and have lunch in one of the little Italian villages nearby, and hoped on the freeway. This freeway was more likely a tunnel-way, since we had to cross over 8 tunnels, and were unable to get off until about 30 minutes later. We ended up, by chance, in a little town called Aostas. This sleepy town was settled during the Roman Empire years, and it has some old forts and ruins that date back to that time. We found a pedestrian street that had several small shops and restaurants (all mostly closed because of the holiday.) We picked a pizzeria and had one of the best artisan pizzas of our lives! Even though we were 40 minutes away from the French border, this town and the people definitely had an Italian feel. People were friendly, warm and more laid back. We finished our lunch with some authentic gelato.

 

Aosta

 

We drove around the town and visited a Catholic old cathedral, and underground  compound built by the Romans in 25 BC. We headed home after, and were rather amazed that within 2 hours we had been in France, Switzerland, and Italy!

Highlights from the drive back

 

Back to the Roots

Before our final move to France, we went around Las Vegas and Idaho to say our goodbyes to our  family. Our final week in Idaho was a great vacation. We were able to relax from the hectic move, and we were able to do some really fun things. We took the girls skiing for the first time. Kim and Liz (Kevin’s brother and his wife) took the girls down the slope and showed them how it is done. I got the less professional trainers, Kaitlin, 12 and James, 8 (Kim and Liz’s kids) and they showed me how to ski (since it was also my first time.) They thought I was ready for a big slope, and after falling and not being able to get up for a very long time, they abandoned me on the cold snow—Lesson learned: stick to actual professional trainers!

We later headed out to Kevin’s Parents’ Cabin in Island Park, Idaho. This place is home for Kevin and a great place to gather the family. The cousins have a lot of fun playing together, and so do the adults. We went sledding, snowmobiling, enjoyed the wonderful scenery, and played games every night. It was great to spend time with family, but it was hard to say goodbye.

We spent our last night in Idaho Falls, Kevin’s hometown, and as I stood in the hotel room facing the glowing Idaho Falls Temple at night, I thought about how special this place is not only for Kevin, but also for me. Nine years ago, in front of that temple, I knew I was going to marry Kevin. And somehow, in different ways, Kevin and I were able to go back… right where it all began.

On Top of Mount Two Top

Island Park, Idaho

The snowmobile ride to the top is 13 miles, and very bumpy and rough. The view from the top  is priceless, but for me it was costly—the price of my newly purchased camera, which I lost on the wild ride up.  Along with the camera were all the priceless memories of our trip through Idaho. Not so priceless for me!