Planes, trains, and crossing borders.

Last week I logged some serious mileage on my journey to meet my friends in Chamonix to go snowboarding. I took an overnight train from Firenze, and what you see in these photos is the ride through Martigny, Les Marecottes, Chatelard, Vallorcine, and Argentiere. The greatest thing about these trains is that everyone on them is a skiier (with the occasional snowboarder). It's the French version of the MTA to service the mountain towns.

The train ride is surreal, as it winds through the mountains it feels like you are going through a simulator.

The photos below are for those of you who have not had the unforgettable experience of flying over the Alps during a daytime flight, or for those of you who, like me, are on a connection from NY and at this point are either sleepwalking or sleeping. As beautiful as the ride was through the Alps by train, after a long week of riding I was anxious to get back home and the 1 hour flight (as opposed to the 10+ hours by train) was simply irresistible.

View from starboard.

View from port side.

Now that you've seen how I got there and back, check the next post to see how I spent my time there. For the record, for the first time in history, I was scanned in at the airport in Firenze. There is a one in a bazillion chance that it will happen, and it happened to me. I handed over my passport and smiled widely as the man behind the window asked if I had a visa, and if I was a resident of Firenze, to which I proudly answered yes to both questions.  It is now time for me to once again give my heartfelt gratitude to the woman at the NY Consulate.