Pyrenees
Relaxing week and a half in the Pyrenees mountains!
Days at a Glance
| Date | Day at a Glance |
|---|---|
| Fri, 14Jun24 | 5 hour drive to south of Paris |
| 15-18 Jun24 | Hiking and Niaux Cave in Lapège, France |
| 19-21 Jun24 | Hiking from our yurt in Etsaut, France |
| 22-25 Jun24 | Beach volleyball, hiking, and Guggenheim museum, in San Sebastián, Spain |
| Wed, 26Jun24 | 13hr drive home |
High-Low-Hero-Chow/Ciao*
| Ben | Maggie | |
|---|---|---|
| High | Volleyball in San Sebastián | Eating a banh mi and Basque cheesecake on the beach |
| Low | Hour traffic jam in Brussels | Traffic jam south of Brussels |
| Hero | Maggie driving stick! | Beach volleyball father-son duo in San Sebastián |
| Chow/Ciao | Banh Mi | Pintxos in San Sebastián |
*A game I learned from Ben, who uses it with friends as a fun way to reflect on an experience
Journal
Over the winter, Ben and I picked a few weeks in the summer to request off in advance, knowing we’d want to go somewhere when the weather got nice. I put a ton of planning effort into our week in Italy in May, and we both loved that trip, but agreed we wanted something slower paced and more relaxing. We also wanted to make this a driving trip so we could bring Maisy. We’d originally planned for 2 weeks, but Ben’s aunt and uncle would be visiting us for a Bruce Springsteen concert, so we shortened our vacation to 12 days.
Ben had never been to France and wanted to see the Pyrenees. I pitched a French road trip, but I’d done much of France with my family in 2016, and Ben wanted to get to the mountains and have more dedicated relaxing/hiking time. He picked 2 different cities in France that could serve as hubs for different hikes (and within driving distance from Andorra, so we could check another country off our list!) Knowing that I’d want a change of scenery for our last stop, I pitched San Sebastián so we could see Spain and the beach. We booked our rental car and accommodations, took a brief look at AllTrails, but other than that, I did almost no planning. This was new for me, as usually I have a general outline of each day, but we agreed this trip should focus on being in nature and relaxing.
The final itinerary ended at ~35 hrs of driving, ~€430 of gas and ~€215 of tolls.
Friday 14Jun24
After work we packed up rental i10 Hyundai (for only €35/day!) with our suitcases, cooler, and Maisy. We drove ~5 hours, straight through Belgium, eating leftover doner kebab for dinner. We got to our AirBNB just south of Paris around 10:30 PM.
Saturday 15Jun24
We slept in and had yogurt and cereal for breakfast. This would be a longer drive today, so I drugged Maisy with leftover meds we had from the original flight from Madison. We then drove ~5 hrs to Toulouse, enjoying the changing scenery.
Consisting on only breakfast and a few road snacks, I knew we needed linner stat. I’d picked a place north in Toulouse to not go deep into city, knowing Ben would not want to waste too much time. I directed us to a parking spot, planning a nice 10 minute walk along a charming canal to a well-reviewed African restaurant. Ben was the hangriest I’ve seen in a while, and you would’ve thought this 10 minute walk was designed as a torture device. His bitching and whining (“We have canals at home why would I want to see this”) suddenly vanished after he had some food. And the food was really quite good. Suddenly seeing a bit of Toulouse didn’t sound so horrendous. Before we got back on the road I stopped in small market for supplies (more cereal, fruit, milk, frozen pizza, individual tiramisu cups).
We drove another 1.5h to Lapège: a small village with a population of ~30, 10 minutes up the mountain on switchbacks, in the Ariège area of the Pyrenees. Our lovely AirBNB hosts met us and gave us the tour of the large home (sleeps 10!). They lovingly showed us each detail, taking us through each room, proud to show the history and the renovations on the very old home. The husband spoke better English than his wife, so throughout the tour she would nudge him to point out a specific detail (“ah yes, this is the fire extinguisher..?”) The tour ended with the wife flipping through two thick binders she had prepared of hikes and local information. It was a heartwarming way to get some local recommendations.
After hours of driving, I prepared our second dinner of frozen pizza in the combi and we conked out shortly after.
Sunday 16Jun24
After some cereal we got packed up for a day of hiking, heading to the trailhead recommended by our hosts. We stopped in at a grocery store in town for fresh bread, cheese, and dinner supplies. I then took a turn driving. I’d practiced driving stick on a few earlier experiences, but mainly stuck to parking lots. Ben patiently reminded me of the basics, and I tentatively drove us to the trailhead.
The hike was really lovely! We gained elevation the whole first half, but enjoyed a nice mix of shaded forest and exposed rock. Maisy has always been a good hiker, but 3/4 of the way up, she started dragging. We were being a bit stingy with water as Ben was worried there might not be a fill up station at the top.
The climb was worth it. The views from top were amazing, and it did have water! We sat by a pond, ate our French cheese and bread sandwiches, and enjoyed the sun. After a delicious lunch with a view, we filled up our water and started the trek back down.
5 minutes into our descent, Maisy rolled in something green and smelly. Much to her chagrin, we just turned around and Ben washed her down at the water source. But even the half bath didn't dampen her spirits, she had more pep in her step on the descent and even started “fweeing” (a term me and Ben made up after watching)
I drove home, which was more difficult now that I needed to navigate going up a mountain with switchbacks. Ben had me do an exercise where I tried repeatedly to find the bite point, and I probably stalled >10 times. But we made it!
I felt like cooking so I made mujadara, my secret weapon when I have limited ingredients. I cooked while we had a book club meeting with Arun and Simon. The 4 of us agreed to reread the Harry Potter books; this was our first meeting to discuss books 1-3. Somehow the meeting ended up being 2 hours long, we only got through book 1, even with Arun stopping for a vomit break (combination of food poisoning and hangover). It’s a nice way to stay in touch with friends. I ended the night with a group call with Sally and Sammy. Maisy was sleeping all evening, completely tuckered out from the hike.
Monday 17Jun24
Ben woke up feeling a bit tired so we had a lazy morning reading in bed. Our "queen" bed was actually two twins, which makes cuddling difficult (why do I always fall into the crack?), but means we could each choose how high to raise our beds using our personal remotes.
Later we checked out Niaux cave, which has prehistoric drawings from early Homo sapiens from 11,000-17,000 years ago. They limit the number of guided tours a day to preserve the drawings' integrity, so we went on the only English tour of the day. The drawings are deep within the cave so we walked ~45 minutes with weak flashlights (again, to preserve the drawings). The cave itself was fun to explore: expansive, eerie, and with many narrow passageways and slippery ways. Many stalactites and stalagmites were knocked down from previous tourists (who left their mark with graffiti and dates from 1600-1800). Our guide explained that our understanding of “prehistory” is relatively new, so these previous tourists didn’t understand people from pre-bible were here. We can't fault them too much for their disrespect, carbon dating is as new as ~1945.
The drawings were really impressive, with a mixture of majestic animals not typically hunted, including bison, horses and ibex. The drawings ranged over 1,000 years and depicted multiple species of ibex, giving proof of cultural mingling, travel, and generational knowledge transfer. Most drawings were centralized in a large cavern where noise echoed beautifully, a trend found in other caves too. Our guide speculated this location was chosen especially for these echoes, as these drawings, hidden so deep into the cave and about seemingly sacred animals, were speculated to be for ceremonies. Our guide had us turn off our flashlights, get quiet, and then he shouted into the large cavern: the echoes were haunting!
After exploring the cave, we went back to the AirBNB to walk Maisy and relax, before heading into town to for food from a well-reviewed Asian restaurant. We were surprised to discover it was only take away, but the food looked so good we ordered anyway, snagging sushi and a rice dish. Ben stopped at the supermarket on the way back so I could grab us some dessert (a must).
Back at the AirBNB we watched Gladiator with dinner, which was fun having recently seen the Colosseum! The combi barely managed to warm our personal lava cakes, but somehow that did not prevent me from finishing it.
Tuesday 18Jun24
This morning we headed to Andorra for a hike, not technically far, but over an hour giving mountain driving. We quickly noticed Andorra felt more like a ski destination for tourists, with the newer buildings in chalet style and skiing advertisements. This was good news for us, as the hiking infrastructure was robust, with nice bathrooms at the trail head and at the top.
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The hike was beautiful; we followed a small stream all the way up. It was a losing battle to prevent Maisy from drinking the water, and at one point she even went for a little swim. Maisy lags in pace when the ground is flat, given our long leg advantage, but as soon as it gets rocky and Ben and I have to watch our footing, suddenly she’s scampering far ahead of us.
We reached the refuge at the top where we ate our packed sandwiches and filled up on water. We carried onward a bit further to reach the dammed lakes, passing through some snow. Maisy greatly enjoyed this: snow always make her frisky and she has been snow-deprived after this Netherlands winter. It was a really great hike.
We drove back and picked up more sushi on the way home, having been so impressed yesterday. As Ben and I travel more, we're more likely to re-visit a place on vacation. After having lots of forgettable restaurant experiences, it's nice to return to a place we know we'll enjoy. We had a quiet night; I did some laundry and we ate some ice cream and read Harry Potter.
Wednesday 19Jun24
We packed up and cleaned the Airbnb before heading out, apparently doing a good job per our AirBNB host.
We drove 3hrs to Pau. Needing a break, we checked out the open air exhibit on Tour de France and enjoyed baguette sandwiches and Canelés. Ben almost locked himself into the public restroom.
After another 1.5h we ended in Etsaut, where we met our AirBNB host at our yurt. When Ben and I were planning this vacation, we knew we wanted to try something different and be in nature, and the yurt came well reviewed. This was as close to camping as we wanted to get.
He walked us through it all, including the dry toilet. I’m an old hat at these after staying at my aunt and uncle’s, but Ben was a bit flabbergasted. The yurt did have running water (that our host recommended boiling before drinking) and a small stove.
Ben and I both went for runs, leaving Maisy to familiarize herself with the yurt. Running straight up a mountain is slow going but beautiful views. I showered in the yurt, which involved some crouching and moderating hot water, but wasn’t too bad.
I drove us to dinner, picking out a well reviewed crepe place. When we got there, the bartender said they stopped serving food at 7PM, and he directed us to the only other place open for food: pizza down the street. The pizza was good but won’t win any awards, which is the risk of picking small town locations for vacation.
Thursday 20Jun24
There were heavy thunderstorms overnight, which always make Maisy nervous, but now in a yurt with thin walls, she went a bit crazy. We ended up tying her to the couch to force her to sit still.
The storms didn’t abate all day, trapping us inside the yurt. I investigated activities to get us out of the yurt, but everything nearby was outdoor (zoo, amusement park), and the nearest movie theater 50 minute away. Ben and I resigned ourselves to a yurt day, which ended up being really relaxing. The storm was loud, but the rain noise in the yurt made us feel extra cozy in bed, and we spent the day reading and relaxing.
The rain finally calmed down in the evening, so we hiked down the mountain for dinner. We went to the crepe place, where the local woman wanted to practice her English while playing with a humane mouse catcher at table.
We enjoyed delicious savory galettes and sweet crepes while the local dog stared at us. We nursed two drinks each to extend our time outside of the yurt.
After dinner we hiked back up and read HP outside in the setting sun. Maisy scoured the grounds before intentionally picking her desired place to poop: on top of a slug.
Friday 21Jun24
We woke to discover Maisy shitting on a slug had started a war: we found 1 in her food bowl eating her kibble. Those slimy things are pretty gross. We also discovered the terrible storms yesterday caused the yurt's water to go brown, indicating a contamination of the source. Our AirBNB host apologized, said the storm yesterday was unusually bad, and he’d send someone to fix it.
We left for our hike straight from our yurt, something Ben really appreciated. We enjoyed a beautiful hike, following channels carved into the side of the mountain. The loop trail followed a gorge before heading into more pastoral areas with evidence of shepherds (hoof marks, sheep poop, and signs warning of cattle dogs). Maisy had a great time, perhaps feeling in touch with her cattle dog heritage.
After the hike, with the water issue fixed, I showered Maisy and then myself while Ben read outside.
We drove back into town for the only traditional restaurant: Le Randonneur ("The Hiker"). We enjoyed tasty French food, including escargot, duck confit, and lamb chops.
We snagged ice cream bars from the market and I drove us home. We enjoyed our ice cream bars in bed while reading and watching the Euro game: Netherlands vs France.
Saturday 22Jun24
We said goodbye to the yurt, both agreeing the rustic experience was fun but 3 nights was enough (the dry toilet was getting pretty full and we did not want to be the ones to empty it). We drove 2.5h to San Sebastián. We took the scenic route through Spain to avoid tolls and a French bike race. The Pyrenees slowly changed to more reddish rock, and there were more people out hiking, biking, and enjoying the trails. Spanish towns peppered the base of mountains, with short square bell towers and red tile roofs.
We arrived to San Sebastián and our AirBNB host greeted us. We are staying in a nice Airbnb with the slipperiest floors I’ve ever seen. Ben and I took turns calling Maisy to us so she looked like Scooby Doo, running in place. Ben relaxed after the drive while I went out to walk Maisy and grab lunch. I picked one of the few open places (during siesta hour) and grabbed burgers, fries, and a slice of tortilla de patatas. The menu was the first time I encountered the Basque language, what a unique language. Lots of k and x, not like Spanish or French at all.
After fueling up, we went out for a run to stretch our legs and see the city. The city is amazing, with lovely paved trails, canals, and lots of people out walking and shopping. I detoured to see the beach and scout a volleyball location, before heading into the mountain trails. The trail provided views of the beach, city, and ocean. It was absolutely beautiful: one of the most scenic runs I’ve ever had with such a diversity of terrain.
After a shower, we headed out for dinner. We ended at a canteen of a local sports complex, where we shared a croquette, a tuna filet, and a bocadillo with nice Spanish cured pork, while we watched football with some locals. The Spanish croquette was creamier and more complex and enjoyable than Dutch croquettes (Spanish food > Dutch food? What a surprise!).
Sunday 23Jun24
We woke up to a grim weather forecast of rain all day. Knowing we couldn’t enjoy outdoor time, I cornered Ben into agreeing to the Guggenheim, an 1h15m away. Ben and I don’t typically love modern art, but I wanted to see the famous museum, and don’t expect to ever be closer to Bilbao. Unfortunately, I was reminded why I don’t like modern art. The first floor had large rooms each dedicated to one large exhibition, like Serra’s “Matter of Time”. I’ll never forget Ben’s expression when he made it to the center of the metal spiral to discover nothing inside: his grim silence somehow communicated “that’s it? What is the point of this? Why am I here? Kill me.”
The top floor, with more classic modern art was a bit more interesting, but barely. The architecture was interesting, with no straight edges, but when you’re hoping the architecture makes the €18 admission price worth it, you’ll be disappointed.
I snagged an Illy blended coffee as we left to the museum to raise my spirit on the drive home, but Ben was feeling pretty sour, the drive time and admission price weighing on him like an anvil. To shake it off, we took Maisy out for a misty walk when we got home. We picked up poke, one of Ben’s favorite foods, and went to the beach. We learned dogs aren’t allowed, but nobody was there given weather. We enjoyed our poke with a view of the ocean and debriefed the Guggenheim experience.
We walked home and enjoyed magnums while relaxing. I ended up staying awake until 1:30AM to finish HP5; it’s been years since I’ve stayed up that late reading!
Monday 24Jun24
We finally had some nice weather, so we had a beach day! We set up our towels near the volleyball nets to scout the situation and read for a bit. There was a father with two teenage boys and they looked legit (brought their own lines and cardboard for beach siting). We asked to play, Ben using his Spanish. The Dad sized us up and then had us play with the two kids while he smoked a joint and periodically videoed the kids. We passed the unspoken test, because when other people started joining the clearly established group, we were invited into the rotation. Time flew and we ended up playing for 4.5 hours. We had a great time, and it was fun to join the mix of the local community.
Finally, duty and hunger intervened so we left volleyball to head back for Maisy. We hadn’t planned on such an epic volleyball session, subsisting only on a few chips, so we needed real food. Ben guided us to a weird homestead style restaurant with farm music on repeat, and the wait staff dressed in plaid and long skirts. It felt like we were in a weird Disney themed restaurant that would be next to Splash Mountain. We ordered a veggie burger and a Rueben, and started inhaling the food as soon as it arrived. I found out quickly the veggie burger had walnuts as I started to have an allergic reaction. We sat there for a few minutes staring at each other, Ben trying to be comforting while clearly in a heightened state of panic, checking his every sense for any sign of an allergic reaction. Thankfully he was totally fine, another sign that he’s not actually allergic, at least to walnuts. I felt very nauseous and uncomfortable so we slow walked home, stopping frequently for me to sit.
Once back home I lost all momentum. I felt wiped and couldn’t muster the energy to head back out. We had a relaxing evening at home; I cooked dinner while we got high and watched the movie The Nice Guys. Later we shared Magnums that Ben had lovingly snagged me on our walk home. Intense Dark: 9/10, highly recommend!
Tuesday 25Jun24
We woke to another day of beautiful weather, so we headed to the beach again. Learning from yesterday, we made sure to bring lunch. I made us stop at a bakery specializing in Basque cheesecake, before directing us to a well reviewed Banh Mi restaurant.
We headed to the beach, armed with our supplies, and chose a spot closer to the water. We lounged, read HP, and people watched and it was lovely. Ben exclaimed “this is the life” as I was hand feeding him bites of cheesecake while he was reading HP. The cheesecake was really creamy and soft, and the tofu Banh Mi was absolutely incredible (I felt so inspired I’ve since made my own version at home. One of the best bites of the vacation, seriously!). We took turns swimming, as Ben was too nervous to leave our bags unattended. The water was warm enough to go in full body, but not so warm I needed to hang out forever. Ben invited me to join the example of many topless women, but I declined.
After we had lounged and digested, we rejoined the volleyball crew and played for 1.5 hours. The best games were against the father-son duo, as it was clear they’d played together forever.
On our walk home, we remarked how livable this city is. It somehow has mountains, beach, canals, bike and running lanes, public water fountains and bathrooms, but doesn’t feel expensive or touristy. The locals are out walking, exercising, and somehow the beach is crowded on a Tuesday? We both agreed this was the dream retirement place.
At home we showered off the sand and ate leftovers while we watched the Netherlands football team lose. I was excited to head back out and explore the cuisine scene in San Sebastián, sometimes called the gourmet capital of Basque country. Since we got here, I'd been checking out the bars we passed for their pintxos offerings, tempting little bits or skewers that are the Basque version of tapas. But I knew I had to play my cards right, because Ben is anti-tapas. I made sure Ben had the majority of the leftovers so he wasn't hungry before we went out for dinner, to prevent any future complaints: "Why are the portions so small? Why do we have to order so many? I want a big ol' plate of food"
After fueling him up I directed us to a restaurant famous for a specific hot pintxo: Iberian pork cheeks. I ordered us the cheeks, glasses of the local txakoli white wine, and asked the waiter to bring us his favorite cold pintxos. Everything was absolutely delicious, with the pork cheeks being a total stand out. Feeling tipsy, I ordered another glass of wine and walked with the waiter back to the bar to pick out a few more cold pintxos, including a mini tuna sandwich and an open-faced sandwich with shrimp, egg, and cured pork. It was a really nice way to say goodbye to the city.
Wednesday 26Jun24
We drugged Maisy and got on the road ~7:30AM for our long drive home. We made great time until we hit a mega traffic jam south of Brussels due to a motorcycle crash, probably adding an hour. It ended up being 13 hours of driving. While a long day, we enjoyed listening to podcasts, music, and reliving our favorite moments of the trip. We both enjoyed the relaxing pace and nature focus of this trip, and feel grateful that we have so much vacation time that we can have a mixture of relaxing and go-get-em trips.
For the Record
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Lapège Accomodation | AirBNB, Village, 09400 Lapège |
| Etsaut Accomodation | AirBNB, 171 Seberry, 64490 Etsaut |
| San Sebastián Accomodation | AirBNB, 3 Humboldt Kalea |
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