Framedlight

On the way down from the Col de l'Iseran we came to a village, Bonneval-sur-Arc, purportedly the 'prettiest village in Savoie'. The weather was still cloudy, dull and damp which cast a certain amount of gloom over Bonneval but I can imagine it would look prettier in the sunshine. The houses are all built in traditional style and cars are not allowed into the village. They have also sunk the cables which makes it more clutter free. After a quick look around and a cup of coffee in the van (nothing was open in Bonneval) we got on our way as we had a fair distance to cover in the day. I have experimented with adding a texture to the first picture. I am not sure that it is successful, but may be something I will play with at a later date.

Leaving Derek's house in the morning we drove through Bourg-Saint-Maurice and up into the Iseran Valley towards the Col de l'Iseran. We unwittingly followed the Route des Grandes Alpes for nearly the whole time we were down in the mountains. This was a series of roads created by the French Touring Club and finished in 1937, starting in Geneva and ending in Menton on the Mediterranean coast. It opened the area up to tourism and allowed the local population to reach the outside world more easily. With the coming of the autoroutes these rather narrow and precipitous roads are fairly free of traffic. Alan wanted to cycle up to the Col de l'Iseran (2770m) so he left me and Hettie in upper Tignes, which was deserted apart from a few workmen who were engaged on the lifts and residences in village. There is something very depressing about a ski town in summer. The high rise accommodation is usually never that well designed and the mountainside looks a mess where the runs have been...