The département of Vosges in Lorraine contains a very old chain of mountains with distinctive tops worn away and rounded. Only one mountain is over 1,400m; they are distinctive for their heavily wooded slopes with pine trees up to 40m high and for the profusion of their lakes. The capital, Épinal, is renowned for its printing and textiles, and in particular for the popular Images d'Épinal, popular since the 17th century. They were brightly coloured, hand-tinted prints of everyday life, sometimes funny, sometimes satirical, that travelling merchants would sell across the country. A museum is dedicated to the image industry in the town.
Deep in the heart of this land of thick forests and sparkling rivers lies Vittel, whose grande source was discovered by Louis Bouloumie a century and a half ago. Thanks to the wealth its internationally famous water has brought it, the station thermale, with its attractive architecture and 'English' gardens, offers a polished welcome to the visitor. One in six of the beds in Vittel are for visitors.
Gérardmer, known as la Perle des Vosges, is a small town by a beautiful valley lake amidst a thick forest. The pronunciation of the town sometimes fools even the French, who assume the town is named after its lake (or mer); in fact it takes its name from Gérard, the first Duke of Lorraine, and a local patois word moué, meaning 'garden'. True enough, the lake is a relatively little-known Eden.
