Sunday, June 29, 2014

Montjovet to Bard June 28

                                                                              Current Day.                      Trip to Date

Distance walked - miles.                                           12.6.                                615.5

Gross climb- feet                                                       790.                               52,314

Song of the Day: Thousands are Sailing by the Pogues

goodnight to broadway 
Giving it our best regards 
Tipped our hats to mister Cohen 
Dear old times square's favorite bard 

A very nice walk today.  Once again, the weather gods were looking down on us.  When we left the hotel at 7:45, it was threatening to rain.  But, it held off until about an hour after we arrived at Bard!  Man, this is getting to be a repeating story!  Weather forecast for tomorrow is rain, I'm hopeful we can beat it again.  

Did I say that we:  got lost (check), had to dodge cars on busy highways (check) and were barked at by many dogs (check)!   Did I also say the scenery in this part of the world is gorgeous (check)!   Once again, we are walking through an extremely narrow valley, where there is a river, a couple of busy highways, a railroad, and many other things going on. Somehow they manage to shove all this in, and make it look good too.  Here is a shot down on the town of Bard and the valley from the Fort in Bard (more about that later). 


Much of the walk today was along the river.


A fishing shot for our friend Curt Nelson in Austin!


No day is complete without one animal photo.  Here are some chickens and rabbits sharing a space:


We are staying at another very nice boutique hotel in Bard.  The owner told us how they recently filmed part of the movie Avengers 2 in Bard.  He said their hotel was booked for two months for the filming.  Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olson and James Spader all stayed at this hotel.  This hotel has a spa area, with a jacuzzi, steam bath and sauna.  We took advantage of this yesterday afternoon. Wow, did that feel good!  We also had a terrific meal in their restaurant last night.  One of the best meals we have had on this trip.  Here is a photo of the jacuzzi, which is built into a sort of underground cave:


Yesterday afternoon, we visited Fort Bard.  Fort Bard is an ancient castle that was originally built in the 5th century, then updated and expanded in the 10 century.  In 1800, Napolean conquered the area and demanded that the castle be destroyed.  The castle was then completely rebuilt in 1830.  It is a huge complex, high on a mountain, requiring a series of trams and elevators to get to.  Today, it is a sort of entertainment complex, with several art museums, a museum of the Alps, a children's museum and other attractions.  We spent several hours there yesterday afternoon, visiting the special Picasso exhibit, the Alps museum and a couple of other art exhibits.  All in all, a very fun way to spend a late afternoon.  Here is a shot looking up at the castle from the trail:


Here is a shot of Linda from the castle:


Did I say the forecast for Sunday is for rain? (check)!




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