An American in the French Alps

Being from Colorado, I forgot how majestic the mountains could be. I then spent the next 25 years in Boston where mountains were non-existent. Now I'm living in Domancy, in the French alps, getting in shape by biking, hiking and snowshoeing.

I'm also adjusting to living in a very small community where Americans are an anomoly. I almost feel like I should tell people to come up to me and poke me, a real live American! Plus, with the elections around the corner and a VERY interesting race in the works, I know the local French are just dying to ask me questions.

Otherwise, I am discovering this beautiful region of Haute Savoie. With jaw-dropping world-renowned cities like Chamonix, Megève, St. Gervais, or Combloux, around 30 minutes from us, each trip is a new discovery. We are only 45 minutes away from the famous Aiguille du Midi, the 2nd most popular natural tourist attraction in France after the Verdon Canyon . This summer Le Tour de France is coming, so this will really be fun to see it live!

So for now, I'm having some great conversations with our guests from our AirBNB. So far, we've had visitors from China, Brazil, France, England, Bulgaria and Wisconsin to name a few. I drove our Chinese guest to Chamonix to try her hand at paragliding. Pierre is making his famous Fondue Savoyarde for some of our guests, so he can finally show off his delicious family recipe.

Whether you like hiking, mountain biking, river rafting, mountain climbing, paragliding, or even just the stunning vistas from every angle, the Haute Savoie region has something for everyone. AND, we are only 45 minutes from the Italian or Swiss border, so you can visit three different countries all in one fell swoop.

One last reason to come here--it's NOT Paris--no terrorism, an affordable vacation, wide open spaces, nice people, great food, clean fresh air, exercise and the amazing Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Europe!