MARSEILLES
GRENOBLE 77½ 112½ [PEYRUIS], pop. 1000; Inn: Latil; curiously situated on the Durance, at the base of cliffs of conglomerate more than 1000 ft. high, which by the action of water have been cut up into tall pinnacles.
MARSEILLES
GRENOBLE 80½ 109½ [ST. AUBAN], pop. 250, junction with line to Digne. (For [Digne], see p. 166, and maps [pp. 162] and [304].)
[Digne to Barcelonnette by La Javie, Seyne, Le Lauzet, and Thuiles], 53 m. E., by coach; time, 11 hrs.; fare, 10 frs. 9 m. from Digne is La Javie, famous for plums; pop. 500; H. de France, at the junction of the Bléonne with the Arigeol. 2 m. beyond is Beaujeu, pop. 400, on the Combefère, whence a narrow valley leads to the Col de Labouret, 3990 ft. Thence descend to Le Vernet, pop. 300, on the Besse, with beds of gypsum, 19 m. from Digne and 33 from Barcelonnette. Near Le Vernet is commenced the ascent of the Col de Maure, 4708 ft.; from which descend to Seyne-les-Alpes, pop. 2800, on the flanks of a mountain, and half-way between Digne and Barcelonnette. It contains a church of the 11th and 12th cents. 18 m. from Barcelonnette, and 5 from Le Lauzet, is St. Vincent, pop. 600, situated on a grassy eminence overlooking the Ubaye. From Le Lauzet to Barcelonnette, see [Gap to Barcelonnette], p. 341.
Colmars. Sisteron.
[Digne to Barcelonnette by Draix, St. Thomas, Colmars, and Allos,] 55 m. N.E. 10½ m. from Digne and 4 from La Javie is Draix, pop. 200, on a confluent of the Bléonne. 21¼ m. beyond is [Colmars], pop. 1100, at the foot of Mts. Meunier and Draye, on the Sence at its junction with the Verdon. Excellent cheese, called Thorame. Cloth and saw mills. 5 m. beyond is Allos, pop. 1400, with a small inn, 18 m. from Barcelonnette. A short way from Allos by the hamlet Champ Richard, in one of the wildest and most sequestered valleys of the Alps, is Lake Allos, 7346 ft. above the sea, 4 m. in circumference, 140 ft. deep, containing capital trout, and surrounded by cliffs in some places 590 ft. high, over which tower bleak mountains, of which the most lofty is Mt. Pela, 8600 ft. The lake discharges its surplus water through a subterranean canal 1640 ft. long, whence it issues under the name of the torrent Chadoulin. From the village of Allos proceed to Barcelonnette by La Foux, pop. 150, with an interesting church, and Mourjouan, both on the Verdon, a tributary of the Ubaye. (For [Barcelonnette], see p. 341. For [Cannes and Grasse to Digne], see p. 165.)
MARSEILLES
GRENOBLE 91 99 [SISTERON], pop. 5000. Good resting-place. Hotels: Vassail; Negre; their omnibuses await passengers at station. Picturesquely
situated, 1575 ft. above the sea, on both sides of the Durance at its confluence with the Buech. At the railway end of the town are the church of Notre Dame, 11th cent., and three towers, part of the fortifications built by the Counts of Provence. Notre Dame has been very much altered externally by restoration and repairs. The effect of the graceful octagonal tower has been destroyed by the square tower adjoining. In the interior the arches are early pointed, inclining to the stilted form. The three apsidal terminations are semicircular. The small window at the end of each is closed. The end of the town farthest from the railway is picturesque. From the gateway rise perpendicular cliffs of blue limestone, on the top of which is a fortress of the third class. Immediately opposite, on the other side of the Durance, are similar strata heaved up and twisted into an enormous pyramid. A little beyond the gateway, a good road leads up by the cemetery to a place where there is a good view of the valleys of the Durance and the Buech. 7 m. N. from Sisteron is Mison station, 2002 ft. above the sea, on the border of the Hautes-Alpes. 5 m. farther, Laragne station, 1883 ft. 34 m. N. from Laragne is Eyguians-Orpier station, 1979 ft.
Serres. Veynes.
MARSEILLES
GRENOBLE 112½ 77½ [SERRES], pop. 1200; Inns: *Alpes; Voyageurs; Commerce; consisting of dirty, steep, narrow streets, on the sloping side of a calcareous cliff rising from between the Buech and the Blême. Diligence to [Nyons], 41 m. E., p. 51. 8 m. N. from Serres is Chabestan, 2411 ft.
MARSEILLES
GRENOBLE 121½ 68½ [VEYNES], 2614 ft. above the sea, pop. 1800. Inns: At station, H. and Rest, de la Gare; in town, H. Dousselin.