Spent two days in San Sebastion, then headed east up into the Pyrenees.  The first night we ended up in a small village that is on the Camino Frances route to Santiago.  When we walked it, we didn’t stop here for the night,but continued on past.  The village is a church, a small store, two Albergues, and a bar cafe.  We also found a very comfortable Casa Rural for the night.  The cafe was the only food in the village so we shared the Pilgrim dinner with about ten Pilgrims.  Interestingly, two of the Pilgrims were Frenchmen who remembered us from the French side, so we had a reunion at the dinner.  The other Pilgrims seemed more reserved and private than we remembered the people on our Camino Frances.  There was also a woman staying at the Casa Rural nursing shin splints, who was a professor from Yuba City. A bit naive about hiking the Camino.

Yesterday we continued northeast into the higher portion of the Pyrenees.  The peaks reach up to 2500 meters, and have a forest skirt of evergreen & deciduous trees, which are now showing their fall colors. It was one of the most spectacular drives we have ever taken.  There were a large number of Eagles soaring on the up drafts of wind.  Mother Nature had painted a very spellbinding scene. We stopped for lunch in a small village, and we were the only non- locals.  Again a great meal, all of which came from the local surroundings.  I had beef cheeks and Monica had rabbit. We also shared a dish of Migas.  It is made mostly of toasted bread crumbs, definitely an old tradional dish, which we have had a number of times in Portugal, but I always thought it kind of blah, but the Basques did it with the breadcrumbs and wild mushrooms.  I loved it!

Today we stopped at Lourdes, it was raining so not too crowded.  It was surprising how large an area the shrine covers, the grotto is small, but covering it is an enormous cathedral, and another church above that, plus other chapels and service areas.

we have continued north, and are now at a crossroad that we hiked a week ago.  We are working our way to Paris and the flight home.

it is amazing that driving in a small village or town can become so confusing.  What with spokes of alley-like narrow streets, crazy drivers (crazier than us), and roulette wheel roundabouts.  It was easier walking and following the yellow arrows.