We have had a wonderful mini holiday in Carnet en Roussilon and are ready to hit the road. We have used this free time off the bike to make some decisions and have decided to take the ferry from Barcelona to Genoa, instead of Sardinia. We are concerned that going to Sardinia will make our time in Italy rushed and coordinating two ferries could make it a bit complicated.
Hotel Le Galeon in Carnet is a gem. The owners (pictured above) bought it one year ago and have made improvements. Highly recommended.
The climbs are beginning and we are leaving the flat terrain of the coastline that we have enjoyed the past few days. Taking a final look back at Carnet en Plage as we head up and out of this area.
It was market day in Coulliore and luckily we arrived just before it started to rain. Barry loves using these wooden frogs when teaching and he bought one to take back to Canada. Apparently, these frogs are also very popular with teachers inFrance too.
Fortifications in Coulliore. It is amazing to travel slowly through areas of such history and one can imagine that the essence of life has changed little over time.
Oh yes, we are in the Pyrenees and Route des Col sums it up. After watching so many Tour de France and Giro d’Italia races, we know what Col (mountain) means!
We reached the summit of this climb, and met these people from Toronto, Canada. It was fun chatting with them. They were visiting family here and teased us that we were a pair of “Crazy Canucks” touring by bike.
Cerbere is close to the border with Spain and this spot shows the train station, Gare Cerbere, which was an important hub as France and Spain used different gauge tracks and adjustments needed to be made here. During the time of Franco, 500,000 refugees escaped over the border to France in 1939, which was known as La Retirada (The Retreat) and took refuge in Cerbere and other villages. There is an exhibit here showing the dramatic events of this time.
Such a beautiful part of the world. This village is nestled along the sea between towering rugged hills. Cerbere attracts visitors for its renowned deep sea diving opportunities.
The silence of the early evening was disrupted by the arrival of the air ambulance. Like the rest of the village, we hung out our window and watched the activity unfold with bated breath. Living in a small community in Canada, we understand the concern of a close knit community..
