Italy Road Trip: From Better to Best!!

Well here I am again sitting outside the tent with a beer while tea cooks!! Not that the beer is different, you understand, just the sun. Bliss!! The day got off to a good start with no rain and dry overnight. There was a lot of cloud about, very dramatic and threatening, so nothing was assured. I began to feel more confidant when the local roadies set off on their bikes without being swathed in waterproofs. Before the day's activities could get underway breakfast had to be partaken of. I love French bread with laughing cow (if you have to ask youv'e never lived!) and apricot jam followed by coffee and croissant. The essentials out of the way we set off in ever improving weather for the other side of the Col de Menee for a location for lady's slipper orchids provided by my brother. Consternation entered the camp as we drove past a sign suggesting the the tunnel was closed Monday-Friday sauf jours friers. Not knowing what sort of days friers were we stopped in the village of Menee, attracted by some examples of the work of some local artists who were busy running workshops. Establishing that jours friers were holiday days, of which this was one, we carried on, arranging to call back later in the day.
The scenery became increasingly spectacular as we climbed higher and higher around hairpin bends.
Vertiginous limestone cliffs towered above while valleys disappeared gut wrenchingly below us! The roads, however, were yet again brilliantly constructed. Just before the summit we were rewarded with wonderful views of a large flock of alpine choughs. After passing through the tunnel at the summit of the col, the views became even more amazing. In one direction was the incredible flat topped, cliff-encircled summit of Mont Aguille, like something out of Conan-Doyle's Lost World, with Le Gand Veymont at 2341m behind. To our right loomed the incredible snow and ice peaks of the Ecrins National Park!! Amazing!! We soon found the orchid site and also the orchids. Sadly, however, none were in flower. A French orchid hunter and fellow photographer commiserated suggesting that the winter had been too long and things were a fortnight behind. Now where have I heard that before?!!
We had our picnic lunch at this spot and then headed back over the col, down the other side but turned up the valley of the Vallon de Combau. Driving up into this high valley was spectacular. Guarded by huge limestone cliffs at the entrance, a road sign prescribed 'lentement et prudence'. Once past the exciting bit, however, the scenery opened up into a wide, verdant, wooded valley interspersed with meadows. Flowers were again in abundance, with carpets of cowslips and a white alpine buttercup. We also found good numbers of scillas, narcissi, daffodils and a few globe flowers with kingcups or marsh marigolds in the wet areas.
Eventually if was time to head back down, calling in at our artists on the way. Emmanuelle was a felt maker and I had a job dragging Heather away. Her partner Gianluca was a garden sculpture in a variety of media. We spent a very pleasant time there. Amazing how like minds can live hundreds of miles apart. Exchanging websites and email addresses we took our leave to head back to the site for a beer and evening meal.
What an amazing day.