Gazing with wonder at the majesty of the sheer rock walls and tiered snow platforms, Victor Hugo exclaimed, “It is both a mountain and a rampart; it is the most mysterious of structures by the most mysterious of architects; it is Nature’s Colosseum – it is Gavarnie!”  The Cirque is 3.5 km wide at its base and 14 km around the crest line (from Astazou in the east to Pic des Sarradets in the west).  The floor level is, on average, 1,676 meters above sea level; the surrounding summits rise to more than 3,000 meters.  This beautiful amphitheatre was formed by glacial action during the last ice age.  The best way to view it is to park one’s car at the end of the village and take the unsurfaced path along the left bank of le gave (a mountain stream).  After crossing over an old stone bridge, walk up through the woods, leaving the river to your right.  Village farmers let their cows graze in the mountain valleys and their bells can be heard clanging away as they stomp through the vale.  As one goes down again towards the river, the landscape brightens up; the Cirque gets nearer against a backdrop of fir trees.  On the left a few waterfalls can be seen.  The last part of the hike consists of rambling through mixed vegetation to reach the first rocky folds marking the approach of the Cirque itself.  Shortly before arriving at the Hôtel du Cirque (a great place to rest after hiking for over an hour), the river rushes through a narrow gorge.  Then the Cirque de Gavarnie suddenly comes into view—three superimposed layers of horizontal strata rising in giant steps from the floor of the blind valley.  The excursion to the Hôtel du Cirque does not have to end there as it is possible to continue onward as far as the Grande Cascade.  This, the most impressive of the innumerable waterfalls silvering the walls of the Cirque, is fed by melt-water overflowing from the frozen lake 2,592 meters up on Monte Perdido on the Spanish side of the border.  The cascade drops a clear 422 meters into the void.  For people who enjoy hiking, visiting the Cirque de Gavarnie is well worth the time.  It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.

Hollowed out of the limestone mass of the Gramat Causse by a subterranean river, the great chasm of Padirac, famous throughout Europe, is thought of as one of the greatest interesting geological sights of France.  Be sure to check out their website for additional information and some wonderful graphics.  Sadly, I have few photos of the interior as no photography whatsoever is allowed.  Still, I did sneak two or three good pictures without my flash when the guide wasn’t paying attention.  Two lifts and some staircases lead from the visitor’s center into the chasm, which is 32 meters in diameter and a staggering 75 meters deep, to the cone of rubble below from the original caving-in of the roof centuries ago.  From the bottom one looks up in awe at the Eye of God—a little corner of sky at the mouth of the hole.  The walls are covered in vegetation while moisture leeching downward drips on ones head.  During the Hundred Years’ War and the Wars of Religion, the chasm served as a refuge for people living in the area.  It wasn’t until the end of the 19th century that a violent flooding of the river opened up the bottom of the chasm and the underground caverns.  The speleologist, Édouard-Alfred Martel, was the first to discover the passage in 1892.  Padirac was opened for the first time to tourists in 1898.  From the cone of rubble there is a staircase leading to the underground river, 103 meters below ground level.  At the bottom, a two-kilometer journey begins, 500 meters on foot and another 400 meters by boat.  A flotilla of flat-bottom boats offers an enchanting journey over the astonishingly clear waters.  A narrow passage between high walls links the underground lake and the chambers to be visited next.  In the salle des grands gours is a series of pools separated by natural limestone dams, dividing the river and the lake into basins; beyond that is a cascading 6-meter waterfall.  The most impressive part of the tour is the salle du grand dôme, which reaches 91 meters high into the cavern.  The viewpoint, built halfway up, enables visitors to look below in wonder at the rock formations and the flows of calcite decorating the walls.  There is also another lake named Supérieur which is fed only by water infiltrating the soil and falling from the roof.  Surprisingly, this lake is actually 20 meters above the subterranean river.  Again, there are a lot of stairs so if you have a problem with that, this excursion is not for you.  Upon ones return along the underground river, a tour guide takes a photo of your boat.  I didn’t think it was worth 15 Euros to purchase a photograph with a bunch of other tourists I didn’t know, so here is one taken in the 1960s—not much has changed—only eleven people per boat.  To exit the cave, either take the stairs like I did or for those not eager for the exercise, use the elevator.

Near the town of Brix, at 100, route du Mont Epinguet is the unique Jardin de Clairbois.  Its name derives from the small river La Claire which winds along the foot of the wooded hills of Mont Epinguet, part of the ancient forest of Brix.  In 1964, M. and Mme. Hubert Egon (now deceased), parents of the current owner, began to plant an undergrowth of rhododendrons and other heath shrubs on their land.  The land’s proximity to La Claire brings moisture while the leafy cover of deciduous and conifer trees dims the sunlight.  The ground is naturally rich in humus and a subsoil of Armorican sandstone allows excess moisture to drain away.  These conditions make the area ideal for a forest garden.  The three hectare garden is divided into three distinct areas.  Aged for fifteen years, the 8000 m² Jardin des hybrides has more than 301 species and 829 hybrid varieties of rhododendrons, azaleas, dogwoods, camellias, pittosporums, and hydrangeas.  Nearly a third of the plantings have received awards by the British Royal Horticultural Society.  It was originally designed to provide an aesthetic color palette which changes continually throughout the year.  Its grassy pathways are well cared for by M. Christophe Egon and his wife, Pascale.  The 2000 m² Jardin des espèces forms a buffer zone between the first, well-manicured hybrid garden.  It contains many coniferous trees and larch wood as well as 100 botanical species from Asia, North and South America, Australia and Russia.  As this part of the garden is in a constant state of improvement, hundreds of new shrubs have been planted and new pathways have been cleared.  A small pond with its own waterfall has been created next to the ruins of an ancient stone building thought to be part of a medieval quarry.  Finally, the largest part of the garden open to the public is the 20,000 m² Jardin forestier.  Here the forest is stepped along the southern part of the hillside, a remnant of the ancient forest of Brix.  Some rhododendrons planted in the 1960s form enormous masses of color mixed among the very old beech trees, chestnuts, oaks and natural birches.  Be careful—this part of the garden is only for the most adventurous of visitors.  Christophe and Pascale also run a nursery called La pépinière de Clairbois where visitors can purchase different varieties of trees and shrubs found in their garden.  There is even a small picnic area where visitors can purchase drinks or a refreshing ice cream.