The South of France-East Half Part 53

[Headnote: VOREPPE.]

{385}{91} +VOREPPE+, pop. 3000. _Inn:_ Paris. Pa.s.sengers for the Grande Chartreuse may alight here also, from which it is 15 m. distant.

[Headnote: GREn.o.bLE.]

{394}{82} +GREn.o.bLE+, pop. 46,000, and 702 ft. above the sea, beautifully situated on the Isere, by far the greater part being on the left bank, while on the other there is a mere strip hemmed in between the river and the steep declivities of the Bastile. _Hotels:_ in the Place Grenette, the *Monnet; Europe; the two princ.i.p.al hotels. Fronting the promenade, in the Rue Montorge, is the Trois Dauphins, frequented by commercial travellers. Napoleon I. on his way from Elba lodged in this house from the 7th to the 9th March 1815. He slept in room No. 9. Among the cheaper second-cla.s.s houses are the H. des Alpes; Ma.r.s.eille; *Bayard; all near each other and to the Place Grenette. Of the small houses at the station, the best is the H. Savoie. Temple Protestant at the W. end of the Rue Lesdiguieres. Pleasant excursions for a very small sum may be taken to all the important places in the neighbourhood by means of the rail and the diligences and omnibuses which start from the Place Grenette. On the road to the railway station is a large and handsome hospital, founded in the 11th cent, by St. Hugues. A little way down, on the other side of the river, is the Esplanade, a very large oblong square, 430 yards by 120, surrounded by trees, much frequented on feast-days. The band plays in the Jardin de Ville, off the Place Grenette.

[Headnote: COACHES. BASTILE. BAYARD. ST. ANDRe.]

From the Place de la Halle coaches start for Sa.s.senage, Nogarey, Seyssenet, and Seyssins; from the P. Notre Dame for Domene and Gieres; from the P. Grenette for La Chartreuse, time 4 to 5 hrs., fare 5 frs.; also to Briancon by Bourg d'Oisans, 6 frs., 7 hrs.

The most important place to visit in the neighbourhood is the summit of the Bastile, 915 ft. above the river. To reach it cross the river by the bridge highest up, then ascend by the first road to the left in the village of La Tronche, beyond the gate. After numerous windings by a bullock-cart-road through vineyards, on the side of the mountain exposed to the S., a square house is attained on the plateau behind the fort.

The view is magnificent, but it is still better from the peak immediately above, where there is one of the quarries of argillaceous siliceous limestone, extensively used for making cement. Ascend either by the continuation of the same bullock-road or by the steep footpath.

The isolated mountain, so prominent from the village of La Tronche, is Mt. Eynard, 4846 ft. Although Gren.o.ble is of great antiquity, all that remains of its early history are some fragments of the walls built by Diocletian. The most interesting of the buildings is the Palais des Dauphins, now the Palais de Justice. In the square in front is a bronze statue of Bayard, one of the most ill.u.s.trious heroes of a chivalrous age, esteemed by his contemporaries the model of soldiers and of men of honour. Born in 1476 at the neighbouring castle of Pontcharra, he died at Rebecq on the 30th April 1524 from wounds received at the battle of Romagnane, and was buried in the church of the Minimes, 1 m. from Gren.o.ble, whence in 1823 his ashes were removed to the church of St.

Andre and deposited in the tomb in the N. transept. +St. Andre+, founded in the 13th cent., was the private chapel of the Dauphins. From the intersection of the transepts rises a fine tower, terminating with a steeple 183 ft. high. Adjoining is the Hotel de Ville, fronting the promenade. The tower of the 12th cent, attached to the Hotel de Ville stands on foundations laid by Diocletian.

[Headnote: LIBRARY.]

E. by the Rues du Palais and Brocherie is Notre Dame, from the 10th to the 15th cent. Next the altar is a beautifully-wrought stone tabernacle, and behind it, in the aisle, the chapel of St. Hugues, 13th cent. At the S. end of the town are the best streets and houses, the Place de la Const.i.tution, and the Botanic Gardens. The Prefecture occupies the entire S. side of the "Place." Behind are the Botanic Gardens and the Natural History Museum. Opposite the Prefecture, in a handsome building, are the cla.s.s-rooms of law, science, and literature. On the E. side are the Artillery School and a large handsome edifice containing the public library and the picture gallery. It is 279 ft. long and 156 ft. wide, and cost 67,585. +The Library+, open every day except Monday, contains 150,000 vols. and nearly 2000 ma.n.u.scripts. There is a comfortable reading-room open to all. The great hall, 204 ft. long and 44 ft. wide, is lined with shelves of books in three stages, and lighted by handsome cupolas. Round the sides, under gla.s.s, are displayed richly-illuminated ma.n.u.scripts, while down the centre are other gla.s.s cases containing medals and antiquities, many belonging to prehistoric times. Among the MSS. is a Bible (imperfect) translated into French by Raoul de Sestre in 1377 by order of Charles V.; also a New Testament, 12th cent., and another in Vaudois, 13th cent.

[Map: The French Waldensian Valleys]

[Headnote: PICTURE GALLERY. MUSEUM.]

The Picture Gallery, open also every day excepting Monday, contains 550 paintings in four s.p.a.cious halls, of which the centre one is the largest and contains likewise the best pictures. The princ.i.p.al artists are:--Albani, Alfani, Allori, Battoni, Bellini, Blanc-Fontaine, Bloemaert, Bloemen, Bol, Bonifazio, Bouchet, Breughel, Bronzino, Ca.n.a.letto, Ph. Champaigne, c.o.c.k, Coypel, Crayer, Dagnan, Desportes, C. Dolce, Gustave Dore (landscape), Dubuisson, Faure, Feti, Flink, Foschi, Fouquieres, Fragonard, Franquelin, Tadeo Gaddi, Gautier, Claude Gellee, Gerard, Giordano, Glauber, Guardi, E. Hebert, Heusch, Holbeina, Jordaens, Jouvenet, G. Lacroix, Lafosse, Lanfranc, Lepic, Licinio, Maltais Le, G. Manni, Ma.s.se, Meulen, P. Mignard, Millet, Monnayer, Montessuy, Moor, J. Ouvrie, Pannini, Parrocel, Perugino, Piombo, Procaccini, Rigaud, Rivera, Romano, Roos, Rubens, Ruisdael, Rysbraek, Salvator Rosa, Sa.s.soferrato, Sneyders, Sueur, D. Teniers, Terburg, Thielen, Thulden, Tintoretto, Uden, Valentin, Van den Veldt, Van Loo, P. Vannucci, Verelst, P. Veronese, Vos. Off the last room of the picture gallery is a chamber containing the busts and portraits of the most famous Dauphinois. Round the room are the Dauphins, Dukes Guigues I. to VI., Jean I. and II., Humbert I. and II.--Bayard, 1476-1524; Lesdiguieres, 1543-1626; Vauconson, 1709- 1782; Condillac, 1715-1780; Champollion, 1791-1831, etc. Upstairs is a collection of valuable antique furniture, porcelain, carved ivory, and other ornaments; also one of those models of the Bastile which were distributed among the eighty-three departments of France after the fall of that stronghold of despotism on the 14th of July 1790. On one side of the picture gallery is the Rue Lesdiguieres leading to the Temple Protestant. On the way is pa.s.sed the entrance to the Botanic Gardens, with the Museum of Mineralogy and Natural History. The great interest of the museum consists in the well-arranged collection of specimens ill.u.s.trating the organic and inorganic products of this part of the Alps. The birds and ores are well represented. Near the gate leading out to La Tronche is the church of St. Laurent, 11th cent. The crypt, 6th cent., is supported on twenty-four slender marble columns from 4 to 5 ft. high.

[Headnote: MANUFACTURES.]

Twelve million pairs of gloves are manufactured annually at Gren.o.ble, representing a value of 1,600,000. The material is given out to the workmen, both men and women, upwards of 25,000, who make it into gloves in their own houses. Certain improvements introduced by Xavier Jouvin in 1840 gave a great impulse to the glove trade and manufacture of Gren.o.ble, but for some years both have been seriously on the decline.

Excellent liqueurs, princ.i.p.ally of cherries, are made in the department.

The wines are indifferent, chiefly because the vines are not well selected.

Courrier every night at 9 to La Motte, 15 m. N., for 2 frs. Returns next day at 8. Coach daily to Barcelonnette, time 11 hrs. (see p. 341), pa.s.sing Monetier, Allemont, the ancient Roman station of Mutatio on the Roman road and the Durance.

7 m. N.E. are the ruins of N. D. de Chardavan, in a narrow valley.

1 m. N.E. is St. Genies, with a saline sulphurous spring, and strata of anhydrite gypsum, black marble, anthracite, and lead ore.

[Headnote: Sa.s.sENAGE.]

3 m. N. from Gren.o.ble by the Pont du Drac is Sa.s.senage. Omnibuses start from the Place Grenette, fare 40 c. The Sa.s.senage et Noyarez omnibuses leave their pa.s.sengers at the entrance into the town near the H. Faure, but the Sa.s.senage-Fontaine omnibuses go up to the "Place" and stop before the inn *H. du Commerce. To the left of the inn is the house of the guide for Les Cuves, whose services are necessary to be able to cross the Furon and the torrent from the Cuves. This is a most enjoyable little trip from Gren.o.ble, and Sa.s.senage itself makes a very pleasant residence in May. An immense number of small vehicles are constantly running to the Pont du Drac; whence it is a very pleasant walk of a little more than 2 m. to Sa.s.senage. The suspension bridge over the Drac was one of the first of this kind constructed in France, but instead of being hung on chains it is supported by long narrow plates held together by strong pivots.

The gigantic and lofty cliffs about Sa.s.senage are composed of limestone strata of great thickness, much valued for building purposes. The path to the Cuves commences at the left side (approaching) of the H. du Commerce, and, having pa.s.sed through a doorway, enters a kind of park and ascends by the right side of the Furon. About 1 m. up is a great cavern, so sharply cut that it looks as if it had been made artificially, out of which rushes a copious stream of pure water. After crossing the torrent, an ascent is made of a little more than 150 ft. to an enormous vault, within which are two caves, called Les Cuves, out of each of which rushes a great volume of water, which united pa.s.ses under the cavern below called the Four des Fees. After this two or three beautiful cascades, quite near, are visited, and the Furon is crossed and the return made by the left side of this most picturesque river. From the Cuves side is seen part of the ruins of the old castle of the Berangers, to which a series of steps leads up, commencing near the mills, left bank. Their modern castle, built in the 17th cent., stands within a large park adjoining the village. The large halls are furnished with antique furniture and hung with paintings, a large proportion being family and historical portraits. The bedrooms of the marquis and marchioness are hung with old tapestry. The so-called Sa.s.senage cheese is made in the mountains around Villard and Lans, some miles to the south of Gren.o.ble. The general quality is not so good as formerly, as more of the cream now is used for making b.u.t.ter.

[Headnote: GREn.o.bLE TO BRIANcON.]

+Gren.o.ble to Briancon by Bourg d'Oisans+ and the Col de Lautaret (see map p. 304). Distance, 69 m. E. Diligence daily. When there is much snow, the Col is pa.s.sed on sledges. Time, 15 to 18 hrs., according to the state of the road. Fare, 16 and 14 frs. As the diligence from Briancon to Gren.o.ble stops several hours at Bourg d'Oisans, it is a good plan to alight there for the night. This magnificent mountain-road, commenced by Napoleon I. in 1804, opened in 1842, and finished in 1868, makes a charming walking excursion; while from almost every village grand mountain tours may be made. Bourg d'Oisans, with a comfortable inn, the H. de France, makes capital quarters.

There are besides very fair inns at Le Freney, H. d'Europe; La Grave, H. Juge; Le Dauphin, Inn Dode; Le Monetier, H. Alliey, and even in the Hospice itself on the top of the Pa.s.s, where beds and food may be had at most reasonable charges.

[Headnote: CLAIX. VIZILLE. SeCHILIENNE.]

5 m. from Gren.o.ble by a straight road bordered with elms, between the river Drac and the railway, is the village of Claix. _Inn:_ H. de France, with a bridge across the Drac, having a span of 85 ft. and 53 ft. above the river, built in 1611 by Lesdiguieres. 5 m. farther S.

by a road between poplars is +Vizille+, pop. 3900. _Inns:_ Imbert; Lion d'Or, near each other; their omnibuses await pa.s.sengers at the station. A manufacturing town on the Romanche, in a valley between high mountains. 15 m. from Gren.o.ble is +Sechilienne+, pop. 1300.

_Inn:_ Pet.i.t Versailles, where the horses are changed. A village of one street, magnificently situated, 1182 ft. above the sea, in the valley of the Romanche, surrounded by steep mountains towering above each other. To the S. is Mont Taillefer, 9390 ft., ascended from Sechilienne in about 6 hrs. In 1 hr. the hamlet of La Morte is reached, whence the ascent lies through pastures and pine woods to some steep rocks. The track then, leaving on the right a small tarn, keeps along the base of the rocks to an abandoned mine, where it runs along the ridge called the Arete de Brouffier, overlooking the valley of the Combe de Valloire on the right and the Combe de Gavet on the left. The ridge leads to a small plateau, usually covered with snow; whence a second ridge leads up to the highest peak.

From Sechilienne the diligence pa.s.ses through the hamlet of Riouperoux, in a narrow defile, among broken ma.s.ses of rocks brought down by the terrible flood of the 14th September 1219, which desolated the plain from Oisans to Gren.o.ble. 22 m. from Gren.o.ble is the hamlet of Livet at the foot of the Grand Galbert, on the Romanche near its junction with the Olle. Up the Olle are the foundries of Allemont and the argentiferous lead mines of Chalanche. Here is also the Pointe de l'Infernet, 8184 ft., at the entrance to the defile leading up to the Bella Donna.

[Headnote: BOURG D'OISANS.]

29 m. from Gren.o.ble is Le Bourg d'Oisans, 2190 ft, pop. 3100. _Inns:_ France; Milan; Poste. As the diligence from Briancon remains at the Bourg some hours, it is a good plan to break the journey here and start next morning. The village is situated near the Romanche, surrounded either by the vertical cliffs of mountains, upwards of 1000 ft. high, or by their steep but carefully-cultivated slopes studded with houses and hamlets. An easy excursion of 4 hrs. may be made to Lac Blanc, 6170 ft. above Le Bourg, one of the highest lakes for its dimensions in the Alps. It is nearly m. long and 110 yds. wide, and commands an extensive view. From the Bourg a tract mounts nearly due N. in 3 hrs. by the villages of La Garde and Huez to the plateau of Brandes with ruins attributed to the Romans, abandoned mines and valuable deposits of anthracite worked in several places. 1 hr.

farther is Lake Blanc.

[Headnote: ROAD TO THE ECRINS.]

Many interesting mountain excursions may be taken from this town, of which the most important is to the Ecrin Group, by Vosc, 7 m., St.

Christophe 13 m., and La Berarde other 10 m. Entire distance to La Berarde from Oisans, 23 m. A few miles above Oisans we leave the narrow gorge of the Romanche and follow the course of the Veneon to the hamlet of Pont Ecofier, commanding a magnificent view of the whole valley of Oisans, confined in its mural precipices, terminated by the distant peaks of the Bella Donna. In the extreme distance a glacier summit rises in glorious perspective precisely in the prolongation of the valley; while midway stands Venosc, pop. 900; _Inn:_ Paquet, on an elevated slope, clothed with exquisite verdure and n.o.ble walnut woods, on the right bank of the Veneon. Exactly opposite Venose are the green pastures leading to the Col de la Muselle, 8300 ft. As the tributary valleys do not join the princ.i.p.al valley at common level, but are considerably higher, a waterfall, often of great beauty, almost invariably accompanies the meeting of the streams. In ascending the valley of St. Christophe the gorge soon becomes narrower, the rounded forms characterising the intruded lias are quickly left, and, the torrent having been pa.s.sed on a substantial bridge, a very short distance brings us to a scene of sublime desolation. A mountain on the right hand has at some remote time crumbled into fragments and literally filled the valley from side to side with a colossal heap of ruins. Through and amongst these winds a narrow path practicable for mules, whilst the river dashes from rock to rock with excessive commotion, sometimes pa.s.sing under the fragments which it was unable to displace. One huge slab of granite, wide enough for three carriages to pa.s.s abreast, forms a natural and ponderous bridge, harmonising with the desolation of the scene. On the right stands the romantic village of Enchastraye, a hamlet consisting of a few houses perched on a projecting rock in a tributary valley above one of the beautiful cascades. [Headnote: ST. CHRISTOPHE. LA BERARDE.] Not much farther on, the road leaves the stream and leads up the face of a rough hill to +St. Christophe+, pop. 600, which gives its name to the valley. Just before reaching the hamlet a bridge crosses a very wild and narrow cleft, through which foams a wild glacier stream called the Torrent du Diable. 2 hrs. farther up the valley is the village of Les Etages, commanding one of the finest Alpine views which the admirers of Swiss scenery can desire, terminated by the Montagne d'Arsine, standing immediately above the hamlet of La Berarde. It presents a series of rocky pinnacles in manifold rows, between which the snow can scarcely adhere; and as seen from Les Etages, especially by the morning light, is comparable to the Aiguilles of Mont Blanc, while the valley which stretches beyond it to the foot of Mont Pelvoux may almost rival the scenery of the Allee Blanche. +La Berarde+, which is placed in the midst of this savage landscape, consists of a few poor houses, with a small chapel distinguished from the rest by a belfry. Cultivation ceases just at the village; a few stunted pines are found still higher up, but there is no wood worth mentioning in the valley above Venose.

This excessive sterility peculiarly characterises the valleys of Dauphine. The village of La Berarde is at a height of only 5710 ft., that of St. Christophe is 4825, and of Venose 3365, but the character of the scenery is, like that of Switzerland, at a greater elevation.

The unbroken rocky surfaces deceive the eye to such an extent that it is difficult to realise the enormous scale of these mountains. To ascertain their height we must attempt to mount them, and even then the eye has some difficulty to submit to the testimony of the limbs.

The ascent of the Pointe des Ecrins is made from La Berarde, but it is extremely dangerous. Mont Pelvoux is not accessible from La Berarde, but is ascended from Val Louise (see p. 333, and map p. 304).

[Headnote: LE FRENEY.]

+Continuation of Road from Gren.o.ble to Briancon.+

After Le Bourg d'Oisans the road ascends by the side of the Romanche flowing several hundred feet below in a deep narrow ravine, by the side of La Combe de Malaval. 8 m. from Le Bourg and 37 from Gren.o.ble is +Le Freney+, 3085 ft., pop. 900; _Inn:_ H. Europe, with mines up in the mountains but of difficult access. It is in these mines that the crystals and the species of quartz containing gold are found, for which the Dauphine is so celebrated among mineralogists.

2 m. farther, among ma.s.ses of rocks, is the hamlet of Le Dauphin, with a small inn. From this place, until the summit of the Col de Lautaret is pa.s.sed, every gap in the mountains shows a glittering glacier or a soaring peak. About 3 m. farther up, near the hamlet of Les Freaux, a tributary of the Romanche pours its torrent over a precipice of granite, forming a beautiful cascade. 45 m. from Gren.o.ble and 24 m.

from Briancon is

[Headnote: LA GRAVE. COL DE LAUTARET.]

+La Grave+, 5000 ft.; _Inn:_ H. Juge; pop. 1500. Built on a slope rising from the road, with, behind, almost inaccessible cliffs containing copper mines, and opposite, on the other side of the river, the great glacier which streams from the summit of the Meije, 13,080 ft. To the E. of the Meije is the Bec de l'Homme, 11,372 ft., with a smaller glacier. The ridge called La Meije runs from E.S.E. to W.N.W., and is crowned by numerous aiguilles of tolerably equal elevation. The two highest are towards the eastern and western ends of the ridge, and are rather more than a mile apart. Any attempts to ascend the highest or western aiguille must be made from the northern side. The view of this mountain from the village of La Grave can hardly be praised too highly; it is one of the very finest road views in the Alps, and one cannot speak in exaggerated terms of its jagged ridges, torrential glaciers, and tremendous precipices. The perpendicular cliff, extending from the Glacier des Etancons to the summit of the Meije, is about 3200 ft. From La Grave the road leads through a bleak region and several tunnels to Villard d'Arene, 4 m. from La Grave and 32 from Briancon, a miserable hamlet, considerably under the high road, at the foot of the Bec de l'Homme.

[Headnote: LE Ca.s.sET.]

51 m. E. from Gren.o.ble and 17 m. W. from Briancon is the +Hospice of the Col de Lautaret+, a very fair inn on the summit of Pa.s.s, 6791 ft., where refreshments are taken and the horses changed. The two diligences pa.s.s it daily. An iron plate on the house indicates that it is 11 kilometres (6? m.) from La Grave and 13 kilometres (8 m.) from Le Monetier. The pa.s.s commands a grand view down the gorge of Malaval and towards the lofty towering Meije or Aiguille du Midi, 13,081 ft. above the sea. From one side of the pa.s.s the Romanche descends to Gren.o.ble, and from the other the Guisanne to Briancon.

From the Hospice the road traverses several galleries, and pa.s.ses by a mine of anthracite coal not far from the village of Lauzet. The discovery of this mine has been a great boon to the inhabitants of this region, where wood is so scarce and where the winter is so long and inclement. 2 m. from Lauzet and considerably below the road is the hamlet of Le Ca.s.set, at the foot of Mt. Vallon, 10,136 ft., at the entrance to the ravine of the Torrent Tabue, descending from the great glaciers which spread themselves over the eastern slopes of Mont Pelvoux. When the snow is melted the effect of the sun upon them is splendid. 60 m. from Gren.o.ble and 9 from Briancon is

[Headnote: LE MONeTIER. BRIANcON.]

+Le Monetier de Briancon+, 4898 ft. above the sea, surrounded with barley-fields, pop. 2600, on the Guisanne, near the foot of St.

Marguerite, 8328 ft., which, like Mont Vallon, belongs to the Pelvoux group. Horses changed here. _Inn:_ Alliey; mineral bath establishment, with hot sulphurous springs. Mines of anthracite. The road then pa.s.ses the villages of Les Guibertes, 4689 ft.; La Salle, with cloth and night-cap manufactories; and St. Chaffrey, 3 m. from Briancon and 4299 ft. above the sea. 69 m. E. from Gren.o.ble is

+Briancon+, 4335 ft., pop. 6000. _Inn:_ H. de la Paix. Temple Protestant. The Brigantium of the Romans, and now a fortified town of the first cla.s.s, with eight strong fortresses, which guard this important entrance into France from Italy. The town stands on the steep sides of an eminence rising vertically from the Durance, here a roaring mountain torrent hemmed in between the cliffs of the Mont Infernet, with strong forts on all the salient points up to the very summit, 7810 ft. above the sea. At this part the Durance is spanned by a bridge of one arch, 120 ft. wide and 108 ft. above the river, erected in 1734, in the reign of Louis XV. On the right side of the river, above the town, is the Fort du Chateau, and opposite, on the left side of the river, are the Trois Tetes, the largest of the forts.

The views from them are very extensive, especially from the fort Pointe du Jour. Carriage up to it, 30 frs. Permission to visit the forts must be procured from the commandant. The large building down the Durance seen from the bridge, in the suburb called St. Catherine, is a manufactory where the waste of silk on coc.o.o.ns is carded and prepared for spinning. About 800 people are employed. The women earn 14d. per day, working from 5 in the morning to 6 P.M., 1 hr. allowed for meals. The longitudinal streets of Briancon are narrow and steep, little better than staircases, down the centre of each of which runs a stream of water in a marble gutter, with such an impulse that all manner of garbage thrown into it quickly disappears. At the foot of Briancon is the fertile valley formed by the union of the Guisanne with the Durance, surrounded by carefully-cultivated mountains studded with villages. All the Briancon coaches start from the Place du Temple, in front of the church. "The neighbourhood of Briancon abounds in rare plants. Amongst them may be mentioned Astragalus austriacus and A. vesicarius, Oxytropus Halleri, Prunus brigantiaca, Telephium Imperati, Bra.s.sica repanda, Berardia subacaulis, Rhapontic.u.m heleniifolium, Crepis pygmaea, Androsace septentrionalis, and Bulbocodium vernum." --Ball's _Western Alps_.

[Headnote: VAL LOUISE. GRAND PELVOUX.]

The great excursion from Briancon is the ascent of the Pelvoux group, whose highest peak is 12,975 ft. It can only be effected, however, in favourable weather and with experienced guides. A wheel-road extends by the village of La Bessee to Val Louise, 3780 ft., whence a path ascends by the hamlets of Claux and Alefroide. The +Ville de Val Louise+ lies near the union of the Valley des Entraigues with the princ.i.p.al branch of the Val Louise, called the Alefroide, stretching up to the foot of the monarch of the group, the +Grand Pelvoux+ itself, which, although at no great distance, cannot be seen from the village on account of the hill which rises immediately behind. (See p. 345, and map p. 304.)