Travel Tips

When weather becomes stormy in mountains, the colours become bright, even strange sometimes. I love walking and hiking, feeling the fresh air and looking at the changes of our nature with the seasons; . .

The magniolia tree blooms early in spring (or late in winter); generally nature manages for the flowers blooming when winter is finished; this time, it did not work and snow capped thes flowers, and no fruits or seed will be produced by the tree this year.

These condensation trails in late afternoon over the Pene Blanque crest (Peña Blanca, white crest) in Western Pyrenees reflect the immobility of air for several hours: no wind at all at high altitude. This happens only in winter when air masses have stabilised temperatures(cold). All the colours are cold here, and it is peaceful.

Orchids are not only tropical-equatorial epiphytes; in Europe (and elsewhere) beautiful orchids bloom in the natural meadows of plains and mountains. I like particularly this blue one (many are more violet) , flowering with the yellow and white "coucou" in the middle and a typical alpine yellow renoncule.

Under the surface, beautiful natural features can be discovered too. Like these stalagtites in the Choranches cave, which displays very spectacular ones and also "calcite glaciers"; more on:
http://www.grottes-de-choranche.com/
This picture here is spectacular for the light reflected in the interfering water waves.

Hiking far and high in the mountains is always rewarding .
Here it is in the Alps above Briançon, above 10000 feet, in August, there is no visible vegetation, snow is not fully molten away, and in few days autumn and winter will be back. The rewards here are the peace, the beauty of the landscapes, the thin air, . . . all is feeling here.

In the Pyrenees, some small mountain lakes are located almost on the crests of the mountains. The Lac d'Estaens here, nearthe Somport pass, in Western Pyrenees (this lake is in Spain, actually, but you do not see when you cross the border), has only hiker-visitors, as at least 2 hours walk are needed to get there. My sons had a bath here in the 12°C water. Brrr, feelings. . .

Although I am not very fond of these modern "extreme" sports or modern leisure activities (like rafting, parachuting, 4 wheel "adventure" (hahaha, what adventure in a car ? ), I liked a lot a rafting morning with some friends on the Gave d'Ossau, river running down the Pyrenees. The misty ambience was very strange listening to the roaring water, trying to spot some wildlife and playing a bit the explorers or playing "Aguirre" the conquistador in W. Herzog's movie.