Mont Blanc Tunnel. Wait up please.

I was invited to dinner in Courmayeur by good friend Alessio Berthod on Monday, May 12. It was the end of a long weekend in France, some sort of a fest. We tried a number of restaurants, all full. No room in the Inn if you get my drift. Finally we were seated in the Pizzeria du Tunnel, one of the most popular and best value locations in Courmayeur. Why, I wondered aloud were the restaurants so busy? Why so many people, it was almost like high season. "The tunnel" came the quick retort. It seems the waiting time was...wait for it...three hours. With the new rules on tailgaiting and speed and the like, one had better be prepared to wait. And wait, and wait. So, smart travelers, those with a bit of money still left in their kick, stopped in Courmayeur to eat. Did we mention drink? This was a French long weekend and getting thru the tunnel was, at the very least, not convenient. So the restaurants, and yes the few open hotels, were full. The Hotel Berthod where I was staying was also full. Judging by the licence plates, French and Swiss and Austrians; all could not get thru the tunnel without an inconveniently long delay. Satying in Courmayeur, a good breakfast, and Bob, as they say, is your uncle. Or is he? what will the exodus be like in the morning??? Watch this space.