And that's a literal spa.
In what is becoming a tradition, today I head out to the Pré Saint Didier thermal spa. I've done this once before, and was surprised to find I really liked it.
It's a short bus ride from the bus "station" at Courmayeur (it's basically a roundabout at the entrance to town where all the buses stop, right next to the tourist information). As I wait for the bus, two American women appear, clearly looking to find their bus. Having been in their shoes in the past, I ask them where they are going. They are also going to the spa. We board the bus and chat. As always with other hikers, it's all about the trails, past, present and future. They are on a rest day as well, hiking the TMB with a group. As we alight the bus, I remind myself to tell them that the bus stop to return to town is not opposite where we left, but further down the road. OF course I forget to tell them that.
Pré Saint Didier is a small village with beautiful geraniums everywhere. The spa is located at a historical building, and I can imagine the wealthy people of Europe coming here in the 19th century for rest and relaxation. What did they have to relax from I don't know, considering they were wealthy enough to come here. On the way to the spa, look above and you can see the panoramic skywalk built above the gorge nearby.
48 euros buy me access for 5 hours. 10 minutes in the waterfall room, water hitting my shoulders, and all my aches are gone, and I'm relaxed. The sauna is unfortunately closed (covid)
On Via Roma, the main street in Courmayeur. They were just closing for their mid-day break, and would not sell me a cake. I should have planned my day better...
After a day spent alternating between lazing in the sun and dipping in various waters, I'm back in Courmayeur, to pick up my backpack from the hotel and walk through Via Roma to the cable car, which will take me up to Plan Checrouit. Tomorrow I start the AV2, and tonight i'm sleeping at Rifugio Maison Vieille, above Courmayeur. Having hiked the trail there twice already, once up on a day trip and once down on the TMB, I allow myself to skip this 780m ascent (after all, it is rest day today).
I reach the hut just as people are coming in from the other direction on the TMB: 4 Americans from Chicago, three Israeli guys on their first ever trip on their own aboard, and a large group of Swiss guys, and two couples from Germany. All young, all appearing to have met and bonded already on the trail. It's the first hut where the room I have is full and it almost feels like a school trip.
The original plan was to use this day to travel to the start of the valley and start the AV2 from the other direction, but for a reason I no longer remember I decided to change the plan. So I spend the night changing my reservations, sending email to the huts and making changes online for the hotel reservations.
Tomorrow I start again.
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