Blogs from Aragon, Spain, Europe - page 6

It was another grey weekend in Pamplona, but the weather forecast suggested that just under two hours away in the car, we might find some sunshine. So we headed off to Zaragoza and, sure enough, just as we were getting close, the clouds broke up and we were left with a beautiful blue sky. About 50km Southeast of Zaragoza is the sad sight of the crumbling remains of Belchite. To get there we drove through spartan countryside on one of the straightest roads we have ever seen. The ruins of the cathedral loomed large in the distance and helped us get our bearings. Not really knowing where we were heading, we went through the new town and parked up out side the ruins of the old town. It seems that once upon a time wandering idly ... read more

We got there late at night, we were looking for a peaceful place to sleep, had been on the road for the past 5 hours, in a desperate race to escape the city. None of the little towns we passed in our way seemed to have the charm we were looking for, we just wanted something quiet and hopefully breathtaking. We passed beautiful sights, we stopped to take pictures whenever we felt like it (yes, we are slow travelers, we see a river and stop just to soak our feet in it because we wanted to see how cold the water is, the type that see a large grass field and stop, take their shoes off and just feel mother nature climbing up their legs). We passed a beautiful emerald lake called Río Gallego, it was ... read more

It was the late autumn of that year I was in Pyrennes, the mountains were gray becoming white as the clouds descended and dropped they first flakes on the highest peaks. The rivers low from the long summer exposed their smoothed stones and peebles. They were gray also and the road was gray and there was a chill coming. The trees were bare and pointed and held no leaves anymore and it felt like winter already. We had been higher in the mountains the previous month and were to move out onto the Aragon plains in the next days. The plains were dry and sandy and yellow and they stretched very far and there was emptyness there. We had been stationed in an apartment in Zaragoza, it was hot there and it was uncomfortable to walk ... read more

Geo: 42.6338, 0.218476Joyeux anniversaire Etats Unis d'Amerique! As much as we hated to leave Saint-Lary-Soulan in France, we had a long ride scheduled and the weather forecasted a 40% chance of rain. When traveling through the mountains rain is something to take seriously. We wanted to head back into Spain to check out the Valley de Pineta and stop at the Hotel Parador Bielsa de Monte Perdido that John recommended to us. We wound our way 20km up D-173 from St. Lary thru the little village of Aragnouet, to the mile-long Bielsa-Aragnouet Tunnel which would take us into Spain again. The tunnel is being renovated, so lane controls gave us an 11 minute delay. We were only one of five vehicles waiting to enter. Proceeding down a winding stretch of A-138 for 10 km, we entered ... read more

Geo: 42.7713, -0.334482After another wonderful breakfast with Phil and Belinda, we hit the road about 10 am for a journey over the mountains into Spain. At Phil's urging we changed our route to include a brief stop in Lourdes, the Grotto and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes where visitors come from around the world to be anointed with the holy water. Upon arrival, we were amazed at the number of people in blue wheel chairs and carts being pushed by a whole cadre of volunteers to the shrine. Most were sick or infirm and were there hoping for their own miracle cure from the sacred waters of the shrine. Most everyone wore bright colored scarves, signifying their visit. From Lourdes, we headed down to Argeles-Gazost for a brief coffee stop and leg stretch. This ... read more