The last I left you, we had finished our week on the Canal Du Midi. From there, we drove to the Country of Andorra in the middle of the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain where we were welcomed by our friend and gracious host Christina.
On our first day in Andorra we decided to head up into the Andorran Mountains for some Alpine trekking. We got out of the car touched the snow, which we had not seen in well over a year, shivered a bit, took a few pictures and then hopped back into the warmth of our car. After a full year of sunshine and hot, hot weather our bodies went into shock with this new climate. My Sri Lankan cotton top and Balinese scarf were just not cutting it so we decided to drive down the mountain for a hike without the white stuff.
Ah, now that’s more like it for us ill-equipped fair weathered folk.
Christina lent us a book on identifying local wildflowers for our hike which turned out to be a hit with Lydia. she loved looking up every flower we came across. Which, by the way, were plentiful.
On one of our excursions we came across a couple of stone buildings. I got out of the car to grab a few snapshots accompanied by Lydia, who quickly decides she wants to go inside and check out the buildings. Uh uh…mama aint going in there. The buildings were pitch black inside and to top things off, there were some clothes stacked in the window, which at first glance, I thought was a large doll…too creepy for this gal. When I get back into the car I tell Paul and Callum that Lydia wanted to go in, but I was too scared to take her. Well, being the Macho, Macho Man that Paul is, he says “Too scared! Bwah, I`ll go in!”. So Paul gets out of the car, slowly walks up to the smaller of the two buildings, has a quick peek inside the door, does an about-face and heads right back to the safety of our vehicle. In the end, no one entered the buildings, but we came up with some really creepy scenarios as we drove away.
Andorra is filled with beautiful villages, landscapes and fresh mountain water that cascades through the towns. No need to buy water here, just bring your water bottle with you and filler up as needed.
On one of the days while we visited Andorra, we went to the village of Arinsal where our good peeps from Nanaimo used to call home. We also spent some time in the Modern Centre of Andorra which is quite beautiful with loads of shopping, both new and historical buildings and interesting monuments. Unfortunately, for our trip into the town of Andorra we forgot the camera. I know right!
Thanks Christina for a wonderful stay in Andorra. We had a magnificent time with you, your family and friends. Preciosa!
Next on the Agenda we head to Spain to meet up with friends from home.
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After a fantastic first couple of weeks in France we headed further South East for the small town of Le Somail. It was here that we would board our new mode of transport and accommodation for the next week as we travelled up the Canal Du Midi.
Our home on the water, rented from Nicole’s, was well equipped with two bedrooms, bikes, BBQ, lawn chairs, fully stocked kitchen and of course, a complimentary bottle of wine.
Now it was just us and the Canal for the next 7 days and 116 km to Port Lauragais.
Along the way we saw many beautiful towns,
including the famous fortified town of Carcassonne which dates back to the Roman Empire (3rd and 4th centuries),
and stunning vistas of Frances countryside.
We also saw a few animals on route. Lydia and Callum loved feeding the birds from the boat as we made our way along the Canal.
While enjoying all the beautiful scenery, we also had to get through 61 locks. The original purpose of the Canal was to link the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. A huge vision and undertaking, especially for the times. After some intense planning and construction the Canal was filled with water and officially opened for transport in 1681. Since it’s opening, amazingly, the Canal has operated uninterrupted for more than 3 centuries.
Once we arrived at the lock stations, we would pull over so I could jump off the boat and then meet the family inside the lock.
Here’s the family bringing the boat into the lock. Once inside, Paul and Callum would toss me the bow and stern lines to ensure the boat was safely secured while the water rushed in. In this lock we were alone, but a lock station can hold up to 4 boats and depending on who was travelling with you, these stations could be quite entertaining. Lets just say they have good reason to put fenders all around the boats. We told Nicole’s that Paul worked for the “Canadian” Coast Guard so they gave us a couple extra precautionary fenders. Joking of course…in reality, Paul did a stand up job navigating the canal and the locks.
The majority of the locks we went through had a lock keep that controlled the gates, a station house and sometimes a little shop to buy local wine. We never wanted for wine that’s for sure.
Some of the lock Keeps added a bit of personal flair to their stations.
We also met some furry friends while we waited for the locks to fill so we could carry on upstream.
Everyone got an opportunity to man the wheel and Lydia even brought the boat into one of the locks.
Callum’s big request was to have one really fancy dinner while we were in France and it was here that he decided to try Lamb for the first time. Shocking to me, it was a hit!
And with that, I leave you with my favorite picture of Paul from our travels so far. A bike, a basket, a baguette and a bottle of wine. Living the dream Paul…living the dream.
We have now left France and are staying with a friend in the Beautiful country of Andorra.
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