Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Not-So-Wordless Wednesday

Somewhere near the Col du Soulor (Soulor Pass) in Pyrénées, France


Since I started my Wordless Wednesday series by writing a few words about my photos, I’ve decided that I might as well continue with this trend. So for today’s entry, this landscape is somewhere near Col du Soulor (Soulor Pass: approximately 1450 m above sea level) on our way to Col d’Aubisque (Aubisque Pass: has an altitude of around 1700 m and is usually part of Tour de France, a cycling event where Lance Armstrong won first for seven consecutive years) in the Pyrénées. Traffic in this road to and from the department of Hautes-pyrénées usually alternates every 2 hours because of its narrowness and serpentine feature.

The panorama is spectacular. It is in fact a known viewpoint. However, because of its altitude, the temperature can be really bone-chilling and the wind strong during the cold season; and the sun can come too harsh and strong during summer. Having seen both cols or passes, I cannot help but admire those cyclists riding their way up on this steep, narrow, sinuous road at a fast pace, battling against fatigue and gravity, compounded by the sharp gust of air and the dizzying height. So, hats off to the participants of this cycling tournament!!!

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18 comments:

Lalaine said...

Hats off to you too who has taken such a beautiful photo!

lareine said...

thanks lalaine! it feels good to be appreciated :)

Napaboaniya.Elaine Ling said...

Wow. cycling under that weather would probably knock me out flat! Salute to those participants :P
Napaboaniya APAD

lareine said...

yep napaboaniya! not to mention the steep incline... really need a lot of leg power!

Sreisaat said...

Hi Lareine.
What a fantastic shot and a beautiful view! My husband did a cycling tour of Europe, from England to France where he stayed for two months, then on to Spain and Portugal and ended at the Rock of Gibraltar. France, especially the Pyreenes gave him great memories... if you like you can read his cycling experience here: www.hittheroadat.blogspot.com

Happy WW.

Anonymous said...

Beautifully taken.. & how you present it is more breathtaking than ever.
Now, i would say, you owe me to show me this place.

lareine said...

hi zj! thanks for the wonderful input...maybe you should join him when he plans to tour again western europe... but maybe not on a mountain bike because personally, i don't have the stamina for that:)... are you into cycling, too?

lareine said...

hello maya!... maybe one of these days we can all go there (but we should really avoid the peak season, or else we will have to wait for an eternity just to have a picture taken without peoples' heads:)

KathyLikesPink said...

It looks so lush. And calming. Nice photo.

Anonymous said...

I agree - hats off to the cyclist who determinedly rode off those steep roads..And hats off to you for sharing this piece of info.

Makimeji

Verb

Anonymous said...

Gravity. Fatigue. Terrain. it must have been so hard for those cyclist.

Susan said...

Oh, I dream of going to France. This is a beautiful picture.

Katarina said...

This shot is absolutely breathtaking!
Nature makes you very humble sometimes...
/Katarina (Roses and stuff)

Anonymous said...

That is an absolutely beautiful spot! Are you lucky enough to live there?

Anonymous said...

That's a gorgeous shot! I love mountain view pictures. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to cycle on it!

Anonymous said...

What a panoramic view of Soulor Pass! I would love to be in this place one of these days, no to enjoy cycling though. :-) Happy WW!

Gattina said...

I think I have been there a looooong time ago ! It's still beautiful !

lareine said...

to kathylikespink: yep, it's so peaceful... thanks for dropping by:)

to mamameji: they really need those muscular powerful legs and big lungs :)

to tipsandtricks: kudos to those cyclist! the next tour de france will be this summer:)

hi susan! france is really a wonderful country to visit:)

to katarina: i totally agree with you... being with nature is such a humbling experience... we realize the grandeur beyond ourselves

to will: unfortunately, we live far from this place... i just have to content myself with pictures...

to tricia: same here! i love gazing at mountains... but the view is better on top of them :)

to borski and nai: yeah me, too -- i would love to go there once again but by car and not on a bike :)

to gattina: yep, i guess nature's beauty is eternal... but we have to do our part in keeping it that way :)

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