Espana Por Favor

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Huevos Numero dos:

Hola! A blog a day keeps the doctor away! We found an internet gaff which uploads the photos PDQ so am taking advantage of this over next couple of days.

Drive through the 'pair of knees' was totally amazing. We stopped several times to savour the fresh air, take in the splendid views and listen to the Heidi music coming from the ( what sounded like) millions of cow bells chinking along. I could almost see Clara in her wheelchair, Peter with his twisted little face, and the old Alm Uncle whittling away at bits of rough edged wood, turning them into works of art with his ancient gnarled arthritic fingers......

The roads through the pair of knees are fairly treacherous alright, and Mister McCabe had to keep the foot on the gas around 20 mph for most of the way. Best thing about the drive was the amount of gi-normous birds we saw ( no, not Michelle McManus) but vultures and eagles. There were tons and tons circling high above us, and we were straight out with the binocs and the bird book checking them out. Took us about 6 hours to do 40 miles or so, but it was definately worth it.

We headed for Pamplona, the Spanish town famed for running bulls through the old town streets as part of an annual festival. It wasnt on while we were there, which is just as well as most of the streets were being dug up and new pipes etc being laid. The town seems to be going through a significant expansion plan, and new highways and housing are being built to accommodate this. All around the town we saw shop windows selling new-build houses and store units. Once its all finished we expect it will be pretty lucrative for the area as there doesn't seem to be anywhere near as much tourism in the north of the country as the southern coastlines. Its very beautiful however, with plenty of typically Spanish mountains with their spiky jaggy peaks poking up all along the horizon in each direction.

The old town of Pamplona (despite the plethora of road diggers etc) is wonderful. Its character is one of dark windy paths lined with Basque bars, restaurants and shops (selling very specific items - for example metal detectors in one we saw!) and every ancient apartment you look up to has a beautifully elaborate balcony.

Prices for food and drink are excellent too. If you buy local red wine, which is delicious incidentally, it costs 70 Euro cents a glass. Its cheaper then water, I kid you not. The tapas are called Pinxtos ( pronounced pinchos) and come in about 80 cents to 1 Euro and they are all really REALLY tasty. A brandy measure is like a quarter pint and costs about 3 Euros - I took a photo which I'll publish on the next blog to show you as I couldnt get over it. Alan was wasted needless to say. Well in fairness we both were once we discovered the cost of the 'coppa de tinto casa' ( local red wine). We must have used that phrase about ninety times one night and our accents sound fairly authentic now when we say it due to all the practice.

During our three days in Pamplona we saw a number of postcards of people running in front of the bulls during the festival I mentioned before. Some of the photos depicted men ( only men, there's no women involved in the running - naturally we have more sense) being gored on the ground by the bulls horns. It looked awfy sore. We wondered how many have died over the years. It doesn't seem to stop them though - those crayzee latinos!!!

Will shut up now - I've got to go and meet Mr McCabe in the Brazilian cafe along the road for a big bowl of ice cream. We are in La Rochelle on the Atlantic Coast in France. Next blog you'll read will be about San Sebastian which is where we went after Pamplona - and you're in for a treat, as 'himself the elf' is on his turn of being the author, and I'll be the one off to Cafe Brazil instead!


See ya,
Sxxxxx

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Photos

Hola!
This is us at the border between France and Spain

Up in the clouds
Pyrenees landscape on the French side

Chillin at 1709m
We like to pretend we cycled up here but we didn't. Lots of other really fit folk did though.

The hills are alive.......
.... with the sound of horses and that.

Big building in the middle of the old town....
.. where we think they start the scary bull runs from

Comments

[Claire]

Who stole my holiday photos
Sharon and Allan These could almost be our holiday photos. When you've seen one mountain you've seen them all. Love to you both Claire and Sharon and Jac and Lynette. We're all really jealous.