 |
| Bench Heaven! |
This is my last post from la Bourboule, until I return next March. Until then you will have to make do with the usual boring missives from Paris, London, and Oxford, with a few scarf posts thrown in.
In the afternoon I finally went up to polish the plaque on the bench. It always gets a little tarnished. Strangely enough, the first few wipe-offs are green, and then they get black - maybe the first ones are algae?
This time I had to evict several tourists who deemed the bench a suitable resting place - honestly, the nerve of some people. I had to explain who the 'Chevaliers de la Banne d'Ordanche' are, and sent them all off to Glider Mountain. I am afraid I told them it wasn't far .....
I was tempted to delete all these photos, since they suffer from the usual troubles - too much sunshine! It makes things look washed out, and not half as beautiful as in real life. What I need is a camera with a polarising filter inbuilt. I had one for my old Nikon, but digital cameras don't seem to come with that most valuable of all filters.
 |
| The bottom of the stairs that lead to Bench Mountain |
 |
| Hotel next to the entrance - notice the grand name? la Bourboule was very international in its heydays |
 |
| The light reflects bright sunshine - not a crappy camera! |
 |
| Rocky ground, just like my shortcut yesterday |
 |
| These signs are not trustworthy! Les Thermes are right downtown, so why is la Bourboule 500 meters further? |
 |
| Gorgeous views |
 |
| There is a parking place at the feet of the Bench Hill |
 |
| The last few steps |
 |
| Notice the tourists? |
 |
| This is after I polished the plaque. My dentist would be so proud! |
 |
| The fountain with a zoom |
 |
| The two large windows in the black part - second row from the top - are my apartment |
 |
| There is a children's holiday home on the way to Bench Mountain |
 |
| I do love plants grown into walls, especially self seeded ones |
 |
| This is the back entrance of the Great Thermes, where I sneak in every morning |
 |
| City Hall |
 |
| My hotel |
 |
| The casino |
 |
| City hall again |
 |
| The river Dordogne in front of my hotel |
 |
| Outrage! All those amazing mismatched streetlights have been replaced with some bland, boring, MODERN ones. I only noticed it this afternoon. I'll never make a great detective. |
