Our journey began at the barrage at Mauvoisin, accessing it by tunnels dug into the mountain.
Marmots whistled as they say Castor - even so, some where brazen.
Heavily laden with glazier run-off silt, the reservoir had a milky appearance making cloud shadows quite dramatic.
A birthday "slug" of wine.
The small pass before the descent to Cab. de Chanrion where we spent the night.
First-light departure; Fenetre de Durand shrouded in cloud where we were heading.
Looking back down the reservoir towards the barrage where we began the previous day.
Edelweiss - the first one I have spotted in the wild. The area is a nature reserve, which means that grazing although it takes place is tightly controlled. We saw a number of edelweiss so land management clearly has a positive impact on biodiversity.
Time for coffee (or more accurately chicory), looking back towards Cab. de Chanrion, before we traverse Fenetre de Durand from Switzerland into Italy.
Fenetre de Durand
The start of our 1800 metre descent to our destination! Thankfully neither of us had paid too much attention to the number of contours we would cross.
Sadly the Italian side was not as wild as our 50-year old maps indicated - time for new ones we thinks!
Looking across onto the valley side we will traverse along following a fresh water leat (lete or leet).
Easy walking along the gradually descending leat; sadly our suspicions turned out to be correct - it was covered not open.
Finally the water emerges from the pipe.
Looking back at a great view of the Fenetre de Durand (the V in the skyline).
A chapel built to serve the southern Italians "conscripted" to build the leat.
Finally, our destination!
Top on the list are the Flamingos - we identified seven grey young birds from this year breeding season!
Then Seals - amazing how they swim. We had to run back and forward, as they swam through a tunnel under our feet!
Will he slip in or not! Ella Tili's guess was yes, and she was right!
We also spottet the Moshus Oxen's calf!
Definitely ET was the most stylish girl in the park - she keeps stressing that the stripped coat is from "Götti Phil!"
Hard to be closer to a snow leapard than ET was! Only a wall of glass in-between! What a magnificient animal!
Also good that there was a wall of glass in-between!
Hard to say good-buy to another favourite of Ella's: the penguins! Amazing how they jump out of the water! ET cannot wait to show Papa around soonest! 
