I always intended the French Alps week to be Sophia’s. Her opportunity to do her type of travel – outdoorsy and adventurous. I also thought it would be a good one for Steve to join in as the two of them could do the more daring activities while I cozied up with a good book, because as many of us know, I don’t do heights. Turns out I do, and I did, although not without a big gulp of dread.

The wet fall in France continued in the Alps, so instead of 6 nights in Annecy with day trips to neighboring villages like Chamonix and 2 nights in Moustiers-Saint-Marie to kayac on the Gorges du Verdon canyon, we nixed the likely drizzly and cold kayaking segment, reduced Annecy to 5 nights, and added 3 nights in Chamonix. It was a good pivot.

Heights I don’t love

I can do airplanes. I can do hikes on wide paths with beautiful views away from steep cliffs. But anything that could plunge me to certain death with a small mis-step triggers all sorts of physical and mental alarms that throw me into a flee response. Instantaneously. So why did I talk myself into 1. Paragliding; 2. Aiguille du Midi cable car; 3. Mer de Glace train; 4. Hike segment down to beach from tall cliff; 5. Staying in the outskirts of Annecy up steep, unguarded mountain roads to get a spectacular view? Because at the end of the day, what was registering loudest for me was the saying that you only regret the things you do not do. Basically, I need to stop reading internet quotes.

Annecy

Annecy is spectacularly beautiful. Well, actually the lake and mountains surrounding it. I wasn’t a fan of the town. Yet another example of an over-visited tourist town, in my opinion. The couple of times we went into the actual center town of Annecy, it was a nightmare for driving, parking, and even walking with the rest of the humanity that was there aiming puffs of cigarette smoke at our faces. And this was off-season. No, thank you. Ahh, but the views around the lake, the light at different times of the day, the peaks that appear through the clouds, the little villages that line the far-off hills. Truly stunning.

St. Eustache

I fell in love with an AirBnB that showed a gorgeous view of the lake and I made some assumptions as to the ease and convenience of the location. I should have remembered that views usually mean heights and I was not yet versed in the French narrow, winding country roads that can’t possibly accommodate two passing vehicles with one or two sides inches from a deep ditch or worse yet, a cliff.

The AirBnB was a good 25-30 minute drive from the nearest supermarket, 40-45 minutes from Annecy with traffic, half of that drive time in the said steep windy roads that have an impossible 80 km/hr speed limit that most locals seem to deem slow. And French drivers love to ride your bumper to remind you that you are going way too slow. Not my fave. But the place was beautiful and despite the drive, I was grateful to be so well away from the crowds.

Paragliding

I had told Sophia it was her week to plan. Little did I know that Annecy was a world-class paragliding destination, and that tandem paragliding was a thing. She found a “company” that offered an introductory, calm tandem flight with an instructor, plus a couple other more exciting formats. I thought ok, tethered to an instructor, I should at least try it. Steve and I signed up for the calm format, Sophia for the thermals format to gain a little more altitude and excitement.

Not really a “company” but an independent older dude in shorts with a beat up van and two buddies. And no, they informed her day-of that they don’t really do the calm format, just the thermals, so is that ok with the parents. By then, I was in too deep. We went up a vertiginous drive to the take-off spot, which just looked like a scary old cliff with a tennis court-sized clearing carpeted in faux grass from where I could plunge to my death. The instructor said, “just walk towards the cliff and we’ll be lifted off before you know it.” Just the words someone with a fear of heights wants to hear.

I took a few toddler-like ungraceful steps but then lo and behold, the wind lifted us ever so gently and pretty soon I was soaring like the eagles despite myself. It was surprisingly smooth and peaceful, and other than a couple small turbulences that tensed me up for an instant or two, when I reminded myself to just relax and enjoy, it was a beautiful experience that I will never regret, will never forget, and also will never do again. At least not likely.

Hiking and boating

We drove to the small village of Talloirs which is opposite corner from Annecy on the shores of the lake and it is as calm as Annecy is busy. There are also some beautiful hikes on the forested hills that are teeming with mushrooms and lush plants. At one point there was a turn-off to a path down the cliff to the Talloirs beach, but after a few minutes it turned into a very narrow, slippery, and exposed path that was a hell no. Even Sophia was ok to cut it short. But the rest of the hike, including the steep uphill “shortcut” that rendered the path a round trip vs. a there-and-back, was delightful.

We also found a boating company that could pick us up at the nearest shore from our AirBnB, cutting a good hour or so from our commute, and we enjoyed two freezing hours on the lake on an overcast drizzly morning. It was beautiful nonetheless.

Chamonix

I was very glad we had pivoted to stay a few nights in Chamonix vs. making it a day trip. It’s essentially a mountain highway drive, 1.5 hrs from Annecy, and once you’re there, you’d have to battle crowds and be at the mercy of that day’s weather for the main attractions. I was feeling anxious about the steep cable car ride and felt a little dehydrated, therefore prone to altitude sickness, so on the first day I found some natural pharmacy remedies for altitude sickness, hydrated a ton, and planned for activities for the next day. Good thing because the first day was also mostly overcast and a bit miserable. We did attempt Mer de Glace, which is a steep train ride up to a glacier and an ice cave you can walk on. The cave was closed for the season and the glacier was covered in fog. So that was that, but the train ride was pretty straightforward and eased some of my anxiety for heights.

The main attraction: Aiguille du Midi

We made reservations for a 10am ride up to Aiguille du Midi the next day. I’d read a lot about this being one of the highest and steepest cable car rides in the world, with a standing-only capacity of 65 people per car and floor to ceiling windows. It goes from the base of Chamonix at 3,396 feet, to the top at 12,605 feet in two stages, lasting roughly 20 minutes in total. I was ready with my sub-lingual altitude sickness pills and had taken some magnesium gummies to calm my nerves. Still, it was a tense wait in line.

When we first climbed onto our cable car, I didn’t want to be anywhere near the edge but also wanted something to hold on to. Turns out I didn’t need either. The car actually stayed pretty close to the outline of the mountain, so no suspending in mid-air down to the bottom, and was an incredibly smooth ride. After a few minutes, I calmed down enough that I started enjoying the stunning views of Mont Blanc and all the surrounding mountains. At the mid-way point, the second cable car ride looked even steeper, but hey, I was a pro by then.

Once at the top, it took a few deep breaths to go to the edges of the viewpoints as they were lined only by thin railings, and I could imagine myself slipping through the bottom spaces to my death. Thanks, brain. But my lack of courage rewarded me with alternate viewpoints through a covered passageway to slightly less scary metal panels that didn’t obstruct the views but gave me a greater sense of security.

From the top we watched in wonder the paragliders, rock climbers, and alpine hikers who made Aiguille du Midi the starting point for their extreme sports. We saw majestic snow-capped peaks spanning France, Italy, and Switzerland and remote narrow valleys way down below. Every observation area revealed a different angle and a different wonder. It felt sacred and blessed and awe-inspiring and I was grateful I had pushed through the fear to experience this indescribable beauty.