Day 105 – 109: Viva la France
Place: La Closeraie Hotel, Lourdes, somewhere in the Pyrenees in France
Well into 100 days of travelling, Craig and I have become experts at listening to our bodies and have used this in the planning of our itinerary so far. It was no fluke, or coincidence that Sunday turned out to be miserable...it was an absolute gift from God as it is far easier to stay indoors when the outdoors are very uninviting.
And that’s exactly what we did!
Sunday 15th July
Craig and I are craving regular exercise and after 3 months of overindulging, our bodies are begging us to get back into a healthier shape and stay away from junk for now.
We started the day with a slow and easy jog through the little town and stumbled into a lovely French village with beautiful cottages with attic windows peering out from the roof with colourful shutters, fields of grass, growing heaps of manure and the odd ‘moo and baa’ from the their pets.
After a shower we (well I) got back into pajamas and intended on staying that way ALL day. A late hearty breakfast of muesli, fruit and yoghurt was welcomed into our bodies and we lay on the bed completely lured in by the TV and ‘Tour de France’.
Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions by Bernadette Soubirous, which is said to have occurred in 1858. Nowadays, busloads of people come to Lourdes in search of healing or as a pilgrimage of the Catholic Church.
This is the reason that it is a bustling little area but not much to see.
Reason enough to use it as a base to get to and from the surrounding areas… and the first point of call was Pau, where we would again take part in the ‘Tour de France’ Festivities as they would finish the stage in this gorgeous city.
Monday 16th July
After an attempt to catch the 10am train to Pau, we rather enjoyed a slower than anticipated start, and only caught the 14h00 train. It was first class all the way as we passed the natural beauty of the mountains and the cute little villages inbetween.
Pau caught our attention immediately, as it is neat, clean and a superb setting for the ‘Tour de France’.
As we always do; Craig and I followed the crowd and this took us to the tourist information centre where we got a map and programme for the day.
With time to wander around, we went to the church, took some pics and then made our way to the hotel where all the cyclists would stay.
It was sweltering outside, we fell victim to the deliciousness of 3 scoops of vanilla, meringue and amaretto ice cream wrapped in a sugar cone… we continued walking.
As we reached the finish line, we quickly learned that in order to get a good spot, we should have been there hours before. So we scanned the area and made our way further down the road. Eventually we pushed our way between the crowd and managed to secure a great spot about 300m from the finish.
Even though the sun was beating down on all of us, the atmosphere was filled with excitement and every person was ready with camera in tow to catch a glimpse of their favourite cyclist.
The leaders came in comfortably and no last minute chase was to be seen, however as the pelaton came through, it was a mad rush of ‘shwishing’ sounds passing us…. so awesome to experience these speed racing pros.
Tuesday, 17th July
‘Toulouse or not Toulouse, that is the question.’
After a day in Toulose, we decided ‘Not Toulouse’. After reading up on what was described as a ‘funky medieval city’, we were less than impressed and became bored quite quickly unfortunately.
When Craig mentioned that we walk into the Bascilica, I knew that he too wasn’t impressed and just looking for things to see and do in this city.
Don’t get me wrong… its not a bad place with nothing to see, I think that Craig and I have been completely spoiled by the unbelievable sights of previous towns and cities, that we arrive with unrealistic expectations.
Here are a couple of pictures of our days exploring.
Wednesday, 18th July
We went for a jog in the middle of the hot hot hot day (a first for me) and made our way back home for a very late breakfast at 13:00.
With every intention to head down the street to see the 3 sights which are what Lourdes is know for, we procrastinated and procrastinated and after discovering the amount that we would have to spend in order to see the Church and castle of Lourdes, we quickly agreed that a day of rest was yet again in order as we have a hectic couple of weeks ahead… an amazing decision and a wonderful day of nothing was lapped up by our bodies.
We used this time to skype friends and family; which is so rejuvenating and loved hearing how life is moving forward to wonderfully for everyone.
Thursday 19th July
Since the day we arrived, my bearded husband and ‘man of the mountains’ was yearning for just that…..MOUNTAINS.
So we planned that we would go to Cauterets which is a tiny mountain village well known for its natural springs and skiing.
After such excitement for this day, we awoke to a misty morning with grey clouds looming low. Staying positive, or maybe just determined, Craig pushed me out the door, to the bus and after 1.5 hours, to a dark, wet and gloomy village of Cauterets.
We headed for the cable car office to find out any information on whether we should sit it out and wait for the clouds and mist to hopefully lift.
We were greeted by a cheery French woman who didn’t seem deterred by the horrible weather. We enquired about the hikes and prices and her honest opinion of if it would be ‘worth our while’ to buy the tickets for the cable cars. She reassured us (with live footage on a webcam) that the hike was above the clouds and that it was in fact beautiful and sunny. My initial thoughts were that she is an incredible sales woman or actually telling the truth.
We took the chance and without fail, God provided us with clear skies, green mountains with long and scenic paths leading to a stunning lake.
It was an epic walk and Craig was in his element.
Horses, cows, sheep and the clanging of their bells created a melodious soundtrack for the day.
Once we reached the lake, it didn’t take long for Craig to drop his pants and jump in the icy water. Craig felt invigorated with the walk, the beauty and the final dip in such an amazing setting that I could hear his heart sing and his smile was bigger than I have ever seen.
A brilliant day enjoying the outdoors in the splendor of the mountains, we took final pics before heading back on order to catch our bus home. During the walk Craig went ahead and took pictures of the gigantic cows eating, leaving me isolated and in a perfect position to be chased by a huge white bull (bringing back visions from Pamplona) and lets just say the shock catapulted me up the mountain in record time and I waited at the top for Craig for about 15minutes…that’s how fast I ‘balegged’ up the mountain.
Tomorrow we are heading north to Paris to visit our new and great friends Emma and Denis. They have been so kind in hosting us for the next 4 days and we cant wait to get to know them more and make future plans to meet up with them in another exotic location somewhere in this wonderful world.
P.s. Not to mention being romanced by the magical city of Paris
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