Cosmos Les Escaldes

... having a beer and watching a man try to dig his van out of the snow. To my knowledge his van is to this moment where it was when I left the bar.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to post some pictures of Canillo when it's snowy and the sun comes out. Don't have too many, but figured it was worth a post.

... at 7:30am. However upon arriving at l'Hospitalet all my fears were put to rest.

It's misleading that they call l'Hospitalet a train station, it would be more correct if they called it a gravel lot with vending machines. As I filed into the line to get off the train, eager to find the bus, I grew frustrated that the line wasn't moving faster. When my turn finally came to get off the train I noticed that the line continued straight from the train to ...

... village et quand on est arrivé, il avait le marché du matin. On a acheter du vin à environ 1 euro le litre (vin de pays) et du bon fromage bleu pour le déjeuner.

On avait pas le droit de prendre des photos dans la grotte pour pas faire de la pollution lumineuse (il y avait déja des ptites pousses de plante pres des lanternes...ils veulent pas en rajouté non plus). Aussi il faut pas déranger les chauve souris...pauve cocottes...

Found out today that the 90 day tourist visa that I thought we were granted for each country is actually for the combined Senchgen countries. Since we'll be at least 60 days in France alone, it means we won't be doing the France, Italy, Greece and then Turkey route we had planned on in the length of time we'd ...

... and being close to nature, feeling the sting of cold on my nose but being able to retreat into the warmth of my sleeping bag, and dreaming about what else is sharing the night with me.

Motherly Instincts

Full moon came and Fatty had her piglets. The cutest little things make lovely grunts when feeding which mommy echos. All huddled together under the heat lamp it’s irrisistable not to go and take peaks at them.

Boussenac, Midi-Pyrénées, France 2totango

... the weekend and they’re ready for pickup and processing. Brian had always been interested in butchering meat, so here was an opportunity to learn a bit.

The drive back from the abattoir was more difficult than I’d expected. Sitting beside 4, ½ pig carcasses was less than comfortable. +6 degree weather outside we still drove with the windows down and the A/C on trying to get the temperature down to 2 or 3 ...

... than anything else. However, for a first time climber this is often the most difficult. The death grip mush come off the rock and weight comes off your feet. Floating on air! You push aside thoughts of whether or not the rope will hold and begin to descend.

Actually, I found the job of belaying much more difficult than that of climbing. Not only ******* the arms hauling the rope around and holding it securely, was the knowledge that ...

... called ‘Patou’ are raised with a herd (Pyrenees mountain dogs). As a result they will guard and defend their animals from any predator they may face - including humans. If you happen to wander in range they will bark furiously and give you many warnings to get away. If you don’t heed the warnings - you’re at your own risk with a fierce dog that comes up to your ...

... for instructions from our guide. Far enough now, and the group waits in solid silence for what comes next.

Perfectly positioned, the guide turns on a single light and we’re blinded with a whole wall full of images! Not just simple line drawing either - they are quite detailed. Many make use of the natural contours of the rock and the shadows that it creates to add life and depth to the images. A truly remarkable sight as image after ...

Today was the day to head into the mountains. Having never cycled in mountains before, I was quite dubious about the task. Especially considering my track record. So far on this trip, ‘hills’ have caused me great pain and anxiety. So in comparison, ‘mountains’ seemed like they might be a mite bit worse.

Pulling away from the bustle of city life, and the crowded together towns, it was quite refreshing to have ...