We left Barcelona with unfinished business, though with the knowledge that just like Arnie we'll be back. We headed north literally through the coastal range via some of the most impressive tunnelling we've seen so far. The highlands didn't stretch too far before we were climbing toward the Haute Pyrenees. Eventually we emerged from the five kilometre long Cadi Tunnel to the sight of the spine that divides France and Spain. The sky had turned dark and foreboding as we settled into the campground at La Seu d'Urgell on the Spanish side of the mountains. It's a peaceful valley perched in the foothills of the Pyrenees with panoramic views of the mountains.
The night however wasn't so quiet. We were woken around midnight as night was turned to day by lightning flashing like paparazzi milling around some publicity seeking celebrity. The distant thunder was welcoming for us but not for those who heard it at its loudest. To the west all hell was about to be turned loose on unsuspecting residents on both sides of the mountains. Devastation visited two countries in one night as the thunderstorm poured its floodwaters down both sides of the Pyrenees.
We didn't find out about it though until we reached Andorra the following day. After parking in the border village of St Julia de Loria we went in search of our morning coffee and WiFi at Maccas. To our astonishment the plasma on the wall had the news on and the images were not pretty. Just to the west on the Spanish side a village had been hit with flash floods in the middle of the night. Houses and even a bridge had been swept away by the floodwaters. The French fared no better but it wasn't until we camped for the night in Andorra la Vella and got WiFi that we found how badly French towns were affected. The place where we were headed was Lourdes and it was one of the worst hit. The sacred grotto was flooded and parts of the town were badly damaged. Pilgrims had to be rescued and the water supply was damaged. The town where we were going to meet Tony and Gaille was also flooded and some of Le Tour de France routes were so badly damaged they will have to re-route part of the stage.
We only stayed one night in Andorra before heading down the French side of the mountains. This side is much steeper than going up on the Spanish side. Fortunately we didn't have to go over the old high pass as they have built a five kilometre tunnel through the mountain. But there was still a zig-zag of spaghetti to get to the valley floor and the town of Ax-les-Thermes, where we stopped for coffee and a rest after the roller-coaster ride down the mountain. We stayed two night at Tarascon-s-Ariege just to gather out thought and decide what to do next. We decided not to go to Lourdes after watching the French News and speaking to some people who had just been there and we heading for Spain. We decided to head east to the French Mediterranean coast.
Carcassonne on the Aude river was our next stop. This ancient city has one of the best preserved Fortified Cities in Europe. It is an entirely preserved Medieval city inside the original walls, complete with royal residence and gothic cathedral, even the shops are in original houses and although selling modern wares they do not detract from the period setting of Le Cite. The Canal Du Midi also flows through Carcassonne. This is a canal system that crosses France from Bordeaux on the Atlantic all the way to Marseilles on the Mediterranean. It follows the ancient overland trade route that brought amber and tin and other goods to Mediterranean cities in the Iron and Bronze Ages and the canal remained a main trading route up until railways took over the transport of trade goods. Now days it is a major tourist route with canal boat hire serving a big international market. It's not cheap but it is a wonderful way to see parts of rural France you normally would pass by in a car or train. (Canal Boats are like Motorhomes on water - I'll check the prices when we get home).
We took the country road to the coast through rural towns where the house seemed to almost reach out and grab you they are so close to kerb and the streets so narrow you cringe as a semi crawls past in the opposite direction. “No more 'D' roads Paul”. We skirted Beziers and stopped on the coast at Le Cap d'Agde at Camping Crap d'Agde. This was supposed to be Four Stars but it was more like Two. It was cramped and the pitch was just dirt that became a dust storm when the wind came up. We cycled along the beach in the afternoon and walked along the promenade of the seafront. We even found a Luna Park – not much fun as it was closed as were most of the apartments and townhouses. We left the next morning, never to return.
The only notable thing about Agde is that it is where the Canal Du Midi reaches the Mediterranean, well not exactly as it exits into the Basin De Thau – a long narrow tidal lake that is separated from the sea by a thin stretch of sand dunes. The road runs along the dunes and the view is spectacularly boring. We kept going until we reached Palavas les Flots (don't you just love the names). We are camped in an Aire, another one of those special ones. It's like Puerto Gelves in Seville only bigger. We are parked in a marina which is on a canal that runs out into the sea 300 metres away. The town is on both sides of the canal at the entrance, five minutes walk away right on the beach. Heaven on a stick again.
The wind has been blowing a gale for two days but it has finally subsided and is now just a cool breeze. The weather is hot 30+ hot so the breeze is a welcome relief. We cycled along the canal all the way into Montpellier which is 10 kilometres inland. We rode into a 20km headwind all the way there and it was heavy going especially for little legs who has crashed as I write this. We wandered around for an hour or so before heading back. We didn't get the tailwind on the way back as the wind had dropped and the sun was beating down and turning us red as beetroots. Tomorrow we will be browner. We just don't seem to burn in the sun here. I've never seen Margie so tanned.
It's beautiful here and the weather is glorious but there is really nothing to do by lie on the beach all day and that is not out scene. Tomorrow we head for Arles in Provence, one time home of a famous Vincent and two famous Pauls – you can fill in the blanks, can't have me doing all the work.
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