We stayed with Warm Shower friends over the weekend in Pamplona Spain. Warm Showers is a cycling app for those who are doing long mileage road cycling adventures all over the world. The host gives them a free place to sleep, meals, and a warm shower. That is the idea anyway. We have hosted many cyclists over the years. We live high in the Rocky Mountains. Our home is near one of the most popular passes for cyclists to ride. We have had cyclists from the US, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, and the UK. It has been so rewarding for us because you get to meet such interesting people from different cultures. This one couple from Pamplona encouraged us to reach out if we were ever to travel to Spain.

We headed to Spain over the Pyrenees after being in France for over a month. It was nice to get on the road and see different villages and the beautiful mountains. The Pyrenees mountains have been one of my Bucket List items for many years. We traveled over the Col du Portalet. A well-known climb in the Aragón region of the Pyrenees that’s been featured in the Vuelta a España and the Quebrantahuesos Gran Fondo. The climb is known for its gentle gradients and beautiful scenery. I felt like I had gone back in time to a slower, more magnificently thoughtful period. The few villages we passed by are frozen in time. In the city center of Laruns, France, you could stand and watch the cows ramble by. Their cowbells clang away as their herder and dogs follow.

At the Col, which is 1,794 meters (5,886 ft), there are no trees. There is just the sky, the high peaks, and grass. Lots and lots of grass. Rivers wind their way from higher up. At the road pass, there is a marker of the border between France and Spain. There are a few shops selling all kinds of mountaineering gear and food. There are also a couple of restaurants. Outside the shops were tables of onions and garlics of various sizes. There is also a Fromagerie, but unfortunately it was closed for the season. Just a bit on the other side was the first of many ski areas or as they say in France, Station de Ski.

I created a collage of photos. I wanted my readers to get a good idea of what the Pyrenees look like. It was totally different than what I had imagined. It was stunning. All photos were taken on my iPhone.

A bientôt

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