The Pyrenees

Kilometers: 17.1
Floors: 14 (elevation 400 meters)

Today we went off the trail to save a few kilometers and walked and the main road. It was a little sketchy with cars zooming by, but not terrible. And we went through several more drop-dead gorgeous villages and past adorable farm animals.

Vaccine the Pyrenees dog and the house cat

We are now up officially in the Pyrenees. There is a beautiful Pyrenees dog in our hostel, and the character of the villages has changed because they are all built on steep cliffs and are more with slate roofs and less with tile.

11th century church in Audressein

Frescoes at church entrance

The houses are adorable ...I keep taking photos but then realize it is continuously gorgeous and I should somehow save my iPhone storage. There are gurgling brooks running through these villages, and ancient bridges. Each village seems to have a church, even when the villages are only one kilometer apart! Next to the church is usually an open space with benches and sometimes bathrooms and fresh water.

Typical street in one of the many villages

I keep pinching myself, trying to take in what I'm seeing because I won't be here forever.

Feeding horses with fallen apples from the trail

Sweet village scene

Tonight we are staying in a hostel called Chez Jo and as has been typical, we are the only guests in a room with 8 beds. Yippee. The bathroom is down some very precarious stairs and the shower is down another set of stairs. We get dinner, breakfast, and a bed for 30 Euros.