Walking across Europe to Mont Blanc was a completely different part of European culture for me: finding a remote farm turned into a thriving cafe serving delicious food... flowers and cows (with classic bells) dotted with color... wire where. everyone is like a family.
Since almost everyone is walking in the same direction (counterclockwise), it is possible to make friends with the tourists. By the looks of it, half the people on the road were from the US, and I met a lot of Seattle residents.
And to make it easier, the food was very basic: only a sandwich at the hotel, maybe a carrot, a piece of fruit, and water. But after reaching the summit at noon, lunch turned into a groundhog feast. (Speaking of groundhogs, we didn't see any wildlife other than a few mice that were crushed by hiking boots on the road.)