Here I am, feeling 30 feet tall! The day had started cloudy and drizzly (I shot the images of Lac des Gaillands, below, that morning). In Chamonix, the Aiguille du Midi and Mt. Blanc remained obscured by clouds, as Pink Floyd would say. But the weather report at the Téléphérique station said it was clear at the summit. That was all the convincing I needed.

I paid the $40 round-trip fee and got on the highest cable car in Europe. By the time it reached the midway transfer station at Plan de l'Aiguille, the sun was shining brilliantly. Everyone else on the Téléphérique with me transferred to the car going to the top (Aiguille du Midi). Given the spectacular views up there, who could blame them? But this spot enticed me. With literally no other person in sight, I couldn't resist the temptation to hop off the cable car and explore. I’d catch up to the others in a while. But first, I spent a blissful hour Plan de l'Aiguille, wandering, entirely alone, in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.