Cold night's sleep last night. The door had been left open and it got bloody cold, but at least it was a quieter night than the previous one!
We got up and set off down through the woodland trail, with the glacial waters rushing down the gorge alongside us. It was a really pleasant walk and, as usual, there was a fantastic view around practically every corner. Even when you stopped and turned around, there was something else worth photographing. You could spend the whole day just taking photos.
We settled into a nice rhythm, chatting to each other for a while and then putting our headphones on and listening to music. It was a fairly easy walk too, which was very welcome after the previous couple of days.
We were due to be picked up by a bridge at the end of the trail and had about half an hour to kill, so a few of us dumped our bags and went down to the water. We got our feet and legs into the glacial water.
Bloody hell, it was cold! But it actually felt really good, especially on the feet and calves. A natural ice bath!
The minibus arrived and took us about 20 minutes to Courmayeur, where we checked into our hotel for the next two nights. It was very nice to have a proper room, a proper bed and our own space after the last two nights in dormitories. Luxury!
Had a shower, caught up with the internet and then created a PhotoCircle group so we can all share our photos from the trip. I also had a call with the kids (well, not Charlotte!) downstairs in the foyer.
Then Tash, Steve, Victor and I went for a wander through Courmayeur, stopped for an ice cream and eventually found a bar where we settled down for a drink.
Manu happened to walk past, so we persuaded him to join us. Then Ang, Tong and Ching found us too, and suddenly we had a decent little group together having beers and chatting.
We then headed off to the pizza place that Manu had organised. Tong had paid for the drinks earlier, which was incredibly generous of him.
The pizza place was really nice, and we had a great evening. Steve somehow managed to get Tong and Ang talking about their relationship and how they'd actually met when they were four and six years old in their village. It was fascinating listening to them talk about it, and really fascinating to get to know more about their lives outside of this trip.
It was just a very relaxed evening. No rush, no trekking, no worrying about the next climb – just good food, drinks and conversation with a really nice group of people who are definitely getting closer as the days go on.
We paid up and headed back to the hotel. By then, the three Canadian ladies had returned from their spa day and seemed to have had a great time. It's a shame they're missing out on the meal and the evening with us, but they seemed perfectly happy with their decision.
Tash and I came back to the room, did a bit of social media scrolling, and I got on with writing this before finally calling it a night.
It's only 10.00pm, and I'm tired, so that's probably a good sign!
End of Day Summary:
Another really enjoyable day, although very different from the first couple. The walking was relatively easy, the scenery was spectacular as usual and it was great to get into Courmayeur and have a proper hotel for a couple of nights. More importantly, the group seems to be getting on better and better and we're having some really good conversations. A chance to relax, wash some clothes and recharge before the next couple of days of hiking. A very good day.
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