Grandma's favorite reading companion |
...recounts the retirement travels of Mark and Vicki Sherouse since 2008...in Asia and the Pacific, New Zealand, Europe, South America, and Africa, as well as the US and Canada. Our website, with much practical information, is: https://sites.google.com/site/theroadgoeseveron/.Contact us at mark.sherouse@gmail.com or vsherouse@gmail.com.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Real-Time Update
We are back in Menlo Park, having parked the camper with Jane and Gordon and flown from Toulouse to Paris and Paris to San Francisco on August 24th. It is good to be back “home,” to be with Penelope and her parents, and to look forward to somewhat more settled living in the next several months. Moving back in takes time, however, and we didn't get wifi at home until Tuesday, but more posts from our summer trip will continue.
Kindness Of Strangers In Bidart
We drove on from Lourdes, stopping for a wifi session at one of the McDonald's near Pau,and then headed for Biarritz and the coast, hoping to get as far as old friend San Sebastian and its Unibersitatea autocaravanna stop. But, as we were passing through Bidart, Vicki spotted a lavanderia and we stopped to do the wash and have dinner. In the course of all this, a French couple stopped by to ask about our rig and what we were doing and, ultimately, showed us a nice, safe place to park in Bidart, in front of his mother's house, just across the highway from the cliffs and beach. With the wash and dinner done and our camp thus established, we walked down to the beach for a sunset stroll.
Looking down toward the beach at Bidart |
Showers at sea |
Family beach party; grandma (in black) serving; others fishing, surfing; we are deep in Basque country here |
The sixteen mile beach/cliff walkway between Bidart and Heydane starts here; we might have done a bit of it, but were beginning to feel there was already enough for our days left this summer |
Lourdes Drive-By Shooting
We tired of the Pyrenees. They certainly are popular with the French and Spanish and others, but are not nearly as impressive as other mountain ranges we have visited, even in Europe. Besides, it was very hot and dry and crowded and there is always much, much more to see in these parts. We proceeded on, and our path took us through Lourdes, one of the world's great religious centers (even the guidebooks say this is the Catholic version of Disney), which we drove through very respectfully and slowly since it was market day and there was no bypass. We took a few pix along the way. We visited Lourdes in 1989, and once was more than enough.
Does Vatican City have a wax museum? |
Hotel de Ville |
Market day |
Important building |
Parthian shot of important hilltop castle |
Friday, August 24, 2012
Gavarnie, Cirque and Cascade
Next stop was Gavarnie, site of a great cirque and Europe's highest waterfall. We have now seen all of the 3 big Gs: Giverny, Gavrinus, and Gavarnie, representing our interests in arts and humanities, archaeology and history, and mountains.
One of the aires at Gavarnie; not a place for solitude |
Environs; very dry, warm, reminiscent of the southern Rockies, except not so high |
We decided to brave the heat and hike out for views of the cirque and cascade; here is randonneur Vicki |
Looking down at the town of Gavarnie |
The cirque |
The cascade |
Today's flower, with bonus bug |
Another flower |
More environs |
Part of the hike was on the Santiago trail, so we hope to get another plenary dispensation or at least some time off for good behavior in Purgatory... |
The view from town |
Thursday, August 23, 2012
On To The Pyrenees
Driving up the road to the Col du Aspin in the French Pyrenees |
A bit more of the road, narrow, high, and very crowded with tourists |
At the Col d' Aspin |
In a valley beyond, scores of RVs parked all over the meadow |
The big mountain in these parts is the Pic du Midi, radio tower and all, here framed by cows and tipis |
The road is/was a major leg of the Tour de France and so is covered by bicyclistes and messages to bicyclistes |
And RVs and other things |
Monument to bicyclistes: ride naked! |
We press on... |
Bastides
Cordes sur Ciel |
Bruniquel |
Puycelsi |
Walls of Puycelsi |
Wall and tower |
A main street |
The usual half-timbered... |
And bricked |
Another street |
Outside the church |
Interior |
Albi Cathedral, 2
More looks at St. Cecelia's in Albi...
Closer-up on the screen |
More |
Constantine and Charlemagne preside over the choir; divine right of kings, don't you know? |
In one of the chapels, a beautiful model of how they put this baby together |
In another, St. Helen (Constantine's mom) and the finding of the true cross |
Outside, the adjoining bishop's palace |
Largest hydrangea bloom I have seen--more than a foot across |
And the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, which we decided to save for next time; ask me how Toulouse-Lautrec and adjusting the valves on a 911 are related... |
Moon and tower |
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