Sadly departed Rocamadour in steady rain. Headed through a
beautiful forest before returning to undulating farm country – still raining.
Stopped for a delightful lunch of grilled ham with mustard, salad & chips
(cous cous for ladies?) – still raining. Arrived in Pau & went straight to
our hotel – rain easing. Visited a park where they have erected a totem to each
winner of the Tour de France since 1903. Each totem had pictures & a few
words on each race – quite fascinating. The Pyrenees can be seen from here but
hidden in the mist. The Chateau & church were again very impressive. An
early night!
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| Tour de France totems |
What a pleasant surprise! Today’s weather was meant to be
cold & wet but got up to 17C & didn’t rain until about 4pm. So took the
opportunity to head up into the Pyrenees. First stop, Col du Tourmalet (of Tour
de France fame), at the top we found a big crowd yelling, clapping &
blowing horns as they encouraged a bunch of cyclists reaching the summit for a
charity ride for kids. Terrific atmosphere - felt like we were at Le Tour. Plus
fantastic views from the top.
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| Col du Tourmalet |
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| Col du Tourmalet |
We then descended the other side to Bareges where we went
for a stroll through the beautiful bushland for about 3kms to a café (St
Justin) overlooking three valleys – a stunning location for a yummy crepe &
coffee. Then hiked back to the car & drove back to our hotel via another
stunning high pass, Col du Soulor. Just great to be amongst these stunning
mountains with sheep, cattle & pigs grazing on impossibly steep green slopes.
The road carved into the side of the hill. We had to negotiate through a huge
flock of sheep being herded along the road at one point. A great day!
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| St Justin cafe - Bareges |
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| St Justin track - Bareges |
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| St Justin track - Bareges |
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| Sheep & rain |
Time for a new country! Today we headed across the El Pas de
la Casa mountain pass (2,000+ metres) into Andorra. The pass & surrounding
mountains were coated with snow, making a picturesque site from the winding
road. The Andorran ski villages across the top were beautiful & generally
quite modern. Stopping for two nights at Encamp – another pretty village below
the snow line. Our window looks across the village towards the snow covered pass. Cold, wet
night but good tucker.
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| El Pas de la Casa - Andorra |
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| El Pas de la Casa - Andorra |
Awoke to a clear sunny day but a brisk -2 degrees, so
decided on a walk. Drove up a narrow windy road to the Lake Engolasters track.
The track ran around the side of the mountains with near vertical drops above
& below but the track itself was quite flat & very well made – even walked
through a few tunnels cut right through the rock. The views were stunning,
especially with the fresh snow on all the surrounding mountains. Small creeks
crossed the path with waterfalls surrounded by icy patches. The lake was
perched in a valley high in the mountains. Walked about 8kms.
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| Lake Engolasters track |
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| Lake Engolasters track |
Hundred's of restaurants in town but nearly all closed as not yet ski season - settled for pizza.
Ski season here has been extended into October due to heavy falls of snow recently, best snow season since 1992. However today it's 25 degrees, though that's not expected to last!!
ReplyDeleteWow that's a long season. 24 degrees here with a few drops of rain. May see snow in a few days when we head back to the Pyrenees.
ReplyDelete