Thursday, September 02, 2010
Allo! Allo!
Woke up this morning around 7:30 to a nice, breezy and overcast day. Went down for breakfast, and as R said, it was the best we’ve had yet! Wonderful breads and cakes, ham, cheese, salami and prosciutto, really good orange juice, excellent coffee (that according to R) and a nice variety of fruit.
Out the door about 9:30 and into the car to explore more of the Pyrenees. Today we headed up toward Col d’Aubisque, yet another of the mountain passes that gets routinely included in the Tour de France. Again, an incredibly beautiful drive. The Pyrenees are definitely my favorite mountains! (Which is why you’ll be seeing lots of pictures of them!) They are so HIGH and striking, with lots of free range animals scattered around, and between dodging them and the cyclists – a very challenging sport! (Not forgetting that these French folks apparently don’t believe in any sort of guardrails at all…not for the faint hearted, that’s for sure!) We climbed up to the top of the Col and stopped for pictures. The big bicycles that are in the photos are from this spot – we remembered seeing them on this past year’s television coverage. Very fun! (Although how long they’re going to stay in those spots, even staked down with wire, is somewhat debatable!) I also used the opportunity to get today’s Magnum Classic, which R duly photographed. (He says that one day he will have a truly great collection – Me eating Magnum Classic bars and Mom raising wine glasses!) From D’Aubisque we headed to Col de Soulor, passing mules, horses, cows and sheep! Decided to take the “back way” down, and headed toward the valley at Azun. There was a really beautiful mountain river that made its way down next to the road, just burbling away, with the occasional waterfall to fascinate us. (Did find a lovely stone cottage for sale furnished…hmmm…) Wound our way back to Pau taking all back roads to avoid the peage.
R had the great idea of stopping at the Train Station in Pau to get our train tickets for Saturday! (Which saves us having to go get them tomorrow, when we get to Bordeaux.) We only had to wait four or five minutes before being able to make our transaction. We are now all set to take the train from Bordeaux to Paris-Montparnasse on Saturday, in time to meet Graciela at the apartment around 1:30 p.m. Now just have to figure out how to pack the ketchup and balsamic vinegar! Luggage getting heavier, but we’ve decided to send home a box with books, maps and other odds and ends from La Poste when we get to Paris!
Arrived back to the hotel around 2:30 p.m. I napped while R did some Caltech business. Now getting ready for dinner tonight. We may try Au Fin Gourmet which comes highly recommended…we’ll see!
Lots of love!
m
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