Our target was a little town about 10km from the Andorra border, from where we would investigate Andorra’s tax free shopping amongst other things. The town Sur d’Urgell which had a Parador that we had intended to stay at for a treat. Well we had our own balcony with a view over the Pyrenees and a gym(we had nearly forgotten what one of those was) but most importantly fine weather. The days were beautiful and we enjoyed exploring the town that held the Kayak events for the Barcelona Olympics. They had rigged up this incredible venue by diverting the river through the town down a km long stretch and over a weir into a power plant. But they also had a side shute that had a slalom course set up down which they could divert the water by shutting off the power intake. A great set up and all set in a park like surrounding in the middle of town. We have seen some clever stuff in the towns we have visited.
Our visit to Andorra was a bit of an anticlimax. It was a little place set in the hills with basically one road running through the valley and full of shops. They had less tax than the neighboring countries hence the attraction for shopping. But as we weren’t in need of any designer gear (even at a reduced rate) we came away empty handed.
We were now saying goodbye to Spain for good as we were heading north into France heading to the central country – Languedec – Rousillon. Along the way we continued to see the places the where the French go to play in the Pyrennes. They love camping and this area was covered in camp grounds and there were winter and summer activities galore to entertain. We stopped at a town that sold itself by having these funny people sculptures showing the activities in the area. We stopped to take photos but as usual we get distracted by other finds – this time a deli with food to die for. We settled for some more Brebis(sheep) cheese, local pate and an anchovies dish but could have bought heaps more.
We wound our way through some incredible feats of road engineering, switch backs, viaducts to finally emerge at the Med. We searched out the med for lunch but ate in the car as gusty winds made outside eating impossible. We found more interesting sculptures, highlighting the variety of artwork displayed in town centres, on roundabouts etc. And they are not all old statues which is great.
We got as far as a Beziers, close to the Mediterranean and where the weather was still supposed to be good. And we woke the next morning to brilliant weather and set off on bikes to the coast (25k). We sat by the beach having lunch but the strong winds that had plagued earlier visits to the med continued to make the sand an unpleasant place to be. But we loved getting out and about. Because it was Saturday there was markets to explore in towns along the way.
The main reason we stopped at Beziers was to experience the “Le Neuf Ecluses” – the nine locks stacked one after the other on the Canal du Midi. It is fascinating watching the boats go up and down this amazing climb. We also took in some medieval games on the canal where row boats with a raised platform at the back carried jousting men towards each other. The goal was to knock one of the jousters off. On board were a drummer and clarinet player to play dramatic music whilst each interchange took place. The person who was knocked off then swam to shore. His jousting pole and shield were recovered by a small power boat and returned for the next joust.
Having gained a little sunburn and feeling absolutely revived we headed back to our hotel to rest up before going out to celebrate my birthday. Bezier had a strong African influence and so we chose an African restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed the spicy food for a change. The waitress was a lively African lady who spoke great English and didn’t mind that Mark tossed a glass of red wine over her.
Continuing north towards one of the “must sees” of the trip – the Millau Bridge. Arriving at Millau we first went to a Museum that looked at the development of bridges around the world over time – from the arched based constructions to triangular based construction. With this background we went out to visit this amazing bridge that is about 900m long and 340 odd metres at its highest point above ground (as high as the Eiffel tower). It is a beautiful structure that is great on the eye and viewing a film on its construction only increased the awe. At times the pillars were above the cloud line.
The it was into the caves of Roquefort to see how this world renown blue cheese is made. Bread is put in underground caves where penicillin mould is allowed to grow. This is harvested and then added to sheep’s milk. The curd is formed into rounds and placed in the underground caves to mature. This blue cheese has a soft texture with a wonderful taste (if you like blue). We couldn’t take photos of the cheese making so we got photos of the sheep statues on the roundabout nearby.
Continuing on we went to investigate the Gorges of Tarn formed as the Tarn river scoured it out. If we thought that the Pyrenees was the home of camp grounds well that was nothing compared to this place. Camp ground after campground lined the base of the gorge where a beautiful clear river inspired rafting, fishing, kayaking and swimming. Also we discovered that this was a cherry growing region and enjoyed some of the early season cherries straight off the trees. They were so sweet and warm like they carried the sun straight from the tree.
We drove till near dark and stopped at a quiet hotel in the gorge only to find that it had a Spanish flare as we were back to one long pillow again. The interesting thing we found along the way was a couple of old villages literally built into the rock along the gorge face.
Next stop Nice. We were off to catch up with Naomi and Therese on our way to Italy. We drove the motorways in quite persistent rain until 50km from Nice where we ducked down to the coast and at which point the rain disappeared. We wound our way through some lovely little places with beaches where you had to pay to use. You could rent a deck chair and umbrella also. Some beaches are public and some are private and you have to pay to use. The mountains came right down to the coast and were a brick red colour. This provided a sharp contrast to the green and blue of trees and sea at sea level.
We wound and wound our way along the water front on our way to Cannes. Well when we hit the marina we new we were where the rich people go with huge boats tied up and designer shops lining the beach front. The drive through town was slow and cars were bumper to bumper and footpaths crossing at more than regular intervals made driving nerve racking.
So after being held up in traffic for half and hour we decided to cut loose and hit the motorway into Nice, a good decision. Then as usual we struggled to get a park anywhere in central Nice. So into a car park and as usual the daily fees were around the $40 but what choice do we have. But we found a place to stay nearby (nothing is cheep near the coast) and found Naomi and Therese’s Hotel and arranged to rendezvous next day. By now the temperatures where about 25 degrees and the day was very pleasant.
We drove till near dark and stopped at a quiet hotel in the gorge only to find that it had a Spanish flare as we were back to one long pillow again. The interesting thing we found along the way was a couple of old villages literally built into the rock along the gorge face.
Next stop Nice. We were off to catch up with Naomi and Therese on our way to Italy. We drove the motorways in quite persistent rain until 50km from Nice where we ducked down to the coast and at which point the rain disappeared. We wound our way through some lovely little places with beaches where you had to pay to use. You could rent a deck chair and umbrella also. Some beaches are public and some are private and you have to pay to use. The mountains came right down to the coast and were a brick red colour. This provided a sharp contrast to the green and blue of trees and sea at sea level.
We wound and wound our way along the water front on our way to Cannes. Well when we hit the marina we new we were where the rich people go with huge boats tied up and designer shops lining the beach front. The drive through town was slow and cars were bumper to bumper and footpaths crossing at more than regular intervals made driving nerve racking.
So after being held up in traffic for half and hour we decided to cut loose and hit the motorway into Nice, a good decision. Then as usual we struggled to get a park anywhere in central Nice. So into a car park and as usual the daily fees were around the $40 but what choice do we have. But we found a place to stay nearby (nothing is cheep near the coast) and found Naomi and Therese’s Hotel and arranged to rendezvous next day. By now the temperatures where about 25 degrees and the day was very pleasant.
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