On the road again… Languedoc, Pyreneés and Espanol

At the end of another hot day in Clemont Ferrand, we packed up the car and bikes, and made our way south, spending the night camping savuage next to a petite country lane in the Upper Languedoc. The following day we headed through the Gorges du Tarn for a walk along the limestone cliffs for a closer view of the vultures that have been reintroduced into the area. After a picnic lunch and swim at the River Tarn we found a café to watch the last hour of le Tour and enjoy some cool beverages, before making our way through Millau, towards Carrcassonne. The journey took us underneath the Viaduc de Millau, the new viaduct designed by Sir Norman Foster, which was very strinking. Good camping spots were few and far between but we managed to find a quiet forest road for the night.

While Foix was the destination for the next day, we stopped in Carrcassonne with its fortified medieval cité and château. Another hot day allowed for us to continue our glace sampling, while wandering around the very touristique Cité. Back on the road, we continued to journey towards the Pyreneés foothills and arrived at a campground complete with the two key requirements : a picine and a venue for the Football Coup de Monde. After a swim and a few drinks we headed to the camp café for dinner, drinks and football…. With the ‘Zidane il va marqué’ song ringing in our ears until the notorious ‘Mariselles kiss’, followed by the highs and lows of the penalty shootout and then defeat to France… Although some took the defeat to heart, the music continued and we enjoyed a night of french pop.

With JJ feeling a bit worse for wear, Emma and I headed for a ride in the Pyreneés foothills. While not exactly like riding the cols of the Pyreneés, it was a great way to see the countryside, with a couple of reasonable climbs thrown in for good measure. The ride also included a passage through a subterranean road called the Grotte du Mas d’Azil, which is also one of the regions more important prehistoric sites and the only drivable cave in Europe. We camped the night at Le Mas d’Azil and returned in the evening to see the cave.

Barcelona was the destination for the following day so we packed up and headed over cols cycled by a few brave people to Andorra. The mountains and people riding them are impressive, however a month of no riding and pastries did not lend itself to any attempts at a col. Andorra is a shoppers paradise, although very mountainous, and after a little duty free shopping we continued to Barcelona, camping adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea. It was definitely a contiki kind of place and the karaoke continued to the wee hours of the morning.

As expected, the next day dawned hot and we headed into the city to take in the architecture and ambiance of Barcelona. Highlights of Bacelona included the street artists/performers, tapas and vino in the evening, however it was very hot and it would have been a bit better to have gone in winter. The next day we went to the garden designed by Gaudi which was particularly impressive, then it was back to France for some relief from the heat !