Part 33

47½ M. =Mostaganem= (341 ft.; Grand-Hôtel, near the Place de la République; Hôt. du Louvre; Hôt. de la Gare; pop. 22,000, incl. 10,900 Mohammedans and 1100 Jews), a seaport on the E. shore of the _Bay of Arzew_ (p. 199), situated on an old coast-terrace rising abruptly from the sea (perhaps the site of the Roman _Murustuga_), owes its foundation, under the name of _Bordj el-Mehal_, to the Almoravide Yûsuf ibn Têshufîn (p. 95). It is the oldest garrison of the _Tirailleurs Indigènes_, a native regiment formed in 1847, and well known as _Turcos_ in the Franco-German war (1870–1). The main quarter of the town, with the station, the fine _Jardin Public_, the Place de la République, a fine point of view, the _Market_, and the _Chief Mosque_, founded by the Merinide Abû’l-Hasen Ali (p. 188) in 1342, lies on the left bank of the _Aïn-Sefra_, fully ½ M. above the harbour quarter. On the lofty right bank of the ravine are a second European quarter and (outside the Porte des Medjes) the interesting Mohammedan suburb of _Tidjit_. The _Harbour_, now choked with sand and inadequately protected from N. and N.W. winds by two piers, lies between two small tongues of land, _La Salamandre_ on the S.W., and _Karouba_ (266 ft.), with its sacred grove, on the N.E.—The railway from Mostaganem to La Stidia and La Macta (p. 200) passes (2 M.) _Mazagran_ (459 ft.; Hôt. Pujol), old-Berber _Tamazaran_, where the Spaniards sustained a severe defeat in 1558, and where a small French force in 1840 repelled the attacks of 15,000 adherents of Abd el-Kâder (p. 221; monument).

FROM RELIZANE TO TIARET, 75 M., railway in 4¾ hrs. (fare 9 fr. 65 or 7 fr. 25 c.). Scenery unattractive. Beyond (5½ M.) _Oued-Khelloug_ the train follows the course of the _Mina_ (p. 207), which separates the _Beni Chougrane_ (p. 200) from the _Ouarsenis Mts._ (p. 209). 12 M. _Sidi-Mohammed-Benaouda_ (417 ft.), noted for the strange cult of the local saint of that name, in whose zaouïa sacred lions were once kept; the loftily situated kubba, a great resort of pilgrims, is guarded by negroes who are said to be descendants of a servant of the saint (popular festivals in Aug. and Oct.).—27 M. _Uzès-le-Duc_ or _Fortassa_ (840 ft.).—54 M. _Méchéra-Sfa-Prévost-Paradol_. Near Méchéra-Sfa, on the Mina, are two cemeteries, with several dolmens, of the 4th cent., the sole relics of an ancient Berber town.—69 M. _Takdempt_, with a ruined arsenal of Abd el-Kâder.

75 M. =Tiaret= (3577 ft.; Hôt. d’Orient or Lecat; Hôt. des Colonies, R. 1½–3, déj. or D. 1½–3, pens. 4–6 fr.; pop. 7200; Mon. market) lies on a mountain-pass not far from the fertile _Plateaux du Sersou_, on the S. margin of the Tell Atlas, a cold but healthy site, once occupied by _Tingartia_, the capital of W. Algeria in the Byzantine period. New Tiaret, the capital of the Kharijite sect of the Ibadites (p. 323), probably lay below the present town, in the direction of Takdempt.—About halfway on the road from Tiaret to (35 M.) _Frenda_, among the hills to the S. of Tiaret, are the *_Djedar_, step-pyramids in the style of the ‘Tombeau de la Chrétienne’ (p. 238), but on square foundations, tombs apparently of forgotten Christian Berber princes of the 6–7th cent., composed partly of materials from 5th cent. buildings. Three of these, all in a very ruinous condition, are on _Jebel Hadjar_; ten, including the largest (52 by 49 yds.), lie on the _Colline de Ternaten_, 3¾ M. farther to the S.

The ALGIERS RAILWAY, running to the N.E., at some distance from the _Sebkha de Relizane_ or _de Sidi Bou Chiane_, enters the desolate lower plain of the _Chélif_ (p. 215), the ancient _Chylimath_ (Arabic _Kelmitu_). 98 M. _St. Aimé_ or _Djidiouïa_ (243 ft.), with a petroleum-refinery for the oil-springs of _Aïn-Zeft_ (_Taghia_), lies on the _Dahra_, the coast-hills to the N. of the Chélif. The train crosses the _Oued Djidiouïa_.

104 M. _Inkermann_ or _Oued-Riou_ (263 ft.; Hôt. des Voyageurs; Hôt. d’Inkermann; pop. 5200, of whom 4200 are Mohammedans), with large quarries and a Wednesday market.

The little Berber town of =Mazouna=, 18 M. to the N. of Inkermann, on a branch of the road to _Renault_, superbly situated, the capital of the W. Algerian beylic before Mascara (p. 200), is one of the quaintest places in the Algerian Tell Atlas. Home industries (burnouses, haiks, etc.) are much in vogue. Interesting Thursday market.

The train crosses the _Oued Riou_. 110½ M. _Le Merdja_, the last station in the province of Oran.

117½ M. _Charon_ or _Bou-Kader_, a little town of 5200 inhab., almost all Mohammedans, lies in the province of Algiers (Thurs. market). On a low hill, 2 M. to the N., are Roman ruins, called _El-Aouna_ by the natives. At _Touchaïd_, 3 M. to the S.W., is a cavern in the rock, 330 ft. long, consisting of a number of low passages, and containing huge layers of bats’ guano. The _Trou du Diable_, 4 M. to the S. of Charon, is another object of interest.

We cross the _Oued Sly_, with its barrage, to (122 M.) _Malakoff_ or _Oued-Sly_, and then pass through a wood of Aleppo pines and carob-trees.

131½ M. =Orléansville= (410 ft.; Hôt. du Palais, pens. 5 fr.; Hôt. des Voyageurs; pop. 4900, of whom 2300 are Mohammedans), founded in 1843 on the site of the Roman _Castellum Tingitanum_, is a smiling oasis, irrigated by a conduit from the Chélif, but one of the hottest places in Algeria (maximum 125½° Fahr.). The chief sight is the early-Christian _Basilica_ in the Place de la Mosaique, discovered in 1843, and recently further excavated. It was built in 324, and is the oldest Christian church in Algeria. The foundation walls are alone preserved. It consisted of a nave and double aisles, without a transept, with two entrances from the outer aisles and a rounded W. apse, to which was added in 475 a second choir-recess at the E. end, containing the tomb of Bishop Reparatus. Considerable fragments of the mosaic pavement also have been preserved. The town has also a _Mosque_ (1894) and a _Carpet Making School_. The Saturday market is important. From the N. ramparts we have a fine view of the Chélif ravine and the Dahra Mts.

A ROAD (railway in course of construction) leads from Orléansville to _Ténès_ (33 M.; diligence in 6 hrs., at 2, from Ténès at 6 p.m.). It crosses the Chélif and beyond the suburb of _La Ferme_, hidden among trees, leads through a eucalyptus avenue, and then to the N.W. across a plain to (8½ M.) _Warnier_ (394 ft.), at the mouth of the _Oued Ouahran Valley_. Then to the N., through the _Dahra Mts._, inhabited almost solely by Berbers, to (17 M.) _Les Trois-Palmiers_ (525 ft.), with its gypsum quarries, and across the (19½ M.) _Col de Kirba_ (1476 ft.) to the valley of the _Oued Allala_ and (30 M.) _Montenotte_, with its orchards and iron-mines. 32½ M. _Vieux-Ténès_, picturesquely situated above the gorge of the Allala, said to have been founded by S. Spanish Moors in 875, was notorious as a den of pirates in the Turkish period. 33 M. =Ténès= (164 ft.; Hôt. des Arts; Hôt. de l’Univers, etc.; pop. 5000, Berbers 3300), founded in 1843, is perched like Mostaganem on the edge of a plateau rising above its little frequented harbour, which is fairly sheltered on the E. only by the huge rocky _Cape Ténès_ (2093 ft.; lighthouse visible for 40 M.). Of _Cartenna_, the earliest settlement here, originally founded by Phœnicians, a few Roman cisterns only have been preserved. At the W. end of Ténès there are also some rock-tombs belonging to an early-Christian cemetery.

A second ROAD (36 M.; ‘courrier’ on Mon., Wed., and Frid. at 6 a.m., in 8 hrs.) leads from Orléansville to the S.E., through the _Ouarsenis Mts._, viâ (33 M.) _Boucaïd_, with the zinc and galena mines of the Belgian Vieille-Montagne Co., to (36 M.) _Beni-Hindel_ (3825 ft.) at the S. base of the triple-peaked _Ouarsenis_ (6512 ft.). To _Teniet el-Haâd_, see p. 211, 210.

Leaving Orléansville, the train runs to the N.E., near the Chélif, to (135 M.) _Pontéba_. Fine view, to the left, of the hill-region on the E. margin of the lower plain of the Chélif. 140 M. _Le Barrage_, near the largest reservoir of the Chélif. The train sweeps round to the S., away from the river, and traverses a fertile and well shaded plain to (146 M.) _Oued-Fodda_ (522 ft.), a small town of 5300 inhab., near the left bank of the _Oued Fodda_, through whose valley peeps the three-peaked Ouarsenis (see above).

In the _Plaine des Attafs_, as the very monotonous central plain of the Chélif is called, we next come to (148 M.) _Temoulga-Vauban_, at the foot of the bare _Jebel Temoulga_ (1749 ft.; with iron-mines), to (162 M.) _Oued-Rouïna_, and (166 M.) _Kherba_, the station for a village 3 M. to the N., on the margin of the Dahra Mts.—To the right, in the foreground, rises the range of _Jebel Doui_ (3409 ft.), whose spurs bound the central Chélif plain. To the left, for a short time, we have a *View of _Jebel Bou Maad_ (4643 ft.), generally snow-clad in winter, and of _Jebel Zaccar Gharbi_ (p. 212). 171 M. _Duperré_ (820 ft.), at the foot of Jebel Doui, near the ancient Roman _Oppidum Novum_.

The train crosses the Chélif above the influx of the _Oued Ebda_. To the left, in the river-bed, is the pier of a bridge on the old Roman military road. We now pass through a defile between barren hills; to the right we have a glimpse of the broad upper plain of the Chélif. 178½ M. _Littré_ or _Les Arib_ (853 ft.), in the _Plaine des Aribs_, at the foot of the Dahra. 184 M. _Lavarande_ (945 ft.), on the spurs of the Zaccar range.

186½ M. =Affreville= (1020 ft.; Rail. Restaurant, with rooms, good; Hôt. de l’Univers, in the village, next to the diligence-office, R. 2, B. ½, D. 2 fr.; Hôt. du Haut-Chélif; Hôt. de Vaucluse, near the station, well spoken of; pop. 2000), at the foot of Jebel Zaccar Gharbi, is one of the stations (Miliana-Margueritte being the other, see p. 211) for Miliana (6¼ M.; diligence 3 times daily, 1 fr.; carr. 10–12 fr.), and the starting-point for Teniet el-Haâd.

The EXCURSION TO THE CEDAR FOREST OF TENIET EL-HAÂD takes a day-and-a-half (motor-omnibus, 5 or 6 fr., in ca. 3 hrs.; diligence, leaving at 11 a.m., returning at 9.40 a.m., in 8 hrs.; carriage 50 fr. or more, hardly recommended). To the E. of Affreville, beyond the market (Thurs.) and the _Oued Souffay_, our rather featureless road diverges to the S. from the Dolfusville road; it leads among eucalyptus trees to the (2¾ M.) Chélif, and then, beyond (7½ M.) _Le Puits_ (971 ft.), ascends by the _Oued Massin_ through an almost uninhabited part of the Tell Atlas, between hills thinly clad with pines. 10½ M. _Pont-du-Caïd_ (1329 ft.); 16½ M. _Caravansérail de l’Oued-Massin_; 22 M. _Marbot_ (2287 ft.). Beyond the 39th kilomètre-stone (24½ M.) we observe on the right the curiously shaped sandstone rock of _Jebel Hadjra Touïla_. We then cross a pass (2920 ft.), whence We have a pleasing view of the valley of the Massin behind us, to (27½ M.) _Dutertre_ on the _Oued Rouïna_.

36 M. =Teniet el-Haâd= (3806 ft.; Hôt. du Commerce, R. 2, déj. 2, D. 2½ fr., tolerable; Hôt. de la Colonie, humble; pop. 2100), the starting-point of caravan-routes to Tiaret (p. 208) and to Chellala and Laghouat (p. 215), situated on one of the most important passes of the Tell Atlas, owes its name (‘Sunday Pass’) to its Sunday market, attended chiefly by the inhabitants of the Plateaux du Sersou (p. 208). On the E. side of the little town lies the poor ‘Village-Nègre’ (comp. p. 181).

The *_Cedar Forest of Teniet el-Haâd_, on the slopes of _Jebel el-Meddad_ (5863 ft.; ‘cedar-mountain’), to the W. of the town, is still the finest in Algeria, although largely cut down of late and bereft of its primæval character. The Atlas cedar (Cedrus Atlantica Manetti), with its silvery and very short needles, and of gnarled and often fan-like growth, is smaller and less showy than the Himalaya cedar (Cedrus Deodora Roxburg) and the cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus Libani), but in a few cases attains a circumference of 30 ft. The cedars are mingled, particularly in the lower parts of the forest, with evergreen or holm oaks and cork-trees (Quercus ilex, cenis, and suber). The excursion to the forest, as far as the Rond-Point and back, takes 4½–5 hrs., or including Kef Siga 6–7 hrs. (Mule, obtained from the natives, or horse, from the Bureau des Messageries, 5 fr.; carr. from the latter, 20–25 fr., hardly advisable as the road is bad.) The road to the (8¾ M.) Rond-Point leaves the highroad to the S. of the town, but riders and walkers take a short-cut from the W. side of the town, thus saving about 1¼ M. In about 40 min. we come to the _Parapluie_, on the right side of the carriage-road, an umbrella-shaped cedar on a rocky height on the N. slope of the _Kef Sachi_ (5134 ft.), and in 25 min. more to the forester’s hut (gourbi forestier) of _Pré-Maigrat_. The finest parts of the forest are near the forester’s house at the _Rond-Point des Cèdres_ (4889 ft.; rfmts. if required), on the N. margin of the Jebel el-Meddad, where the _Sultane_, one of the grandest of the cedars is pointed out. From the Rond-Point a steep zigzag path ascends to a saddle with a pasture in a clearing (on the right), where we dismount, and whence we climb over the rocks to the top of the _Kef Siga_ (5624 ft.), the N.W. peak of the ‘cedar-mountain’. The *View embraces the whole of the Ouarsenis group (p. 209); to the E. rise the mountains of Boghar; to the N. the Zaccar range with Miliana. To the S. we survey the Hauts-Plateaux, with the bare hills of Chellala, as far as the distant Jebel Amour (p. 170) in the Sahara Atlas.

From the Rond-Point we may ride on to the W. to (5–6 hrs.) _Beni-Hindel_ (p. 209).

The train crosses the _Oued Boutan_. It then runs to the N.E., soon with a retrospect of the Ouarsenis Mts., and ascends the luxuriantly fertile valley of the _Oued Souffay_, between the Zaccar range and _Jebel Gontas_ (2858 ft.), to (193½ M.) _Miliana-Margueritte_ or _Adélia_ (about 1700 ft.), the station for _Miliana_, 5½ M. to the W. (reached by steam-tramway, in connection with the trains, in ¾ hr.), and for _Margueritte_ (p. 212; diligence).

* * * * *

=Miliana.=—HOTELS. *_Hôtel du Commerce & d’Isly_, Rue de Constantine, near Place Carnot; _Hôt. Valentin_, Place Carnot, next the diligence-office, with dépendance (_Hôt. d’Europe_) in Rue Fontenoy, R. 2 fr., B. 40 c., déj. or D. 2, pens. 6 fr., unpretending, attentive landlord.—DILIGENCE to Affreville (in the morning in connection with the motor-omnibus to Teniet el-Haâd), see p. 210.

_Miliana_ (2428 ft.; pop. 8400, incl. 5300 Mohammedans), which is said to have been founded by Bologgîn ez-Ziri (comp. p. 221) on the site of the Roman _Zucchabar_, lies most romantically on a terrace on the S. slope of Jebel Zaccar Gharbi, amidst luxuriant gardens, and is

## particularly charming in April when the fruit-trees are in blossom.

The chief gate, the N. gate of the modern town-walls, is the _Porte du Zaccar_, near the tramway-terminus, a few paces from the small public _Jardin Magenta_.

Passing the covered _Marché Arabe_ the Rue St. Paul, a beautiful avenue of planes, leads in 3 min. to the Place Carnot, in the centre of which rises an ivy-clad _Minaret_ (now a clock-tower), a relic of the chief mosque, which was destroyed during the war with Abd el-Kâder (p. 221).

Near the S.W. angle of the Place Carnot passes the Rue St. Jean, also planted with plane-trees, leading to the S. to the _Esplanade de la Casbah_ (nicknamed _Pointe aux Blagueurs_), which affords a delightful view of the Chélif plain and the Ouarsenis Mts. The orchards around and the cascades of the Oued Boutan (see above) are better seen from the rampart promenade on the E. side of the town.

The *_Jebel Zaccar Gharbi_ (5181 ft.; ‘Western Zaccar’) is ascended by a good mule-path in 2½–3 hrs. (mule 4–5 fr.). The view of the wooded Dahra Mts., of the Chenoua (p. 242), of part of the Mitidja, and of the S. Tell Atlas, is one of the finest in Algeria.

A delightful *Excursion, by carriage or on foot, especially in spring, may be taken to (6¼ M.) _Margueritte_, the road to it being part of that from Affreville to Blida and Algiers (comp. p. 214). The road branches to the left, a few minutes to the N.E. of the Porte du Zaccar, from the Adélia road, and soon passes close below the iron and copper mines of the _Société des Mines du Zaccar_, which are connected by a line of rails with the road tramway. Farther on, ascending gradually through orchards, a perfect sea of blossom in spring, we reach the gorge of the _Oued Righas_ or _Rirhas_, between Jebel Zaccar Gharbi and _Jebel Zaccar Chergui_ (5027 ft.; ‘Eastern Zaccar’), which also is famed for its view.

=Margueritte= (2395 ft.; Hôt. du Zaccar, poor) lies picturesquely on the S.E. slope of the hill, 3 M. above the rail. station of Miliana-Margueritte (p. 211), with a fine view of the valley of the Oued Souffay, and yields one of the best red wines in Algeria.—Farther on the road skirts the E. slope of the Zaccar Chergui, rounds the gorge of the _Oued Tizi-Ouchir_, and then descends in windings across the _Col des Oliviers_ (1834 ft.; beyond this a rough road to the left diverges to Hammam-Rhira, see below), aside from the village of _Vesoul-Benian_ (1653 ft.; 4½ M. to the N. of the rail. station, see below), to (9 M.) the _Pont de l’Oued el-Hammam_ (see below).

* * * * *

Just beyond Miliana-Margueritte the RAILWAY passes through a tunnel (2525 yds.) into the bleak valley of the _Oued Zeboudj_. 200½ M. _Vesoul-Benian_, station for the village (see above).

205 M. _Bou-Medfa_ (797 ft.), about 1 M. to the W. of the village of that name, is the station for the baths of _Hammam Rhira_. (Hotel-omnibus meeting every train, up in 1, down in ¾ hr.; trunk ½–1½ fr.)

The road ascends to the W. from the station in the valley of the _Oued el-Hammam_, which at Bou-Medfa joins the Oued Zeboudj to form the _Oued Djer_ (p. 213). 2 M. _Pont de l’Oued el-Hammam_ (883 ft.), at the junction of our road with that leading from Affreville and Miliana to Bourkika (p. 243), Blida, and Algiers. We follow the latter into the side-valley of the _Oued Djir_, whence we ascend to the S.W. in windings to the (7 M.) village of _Hammam Rhira_ (1542 ft.; Hôt. d’Orient, poor).

7½ M. =Hammam Rhira= (1706 ft.; *Grand-Hôt. des Bains, of the first class, with beautiful grounds shaded with palms, and baths including two hot swimming-baths, R. 4–8, B. 1½, déj. 3½, D. 5, pens. 10–18 fr., open 15th Dec.–15th May only; Hôt. Bellevue, dépendance of the former and below it, also with baths, plainer, pens. 7–9 fr., open May-Dec.), the _Aquae Calidae_ of antiquity, Arabic _Hammâm Sidi-Slîmân_ (Solomon’s Bath), is the most fashionable watering-place in Algeria. It lies on a barren terrace descending abruptly to the S.E. to the Oued el-Hammam, affording a fine view of Jebel Zaccar Chergui to the W., and of Jebel Gontas (p. 211), Jebel Louhe (4751 ft.), and Jebel Mouzaïa (p. 213) to the S. The hot springs (113–166° Fahr.), which are strongly impregnated with carbonate and hydrated sulphate of lime, are used as a cure for rheumatism, gout, etc., while the water of a cold chalybeate spring is drunk by anæmic and dyspeptic patients. The chief season for foreign visitors is from the middle of Feb. to the middle of April; in summer the military hospital, which contains three restored ancient piscinæ, and the Mohammedan and Jewish baths below the Hôt. Bellevue are much frequented by Algerians. The Allée des Ruines in the public grounds contains a few relics from the ancient Aquæ Calidæ. We may walk thence to the W., between vineyards which yield excellent red wine, in ¼ hr. to the _Forêt de Chaïba_, a pine-forest of 2000 acres, in which the ‘petit tour’ of 2½ or the ‘grand tour’ of 5 M. may be taken. The _Samsam_ (2800 ft.) commands a fine view of the Mitidja and the Sahel (p. 221). Pleasant drives (carr. 15–40 fr. per day; driver and horses to be fed by the hirer) viâ (12½ M.) _Margueritte_ to (18½ M.) _Miliana_ (comp. p. 212); viâ Bourkika and Marengo to (23 M.) _Tipaza_ or to _Cherchell_ (see pp. 243, 244).

[Illustration: BLIDA]

From Bou-Medfa the train descends to the N.E., skirting the _Oued Djer_, and through a defile, overgrown with underwood, at the foot of the _Nador des Soumata_ (2507 ft.), to (214 M.) _Oued-Djer_, and then to the E. into the broad plain of the _Mitidja_ (p. 221). To the left in the distance rises the Chenoua (p. 242), and on the Sahel range (p. 221) may be seen the ‘Tombeau de la Chrétienne’ (p. 238).

219½ M. _El-Affroun_, a village on the Affreville and Algiers road, is like Castiglione (p. 238) a starting-point for Tipaza and Cherchell (steam-tramway, see p. 243). To the right rise the hills of Blida, with the deep incision of the Chiffa ravine (p. 215).

222½ M. _Mouzaïaville_ (368 ft.; pop. 5000) lies near the spurs of the wooded _Jebel Mouzaïa_, inhabited by the Berber tribe of that name. 225½ M. _Chiffa_ (364 ft.), near the left bank of the _Chiffa_ (see p. 238), and nearly 4 M. from the entrance to the ravine (by the Rocher Blanc, p. 215).—We cross the stony bed of the Chiffa, opposite the influx of the _Oued el-Kébir_ (see below), and then ascend through fields, vineyards, and cactus-hedges to—

230 M. =Blida.=—The STATION (689 ft.) lies about ¾ M. below the town, to the N.W., 18–20 min. from the chief hotels. Omnibus to the Place d’Armes, with luggage, 10 (at night 20) c.; cab 50 c.

HOTELS. _Hôt. d’Orient_ (Pl. a; C, 3), Rue d’Alger and Place d’Armes, R. 3–5, B. 1–12, déj. 3½, D. 4, pens. 12, omn. ½ fr. good; _Hôt. Géronde_ (Pl. b; B, 2), Rue Lamy, plainer; _Hôt. de la Mitidja_ (Pl. c; B, 2), Rue Flatters, corner of Rue Pélissier, R. 2, déj. or D. 2 fr., plain but good; _Hôt. de la Gare_, near the station, déj. 1½, D. 2 fr., humble.—_Café d’Orient_, in the hotel, and _Brasserie Lyonnaise_, both in the Place d’Armes.

POST & TELEGRAPH OFFICE (Pl. 5; C, 3), Place d’Armes.

CABS (stand in the Rue de l’Hôpital, behind the Place d’Armes). In town ½, to Sid-el-Kébir 3–5, Chiffa Ravine 8–12 fr. (according to bargain).

SIGHTS. Forenoon, _Jardin Bizot_, _Bois Sacré_, cemetery of _Sid-el-Kébir_, and _Stud Farm_ (‘la Remonte’); afternoon, trip to the _Chiffa Ravine_, either from Sidi-Madani or Camp-des-Chênes (p. 215). If desired Algiers may be reached by train the same evening. The attractive mountain tours (Les Glacières, etc.) are feasible in summer only.