Viva Espana!!

Friday 23rd May 2014

[caption id="attachment_919" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Nighttime over the lake[/caption]

A view over the lake last night....a little shaky, but the colours were fantastic!

It was a cold blustery night, but we awoke to sunshine...still a cold wind but sunny all the same! BT parked the van to give us as much shelter as possible and we ate breakfast in relative warmth!



[caption id="attachment_921" align="aligncenter" width="640"] View across the lake[/caption]

Mont Louis was just down the road...a good place for coffee we thought! Its an interesting place...a Citadel that is still in use as a military base and has a small village within its walls. Another design by Vauban.

[caption id="attachment_922" align="aligncenter" width="427"] View from Mont Louis[/caption]









[caption id="attachment_927" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Mont Louis[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_928" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Washing with a view!!![/caption]

After coffee and getting washing done it was a decision whether to turn right or left!...either head to Spain across the mountains and down or back to the coast road. We opted for the coast road...but first we had to drive down the steepest, wiggliest road we have ever seen. I would say that as the crow flies t’s probably at least half the distance we actually travelled. The mountains seemed very different today....much less lush...more sparse. We passed little villages and towns perched high up on the rocks or nestled into crevices...how they ever built these places we’ll never know.





[caption id="attachment_931" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Very wiggly road[/caption]







The road continued to wiggle its way down until we reached Perpignan where we spent a stressful 2 hours in McDonalds trying to upload all the latest blog info.....sorry to those of you actually reading it...we just don’t get wifi access enough to upload something everyday! (just add it to your reading list and settle down with a nice cuppa when you’ve got a few spare minutes and look at the pictures!!)

Once on our way again we were unimpressed with the landscape...it’s almost like they’ve forgotten this part of France...a sort of no mans land between France and Spain. That is, until we came out from a tunnel and saw the sea for the first time....absolutely gorgeous!



 



We continued to drive along windy roads, making our way to Cap De Creus...looking for a likely spot to stop for the night. As we did so, the clouds came tumbling in, the sky turned dark and big drops of rain began to fall. A few years ago, Simon walked part of the Pyrenees and ended up at Cap De Creus....it’s somewhere he has always wanted to come back to...so here we are. Right next to the lighthouse there is a bar/restaurant with accommodation...and that is all that there is here. It’s a national park...and quite rightly so..it’s absolutely stunning.













We have booked in for the night....another treat! Not only do we have a bedroom and bathroom, but also a kitchen/diner/lounge...all with far reaching views over the sea and rocky landscape. It couldn’t have come at a better time for us as we had a very cold night in the mountains last night, we haven’t had a shower for a few days..and it’s raining, so the thought of another cold damp night in the van isn’t very appealing!!! We’ve lit the woodburning stove in the lounge, so we are all toasty....and are settling down to a cosy night in!!!