Photo Album ..........Southern France................




The view from our B&B high on the hill above Millau, France, with the Viaduc du Millau in the distance.



Milking time at the farm where the B&B was located. Every afternoon our host went out in his ATV and brought the sheep in for milking, then took them back out for a few hours of grazing before returning them to the barn for the night. After the morning milking, he took them back out in the fields. The border collies normally rode in the ATV unless too many sheep stopped for a snack on the way to the day's designated grazing area. The farm is completely 'biologique', or organic and raises much of its own feed for the sheep.



A view of the farm from the road into Millau.




A bridge over the river Tarn in the lovely Gorge du Tarn east of Millau. There are miles and miles of gorges to be driven at very slow speeds because the roads are so winding and narrow but the views are spectacular. There is always a bar to stop and have a beer or a panache (low-alcohol beer drink) when you're tired of driving and need a rest with a view.



A 'castle' along the Gorge du Tarn.




A Petit Train, the ubiquitous tourist transport that we saw in more and smaller cities on this trip. The 'train' is a quick way to familiarize yourself with the sights of a city. Sometimes the narration will be in multiple languages, but more often it will just be in the local language but you can usually pick up the important keywords. This train is in Millau.



The Grand Canyon du Verdon, the deepest gorge in Europe. Not a match for Arizona's Grand Canyon, but well worth a side trip if you are in the vicinity. Unfortunately, my camera batteries died after this shot. There were rafters in the river far below and rock climbers on the walls below one of the observation points. We drove the north side of the river and took the Route de Cretes near the village of la Palud-sur-Verdon which is thankfully one-way for most of its length.






Fields of lavender near the Grand Canyon du Verdon. The scent was almost overwhelming but we didn't linger outside the car too long because the air was also full of bees working the lavender blossoms. I found out later that there are two kinds of lavender grown, the original one and a hybrid which is not as powerfully scented but which has a higher yield. This probably explains the quite noticeable difference in color and plant size between various fields.



Lac de Ste Croix, a giant reservoir just downstream from the Grand Canyon du Verdon. The water really was unbelievably blue.



One of the hazards of driving on back roads in France. The herders worked hard to keep one lane open for vehicle traffic but one of the pesky sheep would spy a green morsel and dart across the road, oblivious to cars, so caution in passing is necessary.



A closer view of the flock which included these bellwether goats. Note the size of the bells and collar. Hard to miss hearing these guys coming around the bend.