Our son just sent some pictures from a ride near Verbier, Switzerland. I’m now officially jealous of where he’s living. 
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Liked the first one particularly - composition and colour reminded me of some of Andreas Gursky’s early work, though suspect yours is the smaller of the two (the one below is 3m wide - it’s in Tate Modern)
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I’ve seen Rhine II, and it’s quite impressive because of the size. IIRC the most expensive photo ever sold.
There’s an irony in that Gursky was using a phone to make pictures for some of his more recent work, though I must admit it had less appeal that some of his earlier, much more detailed pictures.
I’m assuming it’s an optical illusion but to my eye (astigmatism maybe?) the horizon’s not straight! 
Seems to me @SuePJ , the Gursky is dead straight (flat) but AM’s is not so much. Possibly due to bushes or trees on the horizon.
A wonderful association, all the same!
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Mine was taken using the phone, and TBH I’ve not checked the horizon, so it’s probably off. Looking on a bigger screen, the land does rise on the RHS and it looks level-ish.
The comparison is very generous. 
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‘The Long March’, ‘die Groote Trek’ call it what you will, but today’s walk was the longest since my accident and was pleased to find so few aches this evening.
I’d planned a long circular walk from our village on the Lot up onto the plateau, then a westerly walk of a few kms before descend to the next village via a path that we normally ascend, then having lunch at the auberge alongside the river before crossing to the south bank and returning along the Lot veloroute route. Stretches of three different walks, five communes and about 15kms I estimated. In the event it was over 19kms and the auberge’s resto was complet when I arrived, but otherwise a great day.
Leaving our village, eventually I’ll be walking from R-L just beyond the skyline
This impressive mound makes one wonder how long it took to clear the hillside of stones, but also what they grew here and when. Closer to the village the slopes were terraced for vines and then on the steeper slopes, while immediately behind the houses are tiny walled fields called ‘mouchoirs’.
Immediately past the mound I diverge from the official path onto onto one my wife and I found during the confinement, where one walks for a km or so through a chestnut wood along the top of a mediaeval stone terrace that’s four and five metres high. Again the amount of time and labour involved seems unimaginable. The bracken is now dying back, but still lots of bracken and bramble bashing. I’d like to get this alternative route officially added to this walk because it’s longer and better
While walking this stretch I suddenly heard voices on the hillside above me and the baying of a hound down below and realised I was in the middle of a hunt! Shouted << Attention ! >> a couple of times but got no response and was glad to get off the woodland path onto a steep single track road, that winds towards the plateau. When this barn comes into view, you know you’re nearly there and there’s no more serious uphill
After the barn it’s a fast exhilarating walk for a few kms striding along a road with rolling Cantal fiels below and nothing above but blue skies and red kites. Then back down to the Lot on a path that we normally ascend on another walk.
I realised that going up, one has one’s back to the view over the valley, whereas going down one sees things afresh. Hadn’t noticed this view of our village before…
This is very new, only a few weeks old - like the way they’ve broken up the façade.
Eventually crossing to the south bank of the Lot - shame about the auberge resto being full - it’s gone 1pm and I’m hungry!
5kms back along the river - in the summer much of it’s hidden from view, but as the leaves fall, you get these vignettes.
Eventually the bridge back to the north bank…
and home!
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The vistas are evocative and much appreciated by your sharing them with us.
Now, I’m just wondering if a metal detector is heavy to carry and if you mightn’t make some extraordinary finds along them thar hills? On second thought, any lurking artefacts may be more likely pre-metal age. Best just keep an eye out for any stone carvings or likely caves.
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Not quite rando pictures, but a couple of shots from the last week or so locally, taken when I was on my way to work.
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Wonderful light!
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Very Autumn in England!
Here at dawn the autumn mist is several hundred metres deep and fills the valley, it rises slowly gradually revealing the crags and silhouettes of twisted box trees that cling to the rocks
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First walk with the group since mid August (visitors, then accident). Actually, the first group walk for both of us as my wife felt fit enough to join the short low level walk group (despite being severely emaciated from her convalescence).
Setting off from the next village upriver from us - here the valley is wider, the river is much deeper, and the morning mist takes longer to lift (assume it’s a consequence of the much greater volume of water in this part of the valley. Meanwhile, Paul attempts a ‘Duke of Edinburgh trying to look thoughtful’ walk while Cor dramatically pretends he’s already walked 100kms rather than the 100m from the car park.
This is one of several local barrages that get raised and lowered to control the flow of the river and protect us from inundation. In the background is an architecturally interesting C19th terrace of workers’ houses that are three storeys high on the river side, but only one storey high at the other side that faces the road.
All this already and we’ve barely started - I need a sub-editor!
Touch of C19th German Romanticism (apart from a bit of the D840 bridge over the Lot)
The walking group splits (which always confuses Gigi, who wants to go with both groups) and the long walkers begin a steep ascent onto the plateau. Geological digression: Most of the Aveyron consists of a high plateau that is dissected by deep river gorges, principally the Aveyron river, the Lot and the Tarn.
Everyone in this photo is Dutch apart from our token Frenchman (bourgeois Parisian conspiracy theorist - but otherwise OK). I’m sure you can spot him!
This isn’t a religious gathering, just the highest point of the walk - the original cross was part of the Church’s local reaction to phylloxera - erect lots of Calvaires on high ground and get praying… Always loved this religious trope of going to high ground for better reception - used to have a friend in the Karoo, who every evening would drive out of his village and climb a high kopje in order to get the reception to get his emails and voice mail. Plus ça change…
Christmas comes early this year - but what really struck me was the fresh green leaves in contrast to the dark green of Christmas holly.
While taking this photo suddenly became aware of horrendous cramp in my left thigh (like extra time in an old Wembley Cup Final)
My subsequent descent into the valley was slow and painful, stopping every 100m to pummel my thigh. Fortunately walking back along the river on the flat rather than on a steep gradient made the cramp disappear.
This one’s for @Wozza what not to do!
And eventually made it to the post-walk picnique - only 12kms, but it was enough!
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True, but I think from where I was posting about it’s flowing north…
A couple of days ago, before the weather arrived, my wife and I did a walk up the Lot from our place - she can’t yet walk on rough tracks or steep gradients, so where she can go is a tad limited and the photos can become a tad repetitive. Nevertheless we had good light (unlike today) and one always sees something new.
Real leaves with tree reflections
Symmetry in water reflections can certainly be interesting, but this isn’t the usual…
Normally, I correct parallax in Photoshop, but this doesn’t need it. Reminded me of a 1980’s painting by the subversive Russian artist, Erik Bulatov (that I can’t find online) where the phrase, ‘I am going’ is superimposed in perspective on a similar image.
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These images are truly beautiful! Nature does give us so much art as we have eyes to see.
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Thanks!
How is Madame doing in terms of completing recovery from the accident DrMarkH? I bet she could do a really nice painting similar to your first photo here - like an earlier painting you showed us when she exhibited.
Is Gigi having to be carried on the walks?