Spain Part 2: Pyrenees and San Sebastian

After a day of exploring Barcelona, we decided to drive through the Pyrenees Mountains to San Sebastian. We got up early to get a head start on traffic only to find ourselves lost again on the crazy Spanish roads. Those roundabouts really messed up our sense of direction. We made an executive decision to go back to the Avis counter at the airport and rent a GPS. It was the best decision we have ever made. I think it saved our marriage. A few hours after leaving our hotel, we were finally on the road.

(little church in the South of France)

On our route through the Pyrenees Mountains to San Sebastian we had the pleasure of driving through Andorra and the South of France. What beautiful country! The mountains were greener than green and the sky was crystal clear blue. There were quaint little villages tucked away in the mountainside, most with little old churches in the center of town. We had lunch on the patio of a restaurant in the Pyrenees and could have stayed and breathed in that mountain air all day. I might have to say it was my favorite part of the trip.

(views in the Pyrenees)

It was fairly late when we made it to San Sebastian and there was no room at any of the inns. We ended up in a hotel about 10 miles outside of town, which worked out just fine. We did have the unfortunate event of watching a 9 year old naked boy running through the hotel’s halls trying to get back into his room. We were prepared to see topless women on the beaches, but not so prepared for naked little boys running through our hotel!

(cathedral in San Sebastian)

We spent the day after our drive through the Pyrenees in San Sebastian. The city was full of crazy French and Spanish rugby fans getting fired up for a match that day. There was also a swimming race in the bay, which we got to see the start of. The cathedral in the middle of San Sebastian was quite impressive, but we thought the highlight was probably riding a bus up to an ancient fortress atop Urguli Mountain. The fortress was impressive, but the views were even better.

(views atop Mt. Urguli)

(swim race in the bay)

We had a wonderful time exploring the northern part of Spain. It was so beautiful. There will be more to come on our trip later this week. I still need to cover Pamplona, Madrid, Albacete and Valencia. Oh boy!