Eastern Pyrenees & Llívia

This day we had very little idea where we were going, and no idea at all where we were staying! We started out taking a little-used mountain road that was a single track at times, based on a recommendation from our guest house owner. We then tackled two fortresses built by Vauban (famous in these parts) first Villefranche, which was like a medieval Disney in parts, although we did manage to get into the back streets and avoid the tourons. Mont-Louis was the next but much more basic and untrammeled. , Puigcerdà was a pleasant surprise that took us just back over the border to Spain. A large hilltop town with a sprawling old town full of charm.

We did the usual plaza-tapas-beer hang-out before failing to find a decent room (fully booked for a fiesta) and moving on to lovely Llívia, one of the finds of the trip. Nestled in the middle of a green valley, this alpine village is actually an anomaly, a piece of Spain surrounded by France. A great plunge pool in our homey hotel and one of the best meals at we’ve had in Spain (Restaurante Can Ventura) made us want to return!Read more