Holiday in France 18 - Col de Vars
Apologies to anyone who is following this blog, I have been away for a month and have had no internet access. I am taking up where I left off - in the southern Alps of France. Alan left Guillestre early to ride up to the Col de Vars on his bike. I had a tidy up of the van and downloaded pictures from my camera onto the laptop then set out to meet him. He was coming back down into the town when I caught up with him and we turned immediately and drove up to the top of the col. There is a large Vauban fort just outside Guillestre, but we had visited this on a previous holiday and did not feel the need for a return. Compared to other passes the Col de Vars is fairly low and stands next door to the Refuge Napoléon, by a small lake which was glittering in the morning sun. The refuge was built in 1858, after Emperor Napoléon's death, but in accordance with his wishes to thank the people of the area for their kindness after his return from Elba. We had a walk around the lake and up onto...