For the 4-day Easter weekend, Nathan and I had talked about going to Belgium. We figured our first real trip after his knee surgeries should be as stress-free as possible and Belgium is only about a 5-hour drive away. Plus, we viewed ourselves leisurely taking in the cities, rather than at a grueling pace. A few weeks prior to that weekend, Nathan asked me if I would mind if he planned it all and surprised me. I told him I would love a surprise trip. So we hit the road that Friday morning and after only a few minutes of being in the car, Nathan revealed the surprise: We weren't going to Belgium. We were going to be headed in the complete opposite direction. To the Italian Alps. I was ecstatic! He explained that he contacted Andrea, a friend he had made last May when he worked with guys in the Italian military in Vicenza. Andrea's in-law's own a hotel in Courmayeur, a town at the base of one of the highest peaks in the Alps, and that's where we would be staying. He cautioned me that the weather forecast held cold, rainy days but it didn't quell my excitement one bit. The drive was long but beautiful. I will never forget coming up over a hill and seeing some of the Swiss Alps for the first time. It was terrifying. There were thick forests on either side of the road and the mountains directly ahead. They were so tall the line of clouds was below their peaks. The base was just visible through the lower part of the windshield, then a thick band of clouds where you would assume the mountains peaked, then more mountain where they actually peaked. I was in disbelief. All weekend, I kept telling Nathan that that feeling, of seeing how insanely enormous those mountains are, most resembles "the fear of God." The Alps are huge. Powerful. Towering. And yet beautiful. Something that stirs a nervous feeling in the pit of your stomach, but also wonderfully captivates you.
When we finally reached Courmayeur and checked into our room, we were exhausted and decided to take a short nap. Driving and riding in a car for over 7 hours is draining. After our nap, we got ready and then met Andrea and his wife in the lobby. They gave us suggestions for our travel and activities throughout the weekend, and then Andrea showed us to the best pizza place in town. We split a huge cheese pizza and a bottle of Moscato. Let me state the obvious: The pizza AND the Moscato were Italian, and therefore absolutely delicious. Before bed that night, we read Luke's account of Good Friday.
On Saturday, we decided to ride the cable car up to the top of Mont Blanc. It was expensive, but totally worth it and the weather forecast turned out to be completely wrong. It was sunny and dry. The ride up took a while and included a few stops/cable car changes where you could get out and look at the view. One of the stops half way up has a restaurant and a deck to sunbathe on. At the top it was freezing, but we had a clear view for the most part. We spent a little time there, then Nathan got some hot chocolate at the cafe just below the peak.
After we made the trip back down, we headed to the town of Aosta, which is about an hour away from Courmayeur. It's nestled in a gorgeous valley and has some impressive Roman ruins, the reason for our visit. We spent a few hours in Aosta, walking around the town, exploring the ruins, and eating yummy pasta.
We returned to Courmayeur that evening and had drinks with Andrea and his wife Diletta to celebrate Andrea passing a military test that will allow him to continue to serve in the military. The passing rate is very low, so it's quite an accomplishment for him. That night we ate dinner at a place in the main shopping area. It was good, but not nearly as good as the pizza we had had the night before.
On Sunday, after reading Luke's account of Easter morning, we made the drive to Geneva, which is on the northwestern side of Mont Blanc. We had to drive quite a distance through the base of the mountain. It was rainy on the way there, but thankfully the sun came out that afternoon while we were walking around Geneva. We ate some expensive pizza there and just took in the city. We decided that it's nice, but not one of our favorite cities. It's beautiful near the lake though.
We drove back before dinner and ordered a pizza and a bottle of Moscato to go from the really good pizza place in Courmayeur. We ate it in the lobby, while watching the latest episodes of The Big Bang Theory and The Office, and then talking to Andrea and Diletta. After we had finished our meal, Andrea offered us some grappa. We downed it and then regretted it. He had pulled a prank on us. The grappa was made of hot peppers and burned like crazy. He said he helps make and test it with his father-in-law and they give it to all the hotel guests.
We left for home early Monday morning. The drive back home was shorter than the drive down, but was still long.
Our trip to the Italian Alps ranks high among our favorite trips in the last year and a half. It's certainly one of the most beautiful places on this Earth.
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