The Aesthetic Pleasures of Nice, France part 4, in which we go to the Alps…

When you want to get away from the beaches, the heat, the crowds and the glitz and glam of the Cotê de Azur, all you have to do is head for the hills, due north.  Just over an hour drive above Nice {see map below} you will find a complete change of scenery in the amazing Parc National du Mercantour: 685 kms of protected alpine lands with 600 kms of marked trails, 15 charming huts or refuges where you can rest, refresh, eat and socialize, 2000 species of flowering plants, 58 species of mammals, 153 species of birds and trillions of these petite blue butterflies.

One day we drove to the Refuge de la Madone de Fenestre, put on our packs and began to climb those hills you see behind the ancient chapel and outbuildings. It was a pretty vertical climb up to Mt. Colomb Pass {2506 km}, much more than Guide {not so} Splendid anticipated {or shared with his client, moi} with snow fields and families of Chamonix in the highest section.

We stopped for a snack at the top and Guide Splendid acknowledged it would be nearly impossible to make it to the Refuge Pagari before sunset, as was the original {very optimistic} plan. Overhead, storm clouds were rolling in. We had to choose to go back from where we came or continue down the other side of the mountain and hope there would be room at the Refuge de Nice, which was miles closer than Pagari.  We decided to continue and slowly worked our way down the steep, rocky, narrow passage way at the top.

Then a beautiful alpine wonderland opened up before our eyes with a variety of wildflowers,

lush greenery,

babbling brooks, gurgling streams and roaring waterfalls {the red color on the right side is a wild rhododendron that is prevalent in this area}.

When it comes to landscape design, Mother Nature concurs all, doesn’t she??

But perhaps the most beautiful sight of all was the Refuge de Nice we saw up on the hill as we rounded the corner and the big raindrops started to fall.

As we climbed the trail I was hoping and praying that they would have a bed for us, and also thinking about how I could layer on all of my clothes and we could sleep under the eves if there wasn’t room in the inn.

But there was room!

All of the private rooms were booked, so we were assigned to 2 cozy little bunk beds next to each other with a window overlooking the surrounding waterfalls and lakes that let in the fresh mountain air, the soft roar of the water and the songs of the birds.

We set up our beds with our silk bed liners {refuges supply blankets and pillows} and took hot showers {not all refuges offer showers} and sipped a cold glass of white wine as we walked around the expansive decks, taking in the incredible views and that fresh mountain air. Soon we were called to dinner and we spent the evening at a community table enjoying hearty bowls of Daube de Beouf  and more wine with alpinists from all over the world, listening to their adventures and plans and their reviews of the other rufuges of Club Alpin Francais. 

The next morning we had breakfast {including hard boiled eggs from the resident chickens} and received our “picnic” bags.

Rested and refreshed we said au revoir to the charming refuge

and headed down the hill towards Belevedere, a much easier route than the one we had done the day before and loaded with even more flowers, streams and waterfalls {some of the shots above were actually from the second day}. As we left the chef was starting to prepare dinner for that evening.

We made our way to the Ralais des Merveilles, which is a “gite d’etape”, these are hiking cottages that are a little nicer than the refuges, they are more like an inn or small hotel. After a delicious lunch and a huge rainstorm we found a ride back to our car and were back in Eze in time to have dinner on the beach at our beloved Papaya Beach.

A splendid sky to sea day, I must say.

Here’s the map of the area, so you can see the proximity. You may also notice that the French Parc National du Mercantour is right next to the Italian Parco Naturale Alpi Maritime where went on a 5~day horseback ride last fall, see the beautiful scenery and relive the adventure with me What have I gotten myself into, the route to Alto Blu, Mortola Superior, Italy,  This is f*!#ing Insane, onto Rochetta, Nirvina  The ride to Pigna, Italy and a Happy Ending, Onto the Highest Peak, the High Alpine Lifestyle , Crossing the Line, from Olivetta San Michele, Italy back to France. 

Have you ever done a hut-to-hut hike?

 If so I’d love to hear about it, leave me a comment, please!