Carrefour-fresh salmon and rings of olives on a fluffy breadloaf slightly soaked in honey. A bite into it and knew I was at (my future retirement) home.

The first time I discovered Aosta Valley, the magical place through the Mont Blanc tunnel, was when my parents came to visit me at CERN. We spent a weekend in May, hiking several routes, sometimes knee-deep in snow.

The sandwich was inherently tasty but made even more so by the treacherous journey we were busy undertaking. We had just made it to the top of a rocky ledge next to a waterfall, after having edged across three snow-filled ravines. This lunch break was merely a breather from trying to survive for the last couple of hours, and bracing ourselves to continue the perilous way over and across the waterfall and down the steep loose-stoned mountain side.

Still, #loveVDA !

The views