France - The Pyrenees - Realm Of The Sun (6/151)

France - The Pyrenees - Realm Of The Sun (6/151)

High in the French Pyrenees, half hidden by 10,000 foot peaks, lies the Cerdagne. The famed "petit train jaune", the little yellow engine that could, huffs and puffs its way up to 5,250 feet and the highest train station in France. Here on the frontier between France and Spain, the sun shines 3000 hours a year, more than any other part of France, even the nearby Mediterranean coast. A fact the solar oven in Odeillho puts to good use: With over 20 000 mirrors bundling the sunlight in one spot of incredible energy, it was built over 40 years ago to research and harness the power of the sun. By now, the solar ovens of the Cerdagne have become a tourist attraction. Meanwhile, the sun only rises twice a year for the Black Madonna of Font-Romeu: In Spring, she is carried up the mountain to its chalet, in autumn it is returned to its village church in the valley. Each procession is a celebration that has attracted faithful pilgrims from far away since the 8th Century.