Alpes-Maritimes - September 11, 2000

I awoke early and looked at the stars and lights down the valley. Later we went down to have our petit dejuner in the hotel. Two young boys came down to go to school. They were the children of the innkeeper and grandchildren of the elderly couple at the next table who talked mostly to a kitten on the windowsill next to their table. The boys came down to breakfast and gave both grandparents a kiss. After checking out, we got our things packed up and left the hotel by about 8:30 a.m. again taking the steep climb up to the village.

On the way out of town asked directions of two old men, one of who was very helpful in pointing out the way up to St. Honorat Chapel. As we went on he waved us in the right direction as we began to make a wrong turn by the village baths. We left the village of La Bollène and walked up the road so as to avoid a very tough stretch of GR 52A up the mountain. We went by the small chapel to St. Honorat, looking in the windows, and then on up the road. At a tunnel we saw a large dog-like animal entering from the other end. He turned and hurried back in the other direction showing a very bushy tail and some whitish hair on top. I thought it might have been a wolf, which were known to be in the area.

At signpost 200 (all the signposts were numbered so as to identify them on the map) we took a trail which first descended a rocky shale pathway with a nice slope to a little bridge and then up through piney forests. The sentier or path had nice switchbacks with gradual slopes. Except for the initial downhill to the stream, the entire way to the Col de Turini was uphill, fortunately much of it gradual. We arrived there about 1:30 p.m. and walked up to a field above where there were lots of cows with many different bells that played a little symphony.

There were a couple of picnic tables and we picked out one near the cows. But when one came over (with bell) she brought an entire ecosystem of flies so we quickly changed locations to a field above, passing the cowherd who was lying down with his two dogs. The cowherd went down to lunch carrying a stick with a little whip on it leaving the dogs to attend to the cows. Soon after a man ambled through and walked near them and they stood their ground and barked him away.

We had a nice cheese baguette again – though this had become a routine it was always delicious. As we left we saw a monument for a man who was born in 1917 who had died in the Second World War from a mine explosion. We walked down by the cows and through Col de Turini (which seemed to consist of three hotels) and up a path to Camp d'Argent. There we found a nice room at le Relais du Camp d'Argent, a ski resort hotel. We arrived at 3:15 p.m. all uphill! (Pedometer 9.35 miles, 19,852 steps and 1428 calories.)

After a brief nap, we walked up into l'Authion park. The area was mostly grassy mountains nearby with two tree-covered mountain ranges forming a valley to the south. Near l'Authion, there was a monument to the "fusiliers marins" who had fought up in these steep mountains in the Second World War. We climbed up to a ruined building but not to the fort on top, as we were concerned about getting back to the hotel in time for dinner. We walked back over the hill we had circled on our way up. There were tiers of high mountains as far as one could see and the tall Alps in the distance. After admiring the view we headed back to the hotel arriving at 7:00 p.m.

We changed and went to dinner with our maps to plan the next day. Dinner began with warm goat's cheese and herbs on a crisp toast with salad greens. After the remaining courses, Madame finished the meal with a homemade liquor with cherries of which she was quite proud. The couple at the table next us were enjoying their drinks and the woman who was a rough and ready type had a Lhaso Apso dog which she periodically picked up and hugged as she walked around the room. Bon noticed that at one point the dog made a puddle by their table which the hostess said not to worry about – she also had two or three dogs running around the place with occasional tiffs. The hostess and the man at the next table got very involved with our trip planning. She was adamant that we not to go to Moulinet as there was "pas d'hotel" but she said that she would drop us at the trailhead to Sospel. After much talk – she spoke no English – this plan was established and we retired saying goodnight to everyone including three German cyclists who were touring in the region.