The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-07-05

view along the great river. 800 feet
below. and across the outlying country
is broad and brilliant-wide fields I'M
der cultivation, olive orchards and flow
er-spangled meads that roll upward in
gentle slopes toward the grim fort OF
St Andre. that might be walled city
in itself, and below, opposite the brok-
en- bridge of st. BeneZeI, the former
defense tower OF Philippe-le-Bel.
shaft of honey against the cloudless
sky. But that view l,ales beside the
one from the fort Of the gaunt gray
+. rock with its white palace, that grows
and grows as it is looked upon until
it dwarfs the city and itself becomes
the only object in the great fiat plain
"a towering tombstone over dead
ambitions.
King Rene's Castle.
TarascOn means unlucky King
Rene's beautiful square castle, that
Chambers up the rocks of the river
bank, sOft-t0ned medieval picture.
At its feet the smooth green mirror
of the RhOne. that has reflected so
many chiyalric pageant in its day,
holds up a quiyering counterfeit of
the stately structure, with every angle
smoothed. every color softened.
The view from the great stone
bridge is perfect, the delicate tan of
the stones cut clean against the back
ground of embaying trees and azure
overhead And what a scene al sun
set on the low hills OF the opposite
shore! Silhouetted black and spectral
against the flaming orb that goes down
behind its slender, towering dOnjOn
keep, the stored castle Of Beaucaire
pulses again with life, and one feels
the gentle ghosts of Aucassin and Mic
olette lowering about the scene Of
their romance.
On up the beautiful RhOne valley
the great ship fought its way past
Orange and Montimar to Valence
where the dangerous drift TO the
southeast began. The danger lay in
the nature of this southern region. A
very short distance east of the ribbon
of the Rhone valley the country rises
sharply.
This is the old province OF Dauphine
which has been called an Italian
Switzerland" by the French them
selves, for it has the sunny skies and
rich vegetation of the Mediterranean
peninsula and the cold. stern, snow
capped mountains Of the Swiss. The
most characteristic feature Of the
province is its vivid contrasts; ire
mendous masses Of granite pyramids,
bare and blasted and sayagely desc
late; long stretches of primeval forest,
pines and frs of noble girth and
height, from among which here and
there huge rocks leap I'D like uncouth
animals Of another age; smiling pas
ture lands and farms. cut by profound
gorges; stormy-looking peaks starred
with glaciers: tiny hamlets nesting
among the pines milky roads and sky
brushing sierras of needlelike peaks:
deep, irregular, narrow little gorges.
each with its rushing, boiling torrent
far down among the eontorted rocks
of the bottom.
The engineering difficulties through
out Dauphine are exceptional Along
the railroad half the scenery is black
tunnels and singing clouds of cinders.
But one cares not whit for that
when the train bursts from them upon
spidery. inspiring viaducts, and goes
Engaging up or down the mountain
side in graceful spirals that deprive
Grenobie Is Beautiful.
A little farther north than the area
which at one time Threatened destruc-
ton to the huge airship. hut character.
istic of the entire region is Grenoble,
superbly placed at the junction of the
Isere and the Drac, IN an exquisite
plain, swept about on every side by
range upon range of glorious noun
tains that tower up 10.ooo feet. into
the realm of perpetua. snow. Bias
toned. turreted walls leap picturesque
" up TO the forts on the top OF the
hill on the other side Of the river. The
Fifteenth century Palace of Justice,
with its hish-pitched roof, bold dor.
mers. and elegant chimneys, is said 10
be the finest Renaissance building In
the Valley of the Rhsne. The hand
someIy lowered Hotel de Vile has
very effective formal gar,len-
Indeed, GrenobIe blossoms with gar
dens, and one of its t=ee-decorated
avenues runs straight as an arrows
flight FIVE miles out into the country
to the Drac. where the Seventeenth
century Hurdle Bridge humps its back
for the leap across the stream, and
gives an exquisite picture. in the rough
frame of its arch, of the peaks beyond