It's been over two decades since I first took the cable car up from Chamonix to the stunning viewpoint in the Mont Blanc range, known as the Aiguille Du Midi. At over twelve and half thousand feet above sea-level, the air is noticeably thin - and climbing the steps up to the cafe oddly exhausting. Last time I was there, it was part of a Geography trip, on which we got to poke around with real live glaciers for our A-level coursework. I remember some of my friends trying in vain to get their cigarettes to stay lit in the low-Oxygen environment - and geomorphology lectures at the summit.
The Aiguille Du Midi is one of those places that presses itself in upon the senses with delicious pressure, leaving a deep impression on the memory. It is a place about which I have spoken to my family before - but only very recently have visited with them. While some memories from childhood expand in the mind to the point where re-living couldn't fail to disappoint - The Aiguille Du Midi managed to surpass even the rose-tinted memories of youth.
The first day or so of our holiday had been cloudy, but as we sailed skywards on the cables, the sun lit up the whole mountain range from a brilliant blue sky. Absolutely stunning - in every direction.
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