Fort l'Ecluse: Archery..then 1165 steps to the very top

As the heat subsided this afternoon R and I returned to Fort l'Ecluse, a fort set dramatically in the steep cliff mountainside nearby. By the time we got there, the winds had picked up, and the Via Ferrata was closed to newcomers. I breathed easier knowing I wouldn't have to ascend today. Hoping to summon up some courage one day soon to attempt it.

At the Archery zone, R and I queue up to try our hand at archery. We watch members of the local archery club demonstrate how to use the different bows and arrows and teach people how to stand and hold the different bows. What is the correct stance? Elbows are 90 degrees to your body and your right hand is resting squarely below your right cheek bone. See pictures below. R and I both do well—with most of our arrows landing in the red zone. On my last try, I score big with the arrow landing in the yellow inner circle. 

More on the fort: there's a lower fort and an upper fort and 1165 steps up to the very top. Your reward? A fantastic view of the valley and the Rhone below and on a clear day, you can see out for kilometers. The lower fort is connected to the upper fort via tunnels and terraces. On the climb up we passed lots of rooms and corridors that led to probably more rooms. I stopped a few times to catch my breath as it was a super steep climb, much steeper and longer than the Bunker Hill Monument and maybe the Statue of Liberty climb too (which I did with my sister many years ago).

We're now parked on the sofa with a John Wayne WWII movie after a dinner of homemade pork dumplings and Vietnamese summer rolls. Did I mention that I'm growing coriander, mint, and ciboulette (chives) now?