Gail South
Spain~Barcelona & the Pyrenees~September, 2009
Wed.- Thu., Sept. 2, 2009
Paige got us to the Philadelphia airport in plenty of time for our 4:15 pm flight to Frankfurt. It was full and all the seats were very small, but my new Bose headphones let me watch the movie, Angels & Demons and the eight-hour flight was bearable. We had a short layover and then an hour and a half to Barcelona where they lost our luggage but found it after abou8t 45 minutes. We had decided to take a taxi and got ripped off by not questioning the driver’s total (which was 30E, when the meter said 20). Our hotel, Cuatros Naciones, is right on La Ramble and the room is fine, very clean and in the back so it will be quiet. It is one of the oldest in the city, and counts as its guests Liszt, Einstien, Stendhal, Chopin and George Sand. We had to wait about a half hour, then napped for an hour, sho0wered, and headed out. First stop was to be La Manual Alpargatera, the world-famous house of espadrilles, at C. Avinyo 7, but they were closed for lunch till 4:30. The Ramblas is a very interesting street. A wide pedestrian strip in the middle is flanked by a narrow traffic lane on either side. The strip is lined with vendors and street performers and lots and lots of families enjoying themselves.
The area is called El Raval and we spent the afternoon exploring it. The Gran Teatre del Liceu was right across the street. Tragically destroyed over a decade ago by fire, this magnificent, traditional opera house has risen phoenix-like from the ashes and today once more hosts some of the best classical performances in the world. Its new facade belies the opulent interior of rich, dark colors and intricate carvings where a 19th-century setting has been revived alongside various modern accouterments. Went through the Mercat de Boquería in search of oysters. It was the wrong month, but the produce and other meat and seafood appeared very appetizing. In a class all its own, this ever-colorful, ever-dynamic food market is among the biggest and best in Europe. Under its high wrought-iron ceilings, countless stalls sell a kaleidoscopic mix of Atlantic and Mediterranean seafood, Castilian meat, Valencian fruit, and local vegetables.
Lunched at L’Antic Forn el Sou Restaurant, a very nice 11E menu at Carrier de Pintor Fortuny y Dr. Dou. Jerry had gazpacho, grilled tuna (not as good as tom Hughes’) and a peach, and I had delicious duck pate, grilled lamb chops and lemon sorbet. The Spanish have their big meal either between 1:30 and 4 or between 9 and 11pm. We will probably opt for the mid-day time most often. Everything else is closed then anyway.
Carrer d'en Robador
This narrow winding sunless street in the heart of the old Barrio Chino (or Barri Xino as its known today) was once the notorious stamping grounds not of robbers (robadors) but of posturing frieze-like prostitutes of all shapes and sizes who filled every doorway and lined every corner. Today it's more low-key, though not entirely tart-free, a mildly risqué corner of unadorned medieval Barcelona.
Rambla de Raval had a huge statue by Botero. This is one of the city's newest paseos, created in 2000 when a large quadrangle of congested alleyways and unsalubrious tenements were removed as part of a commendable and necessary "Raval open to the heavens" plan. Today it's a sunny pedestrianized area where children play and locals can relax under the slightly uneasy-looking palm trees. Surrounded by a new blend of eating spots, including various kabob locales opened by Pakistani immigrants, it now exudes an international flavor, though some of the earlier grittiness remains. More changes are planned as the area becomes increasingly gentrified and cosmopolitan.
The MACBA (Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona) opened in 1995 with a rather tentative display, this American-designed glass-walled emporium -- with its bright white walls, intricately planned ramps, and triple atrium -- illuminates its now more adventurous collection of modern art masterpieces with natural light. Admission for old folks is free and it was worth every penny.Av del Paral.la is a very busy shopping street from which we headed for the Palau Güell, Gaudí's first architectural creation, this citadel-like moderniste building, located just a stone's throw from La Rambla. Current renovation work was due to be complete by early 2007, but it was now closed for the day. From the street we admired its Venetian facade, entrance archways, and rooftop array of bizarre chimneys.We were now dragging, so we went back to the shoe store and got two pairs for Gail and one for Paige. Had a beer in the Placa Reial and headed home.
Friday, Sept. 4
Barri Gòtic: The Gothic Quarter and La Ribera
Slept all night, till 8:30!! Decent breakfast at the hotel, then a day of walking. Hot and humid again.Through Placa Reial to Placa del Pi and Santa Maria del Pi which is under renovation and we could only see the huge rose window from outside, where they are setting up for a big guitar concert tomorrow. To Plaça de Sant Felip Neri, a small square often cited as the most charming in the Barri Gòtic. Although none of the buildings are in fact Gothic, the central fountain, majestic trees, and overall tranquillity more than qualify it for the status of "urban oasis." The holes in the stonework of the lower facade of the 17th-century church were caused by a bomb dropped by Fascist troops that killed 20 children from the adjoining school. On the opposite side, the oldest building is Renaissance in style and serves as the headquarters of the shoemakers guild. Plaça Nova, set within the shadow of the cathedral, this is the largest open-air space in the Gothic Quarter. Plaça de la Seu is the square is in front of the main entrance to the Catedral de Barcelona. We enjoyed the cloister and the beautiful choir stalls. We paid 2.5E to goto the roof and had quite a view of Barcelona and the many cranes busy renovating the city.
After touring the cathedral, we got very lost but finally found the Museu Frederic Marès. This wonderful museum holds an extraordinary collection of Romanesque and Gothic religious artifacts. The polychrome sculpture was breathtaking and the third Lunch at Agut, 16 C. d’en Gigras, founded in 1924. Gail had hake with white asparagus and clams and Jerry had monkfish and clams. We had a bottle of Cava, Ilopart, very good. We returned to Palau Guell and got in to see a multimedia presentation, but the renovation has closed the entire palace for some years. Then to Plaça de Sant. The square is dominated by the entrance to the Església dels Sants Just i Pastor. Above the entrance portal, an enthroned Virgin is flanked by a pair of protective angels. The Latin inscription hails her as VIRGO NIGRA ET PULCHRA, NOSTRA PATRONA PIA (Black and Beautiful Virgin, Our Holy Patroness). This church dates from the 14th century, although work continued into the 16th century. Some authorities claim that the church, in an earlier, 4th-century manifestation of the present structure, is the oldest in Barcelona. Opposite the church, at Plaça de Sant Just 4, is the 18th-century Palau Moixó, an aristocratic town house covered with faded but still elegant frescoes of angels cavorting among garlands. At its base is a public well, Fiveller’s Fountain, the oldest water source in the city.
La Ribera (El Born and Sant Pere)
Plaça de l'Angel Known in medieval times as the Plaça del Blat (Square of Wheat), since all grain sales were made here, this small square stands at the busy junction of Jaume 1 and Laietana, on the eastern edge of the Barri Gòtic.Mercat de Santa Caterina This is the oldest working market in the area. It occupies the original site where the medieval convent of Santa Caterina once stood and provides the usual rich cornucopia of Mediterranean produce. It has a stunning new moderniste design, by the late Enric Miralles, whose colorful waved roof owes more than a little to Gaudí. At the end of the market is the new Santa Caterina Archeological Interpretation Center which showed a very interesting “dig” from the Dominican convent of the 13th century.
Walked past three museums. We will visit the Picasso tomorrow. Museu Picasso, Museu Tèxtil i d'Indumentària, & Museu Barbier Muller d'Art Precolumbi .Antic Merçat del Born (closed for renovation) This massive building, with its wrought-iron roof, was once among the city's biggest wholesale market. Closed since the 1970s, it's scheduled to reopen as a museum and cultural center -- it stands above a zone of 18th-century excavations, which can be viewed through glass flooring.
Parc de la Ciutadella
Built on the site of a much-hated 18th-century Bourbon citadel, which was destroyed by General Prim in 1878 (visit his statue), this 30-hectare (75-acre) oasis of greenery was introduced in the late 1890s, just after serving as the site for the Universal Exhibition. Its many highlights include statues, fountains, a boating lake, a waterfall with a giant hairy mammoth sculpture, the Domènech i Muntaner-designed Castell dels Tres Dragons (Castle of Three Dragons), which houses the zoological museum, two arboretums, and a small botanical garden. At the northern end of the park is the moderniste-cum-neo-Mudéjar-style Arc de Triomf, which served as the entrance to the Universal Exhibition.
Walked home, passing the monument to Christopher Columbus. Later we went out to find tapas and ended up with delicious jamon iberico, cheese and bread at the Casa el Aguela.
Sat., Sept. 5
Cooler day. Didn’t sleep well. Breakfast then found the Maria del Mar open. Built in the 14th century during a period of just over 50 years, this grandiose high-vaulted basilica, honoring the patron saint of sailors, used to stand on the city's shore when the sea reached farther inland. As the welfare of sailors mainly depended on the clemency and protection of "Our Lady of the Sea," in those days large numbers of impecunious people worked without pay on its construction. Bronze figures of two porters on the door commemorate this while the west portal is flanked by statues of Peter and Paul. Today it's one of Barcelona's most imposing Gothic structures, noted for its soaring columns and uncluttered aura of space. The stained-glass windows are superb, particularly the 15th-century rose-shaped windows above the main entrance.
The Montiel Restaurant, where we had reservations for 1 PM, doesn’t do lunch. Marco was very nice and said he had held his last table for us tonight at 8. He recommended Bar Mundial on Carrer des Cardes, where we were the only tourists and had delicious pulpitos (grilled tiny octopus) and Iberian jamon with tomato bread and a bottle of Robert Muir cava. Our waiter gave us a wonderful plate of sweet fried paper-thin eggplant with goat cheese. Then we walked and walked through the Eixample. When bourgois Barcelona spread into the Eixample in the late 19th century, it did so with style and an awful lot of money, converting Cerda’s formal grid, in spite of its original egalitarian intentions, into a showcase for the era’s greatest modernista architects and craftsmen. They made the Eixample into a colorful allsorts of a quarter, where mansions prickle with pointy towers or rest on waves of froth like giant cream cakes. Wives and daughters would sit in the elegant glassed in tribunas provided by the architects, to show off the latest fashions to the passing crowds.
Manzana de la Discordia
This small zone of the Eixample is the highlight of any moderniste enthusiast's visit. Here you have, almost on top of each other, works by not just one great architect but three. (Manzana, incidentally, means both "plot of land" and "apple" in Spanish, so its double meaning intriguingly hints at the Greek myth in which Paris has to choose which beauty will win the coveted Apple of Discord.) If there is a single victor here it's generally acknowledged to be Gaudí's exotically curvaceous Casa Battlò (at no. 43), which has only been allowing the public in since 2002. Permanently illuminated at night, it's known affectionately by Catalans as the casa dels ossos (house of bones) -- and sometimes alternatively the casa del drach (house of the dragon) -- and it features an irregular blend of mauve, green, and blue fragmented tiles topped by an equally bizarre azure chimney-filled roof, which in 2004 was also opened to a grateful public. Next comes Puig i Cadalfach's cubical-style Casa Amettler (no. 41), with its gleaming ceramic facade, Flemish Gothic pediments, and small bizarre Eusebio Arnau-sculpted statues of precociously talented animals (one of them blowing glass). Finally, Doménech i Mantaner's Casa Lleo Morera (no. 35) whose dominant turret resembles a melting (pale blue) wedding cake atop a sea of esoteric ornamentation that includes models of a lion (lleo) and mulberry bush (morera).
George Orwell, writing of the church burnings during the Civil War, wondered why there was one that the arsonists spared, “the ugliest building in the world”, with spires “shaped like hock bottles” looming high. These 350 foot bottles, of course, belong to Gaudi’s great, unfinished Sagrada Familia. Slightly smaller than St. Peter’s in Rome, occupying an entire block of the Cerda plan, the Expiatory temple of the Holy Family is surely the most compelling, controversial and unfinished building site in the world, today the symbol of Barcelona and of the scale of its extraordinary ambition.
Sunday, Sep. 6
Jerry had a 6:30 wakeup. Took the subway to the train station and picked up an adorable, teeny-tiny Citroen. Got to the hotel at 8:45 and we had a scary drive out of the city and a pretty ride up to Ribes de Freser for the Sheepdog contest, Concurso Internacional de Habilidad con Perros Pastores. The local breed is the gos d'atura, a shaggy-haired dog that is specially trained to keep sheep under control. Tests start with stopping the dog on the signal of the jury, followed by the dog leading the sheep to the shepherd. Finally the dog has to make all of the sheep enter and leave a fenced enclosure, within a maximum time of six minutes. We stayed and watched until 1:30; another off the bucket list. Lunch at a truck stop. On to Puigcerdo, where the whole city was closed for an auto race. We ended up having to take a very long workaround through Andorra. We didn't arrive at our condo, Sol Neu, till 8. Reception closes at 7, but we had called ahead and found an adequate but sparse set-up. 260 miles
Mon., Sept. 7
Slept late; checked in at desk; had a granola bar and headed south. The Aragonese Pyrenees: The mountains of the Pyrenees extend for 298 miles in an impressive chain from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. They were intensely folded and pushed northwards in far distant geological time, so they are steeper on the French side than in Spain, where they descend gradually in steps to the Ebro valley.
The region of the Aragonese Pyrenees lies in the center of the range, between Navarre and Cataluna, in the north of the province of Huesca. The highest peaks of the whole range are near the border with Lerida province (Cataluna). The larger part of the region is made up of the limestone of the Pre-Pyrenees, sometimes massive with fine steep cliffs and escarpments which form long high sierras running east to west. However, the rivers flow north and south, so each valley is cut into compartments, sometimes broad and verdant, followed by sections of steep and narrow gorges. The heads of these valleys end in magnificent cirques (circos) with waterfalls, beech, fir and pine forests, giving scenery on a grand scale as in the Ordesa valley. Further south the landscape gradually becomes drier, and the hills are covered with evergreen oaks, pines and broom.The high valleys were isolated for centuries, but earlier they were quite well populated, with independent political and pastoral communities having their own customs, folklore and traditional dress and practicing a form of transhumance, with large flocks of sheep. Others, like the Noguera Ribagorzana on the eastern edge of the region, were almost unknown until 1946, when they began to be explored for hydroelectric power (HEP). However, most of the large artificial lakes like El Grado in the CInca valley were inundated in the drier bare limestones and marls of the lower slopes. The HEP works in the upper valleys were well landscaped, with buildings in the traditional style of the High Pyrenees.Isolated farms in the landscape are rare. The people live in villages and hamlets with picturesque stone houses and slate roofs. Towns are small, but well distributed. The attractions of the region, with its rugged isolation and beauty, are many, and cover a wide range of interests. The national park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido is outstanding.The Pyrenees form a distinct climatic divide, and the contrast can be quite dramatic when crossing the frontier on the high passes, from often damp and cloudy weather in France to sunshine and clear weather in Spain. Another feature is the marked difference between sun and shade: the sunny slopes, known as solanos, are cultivated, even for vines in some areas.
The Eastern Margins of High Aragon
Viella and High Ribagorzana: The landscape is very wooded and green, and really climatically belongs to the French Pyrenees, as it actually would have done, if the French signatories to the Peace of the Pyrenees in 1659 hadn’t overlooked it. Viella is the small capital of the Val d’Aran, politically in Cataluna, but has a language of its own: Aranes. This area had undergone a massive change after centuries of isolation, and following the exploitation for HEP and development for skiing, is now very tourist oriented, and much visited. We went through the 5km-long tunnel under the massif opening out onto the high rock-strewn valley of the Noguera Ribagorzana, now much developed for HEP. The bare granite landscape of the cirque looks rather grim and austere. We descended into the valley, which becomes the boundary between the; province of Huesca (Aragon) on the right bank and the province of Lerida (Cataluna) on the left bank. The river bed is a mass of boulders and rock debris, evidence of past storms. Soon the HEP lake of Baserca appeared, and the power station of Senet, architecturally well in harmony with the landscape as most are in this area. Small cultivated fields of alfalfa and wheat flank the great mass of stones in the wide river bed. Past the hamlets of Senet, Bono, and Forcat, in a greener landscape, to the large, pleasantly sited village of Vilaller. The provincial boundary has a kink to the west here, so it is in Cataluna, and all official notices are in Catalan. The church has a curious circular stone and brick bell tower. We stopped and picked our fill of ripe blackberries, no birds to compete with. Also found apples and figs. Into the small Catalan town of Pont de Suert where we stopped at the supermercato for supplies.. Although much expanded as an HEP company town, it has an attractive old quarter by the river. Just beyond begins the large HEP lake (embalse) of Escales, which is bordered by the N230 on the right bank, now in Aragon again, in a long corniche section with many tunnels. On the left, near the head of the lake, the ruins of the 8th century monastery of Labaix can be seen, almost submerged, this being the final indignity the building suffered after its disestablishment in 1835. At the southern end of the lake, which shines with a curiously beautiful green color, is the village of Sopeira, and nearby at the foot of an immense cliff is one of the oldest and most famous monasteries in Aragon: Santa Maria y San Pedro de Alaon. It is believed to have been founded in 643 and became a Benedictine institution. The oldest part now dates from 1123, having survived pillage by extremist Republican elements in the Civil War. At the end of the gorge by the modern dam we saw the steps (escales), cut into the steep side before the road was made. They were cut by the monks of Alaon, which gave the gorge and lake their name. We saw the common Spanish vulture and some Great Crested Grebes as well as some adventurous folks climbing the sheer faceoff the cliffs.
The Isabena, Esera and Benasque Valleys: Back to the upper Ribagorzana valley, to where the road forks just before Vilaller . The C144 climbs up to a corniche amongst a verdant landscape of meadows and glimpses of the valley floors to the Collado de Fadas (4851 ft). Just below the pass, before the village of Bisaurri on the winding road, there is a very fine view of the snowy peaks of the Maladeta massif: Aneto (11165 ft) and Pico de Maladeta (10850 ft). Then comes the descent to Castejon de Sos in the Esera valley. The more interesting part of this village, with its old houses and balconies, lies behind the wide main street. Lots of places offering rafting trips or kayaks for rent, but there is not enough water in the river to do much today. To Castejon, to continue downstream of the Esera, which soon entered the Congostode Ventamillo, an extraordinary narrow and very deep gorge with vertical limestone walls for 1.75 mi. With the river boiling below among the huge rocks, covered with spume, and a tangled vegetation of brambles, heather, ferns and moss clinging to the sheer sides, it was quite a remarkable sight. After the gorge the valley opens out, and we reached the small town of Campo. This used to be most pleasant place with stables, granaries, old fashioned shops in its narrow streets, a church with a square tower, and a good restaurant (the Boyon), now reduced to a bar, replaced by the new restaurant for theHotel Cotiella, on the main road, where we stopped for a big roast chicken lunch. We continued down the Esera valley, which presents a rather somber picture of an arid landscape with hills furrowed by ravines. But past the village of Besians with its medieval bridge, and approaching the large HEP lake of Joaquin Costa, the benefits of irrigation can be seen. Orchards of fruit trees and vines are seen growing in a profusion of greenery, which contrasts with the previous aridity. Then came the pleasant small town of Graus, where the valleys of the Esera and Isabena meet at the beginning of the plain of the river Cinca. From the bridge, the view of the Basilica de la Peña is impressive. Originally Romanesque, it has undergone many transformations that is hardly any trace of the original in its north wall and the chapel of San José, with a half barrel vault. The same is true in the church of San Miguel, which may be original canecillos at the top of the north wall, the rest of it was church. A este templo corresponden las coordenadas del inicio de página In this temple are the coordinates of the top. The medieval town has a wealth of its noble and interesting buildings. The beautiful Plaza Mayor has old 15th to 18th century houses with sculptured frescoes and brick arcades. One mansion in particular will surely arouse interest, being the house of the famous Inquisitor, Fray Tomas de Torquemada. Also in the old town are the Roman bridges of Abajo and Perarrua, with a museum. Above the town, which lies at the foot of its great rock the Pena de Morral, is the famous sanctuary of Nuestra Senora de Pena. North to the medieval village of Roda de Isabena. Here is an 11th century cathedral with an old Bishop’s palace situated on a well paved terrace. The cloisters are quite remarkable, of solid construction yet graceful, and in the chapel there are 13th century frescoes. Outside, a short walk around the cathedral is interesting, revealing the pilasters of Lombard design (early Romanesque). Early in the year, there are large flocks of sheep being driven through the narrow alleys and streets past the cathedral at sunset. Originally Roda was the spiritual center of the obscure Christian mountain state of Ribagorza, and in 1040 became part of the emerging kingdom of Aragon which, after the Christians had been forced back into the mountains, successfully repulsed the Moors from the Pyrenees. Hence the growth of the many monasteries and churches in the region. From Roda we could see the distinctive shape of the isolated mountain of Turbon to the north while to the north-east and east the green Sierra de Serraduy and the river Isabena in its valley made a fine view. The cathedral was closed till 5:30, so we didn’t see the inside.. At the end of the Gorge is the restored monastery building of Nuestra Senora d’Obarra near the road to the village of Calvera. Obarra, monastery of Santa Maria . El Congosto de Obarra es un sobrecogedor y estrecho desfiladero de grandes paredes verticales por el que discurre el río Isábena.
The Congosto of Obarra is an overwhelming large and narrow gorge through which the river Isábena flows. Curso fluvial éste, que se caracteriza por ser el mejor conservado del Pirineo. This river is characterized as the best preserved of the Pyrenees. Esta bonita zona está catalogada como LIC (Lugar de Interés Comunitario), además de formar parte de la ZEPA (Zona de Especial Protección para las Aves) de El Turbón y Sierra de Sis, incluidas, ambas figuras de protección en la Red Natura 2000. La roca caliza, desgastada por el paso del agua a lo largo de los años, ha ido modelando un paisaje curioso, en el que abundan pequeñas pozas, que propician cascadas de diferentes tamaños, además de marmitas colgadas, siendo todo el conjunto de una gran belleza paisajística. Limestone, eroded by the passage of water over the years, makes a curious landscape. The riverbed appears dotted with large stone blocks, many of them bruted by the flow of slow, but persistent current. Éste es un buen lugar para observar aves como el roquero rojo o chovas, merodeando por el roquedo. Through the village of Bonansa with very good views of the surrounding mountains, with the prominent Pico de Llena (8777 ft) to the east. Back through Vielha to our abode (184 miles)
Tue., Sept 8 North on 230 to the French border.
No problem except Katherine Tomtom doesn’t work in France. I should have bought the whole Europe card, as we were soon to find out. Made it to Tarbes (we’re never going back to Tarbes) where we roiled around in traffic until we spotted a National City Car Rental place and got info on how to “get out of town”. To Maubourguet, a pretty market town situated south of the beautiful vineyards of Saint Mont and Madiran. A main road cuts through the quaint tree-lined high street. There’s a strong feeling of colonial Englishness in the town most likely as it was fortified by the English in the 14th century but then devastated by the Protestants during the revolution 2 centuries later; however, it retains some quaint balconies and amazingly beautiful buildings and some of its hidden gems and riversides. There was a weekly market; and, being in Gascony, where food is of utmost importance there are a number of amazing stalls, We sampled some delicious sheep cheese and bought a wedge along with some strawberries and tomatoes! Then we visited the Montfort factory shop where we stocked up on pates and Duck related products. It was a bit hard to get to, but we hiked in.
We left Maubourguet and headed south through the Parc National des Pyrenees. Through Arreau and Saint Lary Soulan, where we had lunch. Through a long tunnel back into Spain through Boltana, a pretty little town in the valley of the Rio Ara and on to Ainsa. The village, which was the capital of the old Kingdom of Sobrarbe and was later incorporated into the Kingdom Of Aragon in the 11th century, constitutes a magnificent example of medieval urban development. To the northeast of the city center is the citadel. Its origins date back to the 11th century and it was renewed in the 16th century. At the Citadel there was a little shop about the flora and fauna of the area. The ranger there showed us a red kite and gave us directions for a later trip to see the raptors of the area. Back through Campo and across a barely finished road through the Valle de Lierp, a Death Valley kind of territory. We are out of money and all the banks either won’t change dollars to Euros or are closed. One in Vielha opens at 8:15 tomorrow.
Wed., Sep. 9
Back north to France through St. Gaudens. First stop Carbonne is in the Haute-Garonne department of the Midi-Pyrenees. It is on the Garonne river, at its confluence with the Arize River. Dating from the middle of the 12th century, the village was built on a bend in the river in an attractive location. Suffering from the same fate as many villages in the southwest of France, it was ransacked by Simon de Montfort in 1244, and it was 12 years until people returned when one of the first bastides was constructed here. The Black Prince and the Hundred Years war came next, and again the village was more or les destroyed. After 1356, the monks who had originally established Carbonne resettled, and a new, fortified, bastide town was constructed a little to the north of the original village. The stone bridge in the village was constructed in the late 18th century. Carbonne remains an attractive village, with walls constructed in the typical style of the region using thin red bricks. The 13th century church and the 19th century market hall are among the places of interest. The garden of the Abbal Museum is now rather over-run. Then across miles and miles of sunflowers being harvested or almost ready. The valley appears to be very fertile. Next stop, CASTELNAUDARY, one of those innumerable French country towns that boast no particular sights but are nonetheless a real pleasure to spend a couple of hours in, having a legendary lunch at the Hotel de France, a planned extravagance. Starters was two slices of duck fois gras, then a huge cassoulet (which, according to tradition, must be made in an earthenware pot from Issel (a cassolo) with beans grown in Pamiers or Lavelanet, and cooked in a baker's oven fired with rushes from the Montagne Noire).with bread, wine and dessert, 69E. We found the most flattering view of the town from the canal's Grand Bassin, with its ancient houses. Went through Mirepoix, a late thirteenth-century bastide built around one of the loveliest surviving arcaded market squares in the country, and St. Girons (again), passing through a very spooky and interesting cave tunnel (sort of a grotto) at le Mas d’Azul. We were doing just fine, a beautiful drive, till we reached Castillon-en-Couserais. We did now have a French map, but its details were sketchy. We thought we were headed in the right direction and came upon a beautiful little village, Sentien. Really, really charming with a unique church with three steeples. We went on our way down a tiny road beside a pretty little river. Until the road ended at a wooden gate. Backtracking, we found that we were not the first to have made the same mistake. When we did find the right road, it turned out to be magnificent, and the most difficult drive Jerry has made in the last ten years. We climbed and descended two huge mountains with hairpin turns and slopes of 17%. We were delighted to get home. Jerry did laundry. 287 miles
Thu., Sept 10
Bird Day: It was market day in Vielha, so we stopped for peaches and tomatoes. Up the Portilion and across France on a pretty, winding and a bit confusing road from Luchon to the Bielsa tunnel. Funny resort town of Loudenville with a fishing lake and lots of hang gliders landing from a distant mountaintop. Down through Monte Perdido Parq Nacional de Ordesa. Then we climbed a very narrow road to Revilla. We parked and walked about 45 minutes to a Mirador where we spent about an hour and a half looking for and at raptors. They were too far even with my big lens, but we say Aguila Culebrera (snake eagles), buitre Leonado (common vultures), and young Quebrantahuesos (bone crushers, the only place they are endemic). After a hot walk back, we stopped and had a good meal at Restaurant Revestido in Escalona (we both had three-cheese ravioli, then I had rape (monkfish) and Jerry had osso buco. Melon for dessert and a local wine. Petrit. Back home on good roads Saw and interesting spot, Torreciudad?? 238 miles.
Fri., Sept. 11
The tiny principality of Andorra is sandwiched between Spain and France high in the eastern Pyrenees. Charlemagne gave this country its independence in A.D. 784, and with amused condescension, Napoleon let Andorra keep its autonomy. The principality is now ruled by two co-princes, the president of France and the Spanish archbishop of La Seu d'Urgell. Less than 464 sq. km (180 sq. miles) in size, Andorra ishould be a storybook land of breathtaking scenery. Because of its isolation, Andorra retained one of Europe's most insular peasant cultures until as late as 1945. But since the 1950s, tourists have increased from a trickle to a flood, 12 million every year, in fact. This has wreaked havoc on Andorra's traditional way of life and turned much of the country into one vast shopping center. Andorrans live almost entirely on earnings from tax-free shopping, along with the thriving ski market in the winter months. Warning: Border guards check very carefully for undeclared goods.
What a day!! Jerry & Gail finally met defeat at the hands (or ruts) of a road. We wanted to get to Andorra the back way. Drove east from our condo along a beautiful, new and very wining road to Llavorsi then headed off to Tor, where we hoped to travel a “forest road” to Pal in Andorra, a very direct route, on the map. As soonas we left Llavorsi, Jerry’s knuckles whitened, about eight miles of one-lane forest road through beautiful trees with a sparkling trout stream and no other cars. Then a handmade sign pointed to the left: “Tor”. It was more than unpaved. It was dreadfully rutted and washed out (sort of Masai Mara of the north) and we were in our tiny Citroen. The town turned out to be two houses and a café, and when we turned toward Andorra, we came to two huge boulders the car just couldn’t take. Jerry was very frustrated, but reluctantly agreed to return. So back we went. We must have met ten other vehicles (all more suited for off-road travel than we). Passing was very difficult, but we finally made it back to Llavorsi. Headed on the main road to Andorra. Apparently half the population of Spain and France goes to Andorra for the weekend. It took us two hours to go 17 miles. Worst traffic jam I’ve ever been in, and it was considered normal. We had noticed miles and miles of backup last Sunday going from Andorra into France, but we figured that was all customs check.
We finally made it into Andorra La Vielle, the capital, parked in the high rise lot, and joined thousands of tourists in what appeared to be the world’s largest duty free shop. We went to the department store (the post office was closed) and bought a stamp for Frank and a bottle of Torres for Beach Haven. The we visited the very pretty 12th century church of Sant Esteve which had some nice wood carvings. The Casa de la Vall was closed, but we enjoyed waling around. It is a plain building of undressed stone built about 1580 and originally belonged to a noble Andorran family. It is now the seat of the government, with the courtroom and the meeting place of the Consell General. Over the entrance of Casa de la Vall are the arms of the principality (1761), with the mitre and crosier of the bishop of Urgell, the four pales of Catalonia, the three pales of the Counts of Foix and the two oxen of the Counts of Béarn in its four quarters. Left for home the same direction, but with no traffic leaving Andorra, although there was a steady stream coming in. On the way, we detoured to the town of Espot. There was nothing but scenery till we got to the top, when we encountered another new skiing town with hundreds of cars parked outside as weekend visitors drank beer and set up campsites. Home by 6:15. Showered and were we lucky (suerte, not fortuna). It is the weekend of “feria del la caza” as gastronomic celebration of hunting. Ten restaurants in the area are offering special menus consisting of wild things. Our favorite, Restaurant es Pletieus, gave us the best venison I’ve ever had: carpaccio of venison with pinoles sauce, venison tenderloin with current sauce, and flan tarte with toasted cream. Wine was Bodegas Ramone Bilbao.es. Excellent!
Sept 12
Nice day up to France, winding road through St. Girons (the same road where we got lost (on the same road where we got lost in Sentien) to Tarascon. We had planned to go to the market at Ax-les-Thermes, but ran into the same line of traffic as yesterday, this time headed south to Andorra from the North for 33 miles! So we headed north to Foix where we hoped to visit the Chateaux. We got there at 12:30 and it was closed till 2, so we wandered around the medieval streets. Brought a lime sorbet and some bread and wine. Had a nice picnic outside of town. Back on good roads, through Touville with a nice church, cemetery and manor house. Used Katherine to pinpoint the second restaurant we had chosen participating in the hunting festival, Era Mola, in Vielha. Made reservations for 8:30. It started to rain, the first we’ve seen here. We got to the restaurant and had a wonderful meal: pigeon pate with truffles, pickled partridge salad with wild mushrooms and crestas de gallo (bacon), wild boar stew with cassis sauce, and coconut foam with lemon gelatin and raspberries. A young couple with a baby girl came in. The wife was from North Carolina and the husband was Miguel Torres, Jr., of the Torres wine and brandy company. He invited us to a tour tomorrow!!. 207 miles
Sunday, September 13
South to Lleida and on to Torres Bodega. Kati knew who we were and got Marc, Director of Public Relations, to be our guide. Very interesting and sophisticate tourist operation. First, a 15-minute film, then a tram tour of the vineyards and cellars, holographs and all. Thunder and lightning during the tour. Tasting of two very good reds, Salmos and Mas Borras, Then Marc mad a reservation at a local restaurant, Masia Aran, under the name Torres, where we were served tomato bread and delicious wild mushrooms. Jerry had rabbit and I had duck, which I couldn’t finish. To our Hostel Guilleumes in Monistrol de Montserrat, very basic but clean for 56E. We brought up some ham and cheese for tapas and packed for our trip home. 225 miles