POST 1. VIEW ON THE MAYENS

The mayens are the clearings scattered in the intermediary part of the mountain, between the residential zones and the pasture area. The black structures are stables and barns. When the clearing is large, there are residential buildings.

> From the Tourist Office, go to the left corner of the car park created in December 1969. Enjoy the view of the other side of the valley.

On the left bank of the Navisence you can see the villages of Pinsec, Mayoux, Saint-Jean and Grimentz. And then observe the forest clearings dotted with small buildings, the mayens as they are called by mountain farmers in Valais, and finally above the last trees, grassland and pastures.

Livestock is brought to the mayens before they go further up to the pastures (Inalp). In the fall, the descent from the mountain pasture is called the désalpe. Their milk is, in principle, transformed into tomme and serac, rarely other cheese.

The word «mayen» refers to simple structures, sometimes shared by several co-owners, those often situated a fair distance from the villages.

The main room was furnished with a large table, two benches, a masonry stove, and a row of two-level beds. Each owner had his own bed, his chest and hooks to hang coats. The kitchen hearth was the center of community life. In the kitchen there was usually a rack, tripod, a casserole, a pot, a pan, and a boiler to curdle milk. In the cellar, there were no wine barrels, but a breno with several trays, inaccessible to mice, that were used to dry thetommes (cheese) on.

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Go up the main road about a hundred meters.