The White Mountain

Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco is French and Italian, respectively, for 'white mountain.' It is the highest mountain in Western Europe located in the Alps bordering both France and Italy. But if you exclude the Caucasus Mountains of Russia from Europe, than Mont Blanc is the continent's highest peak. It stands tall at 15,774 feet or 4,808 meters but the height may vary depending on the weather conditions and the amount of snow fall. The two most famous cities near Mont Blanc are Chamonix, in Haute-Savoie, France where the first Winter Olympics was held in 1924 and Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley in Italy.

During the summer months, Mont Blanc is a good place for nature lovers and trail hikers. A climb to the top of the Mont Blanc's summit maybe a tough journey but nothing beats the feeling of having to reach the top. You get a view of snow-capped mountains and deep abysses in every direction. If you're lucky, you can even locate the three countries which borders the Alpine range. And that also includes Switzerland.

Beneath the mountain is the Mont Blanc Tunnel which stretches to a length of 11.6 kilometers from Chamonix and Courmayeur. After completion in 1965, the tunnel became one of the major Trans-Alpine routes in the region. On March 24, 1999, a tragic accident occurred in the tunnel wherein 39 people died. A Belgian transport truck carrying flour and margarine caught fire inside the tunnel. Over the past 35 years, 16 other truck accidents occurred in the tunnel.