France

Here we have another set of stamps from the La France à voir issues; this time the stamps are no longer on the S/S. This set of three stamps is from the La France à voir S/S Number 9 issued on 26 Feb 2007.

The Baux-de-Provence is a small village and commune in the Boches-de-Rhone department in southern France, in the province of Provence. It has a spectacular position in the Alpilles mountains, set atop a rocky outcrop crowned with a ruined castle overlooking the plains to the south. Its names refers to its site — in Provencal, a baou is a rocky spur. The village gives its name to the aluminium ore Bauxite which was first discovered there in 1821 by geologist Pierre Bethier.

The Ballon d'Alsace is a mountain at the border of Alsace, Lorraine, and France-Comte. From its top, views include the Visges, the Rhine Valley, and the Black Forest. A road leads over a pass near the peak at 1171 m. Ballon d'Alsace is noted as the site of the first official mountain climb in the Tour de France on 10 July 1905, won by Rene Pottier.

The Cascade Doubs is a waterfall at, you guessed it, Doubs, a department in eastern France that was actually named after the Doubs river. The waterfall depicted here shows the source at Lison.

These stamps were franked with a beautiful postmark at the Louvre Post Office in Paris on 3 Mar 2008. It's a pity that the postmarks aren't clearer.