Saturday morning started early (4:45 a.m.) because we had a 2 hour drive to Valtournenche and we had to get into town before they closed down the roads for the parade. Needless to say, the drive through the mountains was great. After checking into our hotels, we headed out to the local cafe to meet up with everybody and wait for the cows. There were 9 of us in our group and most likely the ONLY Americans in town. The atmosphere was joyous as everyone waited to hear the cow bells. The locals, dressed in traditional costumes, entertained us like it was Mardi Gras. And then we heard the bells coming. Those cow bells were like a symphony. We loved every second of it.
Alfedena AQ 