Pyrenees Point of View

June 28, 2013

Driving through the Pyrenees Mountains reminded us of scenes from the Sound of Music. Being nature lovers it was a haven to      us during the 5 hours we spent in them.  It was one babbling creek, field of wildflowers, and flock/herd of animals after another.  Our eyes were overwhelmed with dynamic angles from intertwined hills and mountains.

Drinking bottled water before its bottled.
Cold and straight out of the mountains.

We lolly- gagged at a slow pace over each mountain and around each bend; not only because of the narrow roads and hairpin turns, but because we constantly wanted to stop and live in the moment. 

Happy cows giving us a roadside greeting

Drinking from the creeks, breathing the fresh mountain air, and admiring the roaming animals. At one point we pulled over to see a herd of sheep and ram, their baaaa….baaaa voices along with some neck bells sounds like a crowded cafeteria.

 

At least 1,000 in the herd

As we climbed higher and higher, reaching 2,000 meters the temperature dropped from 27 degrees Celsius to 5 degrees Celsius. Just as night fell we entered a cloud. We nervously proceeded to drive but the weather prohibited speed higher than the slow creep of 5 mph; that was our sign to pull over for the night. 

We were not sure if we were in Spain or France because there was no Welcome to France billboard….or any kind of elaborate border crossing. Unless the two police standing at tiny roadblock was border control….if so what a breeze…they didn't even ask to see our passports, they glanced in the window of the driver side, realized we did not speak the language and waved us to drive on.  Perhaps it was so simple because we took the road less traveled, avoiding all toll roads, and enjoying a closer look at the mountains and hidden villages that were scattered along our route. 

Ax-les Thermes France

The next small town we found was called, Ax-les Thermes; a quaint little town that seem like something on a post card. Noticing the change in language written on buildings it did not take long to realize we were in France. The town was quiet, except for the pitter patter of rain on the cobblestone streets. We were hungry but it was 10:30pm so there was not much open to choose from.  We found a casino where we struggled to communicate with the server. Hand gestures go a long way when needed.   

Ross ordered the buffet, a nice selection of cold sliced sausages, coleslaw, cheese, shrimp salad and couscous. I ordered a delicious salad with fried ham and goat cheese fritters and a glass of red wine. As I took the first sip, I realized it was served cold, not what I expected for red. The wine was served in a carafe, which had thick red sediment in the bottom after filling my glass. Total dinner expense 18.60 euro. 

Church near our over night spot

We found a free public parking lot just beside the casino where we set up camp for the night; which we completed in 15 minutes this time instead of 45 :*).  There was a beautiful church just in front of us, a peaceful park with large oak trees beside us, and a public restroom for our     convenience.

The church bells for an alarm clock ...loved it