The Mountains

For two weeks I had traveled the Côte d'Azur. My life was sweet. I went to nice beaches and the water was warm. I drank good wines. I had tasted wonderful food, but got food poisoning at a terrible restaurant, so my life was not so sweet 100% of the time, but I did have the best guide the world could offer in Alain. Never have I truly enjoyed myself on a holiday. There were not as many people as I expected, though there were enough. The weather was fine, but I have only one complaint. Having spent all that time going from place to place, still there was so much I did not see. I realize that more time is needed next year. When shortness of time is the only complaint you have from a vacation, then it was certainly a good one.

In the end, Alain wanted to show me something different. We drove through the mountains just behind Nice, close to the Italian border and into the Alps. These few photos can do no justice to what I saw. Much of the time I completely forgot I had a camera, therefore missing some incredible views. In a way, it is okay because it was very important to just experience it all naturally and first hand, not through the lens of a camera. I was also dumbstruck most of the time. The colors up there were extraordinary. The rivers were a clear aquamarine color. The rocks in deep blue-grey, black or red. The mountains in greys, blue and deep greens or gold. Streaks of white ice or patches of white snow appeared here and there. Clouds were enormous and casting great shadows which seemed to stretch miles. It was otherworldly, humbling and majestic. Wagner came to mind. We went through ancient gorges and saw what slow moving fjords left behind. Deep valleys where picturesque villages still exist. It is a beautiful, beautiful place.