France, part four

Another lovely morning, as we looked out over Nyer.

The chill air was quickly being warmed by the rising sun.

Today, we were going to go over the top of the En ridge to the Tet valley.

Me, Mannes & the dogs, ready to go.

The spotted one (Dalmatian) is Mannes' dog, called robi.

Evol valley & Mount Madres, as you can see, a lovely day.

Sue & I just LOVE the way the shadows of the scudding clouds 'run' across the hillsides.

Some serious 'up & down' followed through lovely woodland paths.
The fallen leaves carpeted the ground, and we had to take care of hidden loose rocks underneath.

View over to Canavelles village. Lots of little, quite remote, villages like this abound in France.

This one has had the same mayor for over fifty years! He must be a popular guy.

En & La Serre. You can just make out the bell tower on En chapel.

Here we go - more serious stuff!

When we emerged onto plateaus, the views were stunning.

Here, Brenda & I take it all in

I'm sure some climbers would have a good day out on these limestone buttresses.

Looking down the Tet valley to the road. Brenda won't take the dogs along the path that runs down the left of this road. It's above a railway line (the little yellow train), and once, Brenda slipped off the path on the loose surface, slip down the bank and she fell ON TO the road. She landed in a heap, stunned and winded, right in the middle! Goodness knows how she didn't sustain a break, as the drop is about ten feet or more, and how lucky was she that nothing was coming? The road is used by up to forty fuel tankers a day, coming and going to Andorra for the cheap fuel, plus other traffic. She could easily have been killed.

No wonder she won't walk it these days.

Looking north up the Tet valley.

Someone had drawn this sign on a rock. It's the mark of the 'St Jacques de Compostille' walk (a pilgrimage), but I was surprised to see it here, as the walk doesn't come through here? I once asked Brenda to buy us some scallops to cook for dinner. It's the FIRST time I've known her to be stumped in French! She didn't know what they were called. We've since learned that it's 'coquille ST Jaques' (of COURSE!).

Here's something we didn't notice at first, but once we'd seen one bunch, we saw HUNDREDS!

It must be a good place for mistletoe, as there was no end of it, hanging in great big bunches.

We DID 'christen' this bunch, but couldn't get a steady perch for the camera to record the moment - and Brenda & Mannes were some way ahead of us.

Soon, we were back at the car, and could again see En chapel, with Olette village below.

This weekend would see Olette 'carnival of the animals', and there was something very special we wanted to buy there, but more of that later in a later posting.

On the drive back down to Nyer, we disturbed a flock of Partridges on the track.

Tomorrow we have a big climb day promised by Mannes & Brenda to the top of

Roc de Trepassats 1600 metres. We should be looking DOWN on the helicopter!

Watch this space.