DAY 11 - LOST IN THE PYRENEES!

SPAIN /FRANCE

DAY 11

From:           Pamplona - (NAVARRE)

To:               Pyrenees - France

Distance:     155km / 96 miles

Climate:        7C - 18C = 45 -65F

Altitude:       3400Meters /11000 ft

LOST IN THE PYRENEES - 11,000 ft up!

Before I begin to tell you how we were lost in the Pyrenees, I thought you might be wondering by now how we could take enough clothes to last 4 months for both winter and summer weather? Not easy is the answer. As you notice Bob is always wearing the same clothes. He was only allowed to bring 1 pair of pants and 1 top.. no..no... no...

Many years ago when I was in Spain, a dear British friend of mine, name Sue, taught me how to pack in a way that I am able to put 5000 things into one small bag. That one time lesson has turned into a life time of value. Thanks Sue!

We have two medium suitcases we leave as storage in the car while we take a small overnight with us to the hotel each night. As you can see by the photo below, a BMW Cabrio does not have much trunk space. So.... we have coats, jackets, shorts and bathing suits..... all inside the back of that small little trunk!

A more difficult feat is to remember the hotel room number as we change hotels each night. I find myself putting the key in the wrong door or going to the wrong floor etc...

Bobs daily job - putting them in and taking them out.

My daily job - to keep the car looking semi organized.

ADIOS SPAIN!!!

Bye bye Pamplona.... very comfy hotel - privately owned.

Our new best friend. Tom Tom. Helps us get around without stress!

Each day when we wake up, Bobs first question is - "Where do you want to go today". And my usual answer is. "Anywhere". He follows that up with "beach or mountains". I choose and then we point on the map.... today I said, mountains. Which led us to the Pyrenees in France. This time I didn't lose my photos for you to see. So take two!

Still in Spain. A dam on the way to Jaca.

A man on the way to Jaca. 

A car on the way to Jaca.

Rocks on the way to Jaca.

I couldn't resist. Another Camino to Santiago Sign! They are everywhere. It was starting to feel like an invasion of Camino signs!!!! 

Still in Spain.Today we drove through the Provence of Aragon. 

 Below you can start to see the Pyrenees. Remember, the Pyrenees run 430KM across as a natural border between Spain and France up to 11,000ft high. Some of the best skiing is done in the area as well as the best cheese is made from the region.

Hint: If you see a purple little sign on the side of the road while driving in Spain. PULL OFF! 

It is amazing where those little signs will lead you. Below is a perfect example. We took this long winding road off what we thought was already a small side road. There was no massive sign saying - Turn now - you must see this- or very important turn here. Nope- just a simple purple sign saying Monastery Juan de la Pena. 

What an amazing surprise. We visited a gorgeous ex-Monastary of 1100 years old! It was then converted to a church and took 70 years to build. Yes.. 1100 yrs old! All original except the doors and floor. I couldn't take photos inside but it was so pretty. I could not believe what others could build 1100 years ago. Built in 996 it is now a Heritage Site. 

The backdrop was so beautiful - set in between a gorge and forest. 

And yes, another Camino sign... they are everywhere!

Back on the road again towards France.

Next stop - JACA Spain. 

Such  a pretty town. Reminds me of Denver. Clean, manicured and nestled between a valley and range of snow peaked mountains. We stopped to have a picnic in a park. 

One thing I have to mention is a difference very noticeably between Spain and other countries. After visiting 70 countries so far, the one thing which stands out the most is how many park benches there are in Spain. They are literally everywhere. If you go to Italy you will struggle to find a bench to sit on... but Spain has more than enough. In fact, one of the biggest advantages I find to Spain is that it is quite a comfortable country - roads are excellent and the country is quite clean. You can easily move around the country as a traveler without much effort. 

Chef Bob preparing our lunch! 

Best view in town!

Ah... how did we get lost? Our lovely Tom Tom must not have had an updated road system installed because we took an off road instead of the 8km tunnel to go through the Pyrenees and what a wonderful mistake that was!! 

It was one of the most beautiful drives we have ever been on...... in fact it was so gorgeous we hardly said a word. We were in awe of the natural beauty. 

No words I can add will add to their beauty. So enjoy the photos below. Without words.

Believe it or not! This is where the Camino to Santiago starts in France!!!

As I pointed out the last time - a notable difference is the building structure between France and Spain. ( I still need to take a pix for you). Spain has barrel roof while the French have pointed thatch roofs... as well as the windows and shutters. The grey stone walls are also more predominate in France.

In case you have not heard it on the news - Spain reduced their speed limit from 120km to 110KM when civil war broke out in Libya a couple months ago. But, back in France the speed limit is 130km on the highway, 70 on secondary roads and 50 in the towns. 

LOST LOST LOST!!

Poor TomTom.. she had us going up and down the mountain until we were sure we were on our way to China.  As you can see on the TomTom it looked like a one lane road, but in reality it was more like a bike lane. That is when Bob and I knew we were lost... lost in the mountains in the Pyrenees with a Tom Tom who was also lost!!

An hour later we saw a farmer... who helped guide us back to civilization. It seemed we were in a park and 11,000 ft up. 

Finally... 2 horses.. we were back to the world!!

My battery died! This is the last photo I was able to take today!

TIDBIT: Did you know the Pyrenees are older than the Alps? They date back to 150 million years ago.

Thanks for the comments.. keep them coming!
Glad you are in the back seat with us. Hope you are enjoying the ride!


Tomorrow? Ah... mountains or beach?


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