The biggest cirque in the Pyrenees?

            

We  had a fantastic time at our Colonie de vacances this year with near perfect weather, and some outings to new walking destinations, together with revisiting some old favourites. However, the crowning moment came after the camp had finished. We had always wished to visit the famous Cirque de Gavernie, and we decided that this was the year. We decided to visit it on the way to our next destination, to stay a few days at Orthez with our friends Arlette and Laurent. I was surprised to find that the Cirque was only some 30 kilometres away, and although 30 k is longer on a winding mountain road than on a motorway, we felt it was not too far out of our way.
   You can see from my photos, that the scenery is spectacular, to say the least. You arrive in the little mountain town of Gavarnie and over everything looms the monstrous backdrop of the great circle of mountains, with waterfalls falling hundreds of feet down the face. The Spanish frontier is along the top, but I bet they are not troubled by smugglers! We parked the car in one of the several car parks, walked through the town and on though a narrow road/footpath to approach the Cirque more closely. it wouldn't do to go too near though, the scene is so monumental that it wouldn't fit in the camera frame! We had a very pleasant stroll towards the Cirque, Jilly had a welcome swim in the stream alongside. After a mile or so, we crossed the stream by a little stone bridge, returning to the town by a path on the other side. We saw what must be the most scenically sited police station in the world, I suppose they deal with mountain rescue than chasing criminals!
  I took loads of photos to remind us of a truly memorable afternoon.

   Bye for now, tea time