encore une fois nous sommes en France

Not as many miles as usual today because it was very twisty with many tight hair pin bends in the pyrenees. It started raining hard when we got about 3/4 way through so we stopped in a village and sheltered until it stopped. The car never missed a beat over the mountains. The steepest had it in second gear a few times with a very slow average speed.
Lunch at a roadside cafe was fun with people wanting to sit in the car for photos.
We are now just into France at St Jean Pied de Port which is where a lot of pilgrims start the journey to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. It's a surprisingly lovely town clearly catering to tourists and focusing on the pilgrims. A Japanese pilgrim was earning money to continue his journey by cutting hair on the street so both of us had a haircut while he told us his story. He started two years ago in Tokyo and has traveled right across Asia and Europe hitchhiking and cutting hair to earn money as he travels. After Spain he is going to Portugal then to England then Switzerland. We have met some fascinating people in this trip.
Tonight's hotel is simple with a nice veranda overlooking the pool and garden. I think we are the only guests.Read more