Dinner out was delightful. Still warm enough to eat outside. I had a salad with fresh anchovies, mashed cauliflower, mixed seafood with lemon butter sauce. Charlie had chicken in red wine sauce, salad with gizzards, some sort of mixed veggie dish. Everything was great. We ordered decaf but I don't think it was. We ended up watching a movie about Ben Hur that was, amazingly, in English, appeared to be a British movie. I was wide awake and even after the movie couldn't sleep.
Sunday, May 5
Staggered out of bed so we could go to the Sunday Market. Would have been great if we could have taken food home to cook later. Everything looked so good! We did find some Marseilles soap for Angela though! Had a quick petit dejunier at our favorite place then headed back to pack up.
Started driving south along the coast until we got to Spain and then headed west. Charlie wanted to drive through "The Pyrenees, also spelled Pyrénées, a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain." He got his wish, several hours worth. A lot of white knuckle roads but the views were incredible! We drove to Andorra just to say we did. There was a street fair going on and we wandered around looking at things. Chatted with a nice young man from Italy who moved there looking for work. Then we stopped for lunch. Learned an important lesson about the menus and next time we won't be fooled! Charlie ordered paella and I ordered pizza. All was good until we watched the waiter go pull them out of the freezer! Oh well, it wasn't horrible, but we didn't enjoy it that much. We can say that we had breakfast in France, lunch in Andorra and dinner in Spain!
Still driving the back roads through the mountains. Found a little town called El Pont de Suert and a nice looking hotel. The room was fantastic compared to what we have stayed in and it was only €65. Of course, parking was €12! But, it was worth it! After enjoying a glass or 2 of wine, we headed to our first tapas bar. Filled with locals watching a soccer match on tv but we just forged ahead and ordered. Wow, what a great meal! Meatballs, salad, sausage and a potato omelette, plus a bottle of the house wine and the fun of watching the game, just 22€!
The bed was lovely and soft and we slept well.
Monday, May 6
Sunny, cool, bright blue skies. Incredible breakfast of orange juice, coffee, pan tostada, jamon, cheese, yogurt, croissants and tomato. All for € 4 each! That got us off to a great start.
Headed out about 9:30 and it got warmer every hour. Some beautiful scenery. Stopped in a little town and had a coffee, then found a mercado to get lunch fixings. Then we took off again. I found a spot that was an interpretive center and we took the road up to it. Fascinating place with all sorts of birds that nest on the mountains, mountain climbers, etc. The center was closed, of course, but there were picnic tables where we enjoyed our lunch with some of the most beautiful scenery around.
On our way to Pamplona, out in the middle of nowhere, we found a little dog running down the highway. Of course, I had to pick him up. Had a collar but nothing written on his tag. He looked well cared for but was obviously hot and tired. We drove up and down roads looking for houses but couldn't find anything that looked like his home. We stopped in one village and the person we found didn't speak English but understood that he was lost. She said he didn't belong there so we went on. Found a town with a gas station and there was a couple getting gas who spoke a little English and even though they weren't from there, were able to get the gas station person to tie the dog, get it some water, and call someone to help. At least that's the way I'm believing it.
On to Pamplona! Found a hotel without too much trouble and in the parking lot met a guy wearing an Oregon Ducks hat! Small world.
Settled in and then took a walk looking for dinner. The old town seems dirty and a little scary in the dark. Lots of people out, but not many restaurants open. Finally found one that was open and gave it a try. No English but we ended up with great dinners! Charlie had a salad with chicken, a big tortilla-type dish with chicken and veggies and this wonderful, spicy BBQ sauce. My dinner started with paella then very tasty chicken cutlets topped with queso fresco, and frites. We both had some sort of ice cream desserts. Oh, there was a bottle of wine involved...
Tuesday, May 7
After a good night's sleep we went in search of food (again, you say?). Actually found a place that had coffee to go! Drank that while walking around looking like real tourists. After awhile we found a place that had interesting breakfast sandwiches so we stopped there.
Spent a few hours wandering around the old town, visiting churches, the old city wall, and picking up some gifts for Chuck. Managed to work up an appetite and found a bar with all sorts of interesting tapas. The ham was incredible, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with paprika.
Did a bit more walking then headed back to the hotel to relax and figure out the next day's adventure.
Seriously bored (me) so we hopped on a bus and rode it for about 1-1/2 hours, then found a restaurant for a great dinner.
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