In August, the Col du Pradel in the Ariège department is transformed into a sea of yellow flowers. This is when the yellow gentian blooms around the Pyrenean pass at an altitude of 1673 metres. The wild mountain plant has been collected in the Pyrenees for centuries, valued for its medicinal properties - and enjoyed as an aperitif. The yellow sea of gentian flowers stretches as far as the horizon at Col du Pradel. As it once did everywhere in late summer. However, intensive deforestation and growing industrial utilisation have led to a massive decline in the once ubiquitous yellow gentian in the Pyrenees, but also in the Massif Central and the Alps. It is used to produce alcoholic beverages such as Avèze, Salers, Suze and other bitter aperitifs such as Picon, Suze, Byrrh, Dubonnet, Pikina or Saint-Raphaël. In the Pyrenees, this wild mountain plant has always been associated with folk medicine. The best place to see the yellow gentian in bloom is at the saddle of the pass, where a few picnic tables have been set up next to a car park and hiking trails lead deeper into the realm of the yellow gentian.
Hello and welcome! Here are the best photos I've ever taken: Hilke - a true Hamburg girl with a lot of France in her heart. I trained as an editor and, after two decades with various publishing houses, I've been working as a freelance journalist for print, .. Read more…