Today we drove over the magnificent Pyrenees. The Spanish countryside was truly beautiful leading up to the snow capped mountain range. It loomed large as we approached and I confess it seemed somewhat intimidating. We weren't set up with snow chains and driving through the snow, navigating hair pins turns was not an experience I was looking forward to. The drive up was good, nice safe road, few trucks and lots of tunnels. One tunnel was 5 km long. Saw many picturesque ski villages with their slate roofs and stone walls. Once we reached the French border things turned nasty. The temperature dropped to 2 degrees, snow everywhere, rickety old roads, sleet. No snow on the road though which was good. James drove slowly letting the impatient French drivers pass at scary speeds. We passed waterfalls, caves, landslides, rivers, old stone churches, cows and rather surprisingly, a Casino! Sadly our photos don't capture the grandeur of the Pyrenees, but here is a taste of what we saw.
Tonight we are staying in the lovely village of Foix before heading to the Dordogne region. This afternoon we explored Chateaux de Foix which overlooks the village, braving the freezing temperatures and rain. I am yet to reach saturation point immersing myself in medieval villages and castles. The Chateaux was originally built in 1002 and Henry IV slept in the castle at some stage. I just loved the stone work and turrets. Off to a French restaurant tonight. Will Jessie finally succumb to les escargots? All will be revealed tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment