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Having picked up a hire car at Toulouse Airport, we embarked
on a two-week tour, predominantly on the French side of the Pyrenees. Following
a drive over flowery hillsides, past many species of orchid, our first
stay was in Pas de la Casa, just on the border of Andorra. The nearby passes
(top left - Port d'Envalira) supported many alpine plants, including the
local endemic Gentiana pyrenaica (top right) and the beautifully
scented Daphne cneorum.
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Next stop was further west in the elegant spa town of Bagneres de Luchon,
where a local roundabout housed a spectacular celebration of the local
water (bottom left). From here we had easy access to the Val d'Aran, just
over the border in Spain. Nearer Luchon, the walk up the valley to the
Lac d'Oo took us to a spectacular waterfall, massed ranks of the stately
Lilium pyrenaicum (left), and our first sighting of Ramonda myconii,
an African Violet "look-alike". |
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Keeping the best till last, our final destination was still further
west near the Cirque de Gavarnie (bottom right). Here the results of glaciation
were seen at their glorious best, and it was hard to choose whether to
watch the vultures overhead or the flowers at one's feet. A day trip further
west took us to Col de Portalet where vast numbers of Fritillaria pyrenaica
(above right) were massed on parade.
 
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