Solaris Apartments Pas de la Casa

... 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. But it wasn't too long before all my amusement was replaced with respect. As we started up the mountains, it was easy to see that the nearly 2000m climb up to Canillo isn't a laughing matter. Turn after turn we zig-zagged up intensely steep grade in a 15 ton death trap, and our driver just bounced along as if it was nothing. I'm sure it really is nothing to someone who does that kind of thing everyday, because when we got to the first stop at ...

... 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...

Time to attempt something I’ve always been itching to do: rock climbing. And not the kind done on indoor walls with padded flooring. Real out-in-the-open, unforgiving stone ROCK CLIMBING!

Out in the Pyrenees in the Ariege region with it’s beautiful slopes lie a multitude of rock faces covered in climbers pretending to be Spiderman.

Even though it’s something I’ve always wanted to try, there were a few ...

... br>
Despite the dogs and the cold and wind, we did manage a little hike up past a waterfall up to a beautiful plateau area with mountains all around. Huddled behind a rock to provide some resistance from the wind, we scarfed down a bit of picnic lunch before running back to the truck for warmth. Then it was down into the town of Ax to soak our cold feet into some hot springs.

... 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 ...

... was time to plunge down. Catching a glimpse of the farm with my telephoto lens Brian had some bearings to go by. Into deciduous forest that was misty and light, then further down the valley into darker trees. Ground thick with fallen leaves and branches made traversing difficult. With the steep slope and last night’s rain, it was a little like skree hopping…

Once in the woods it was impossible to see what ...

... never French. As in Barcelona, though, the main language is Catalan, one of Andorra’s few claims to fame. For me, though, it has another claim to fame. THIS IS MY 100TH COUNTRY!!! WHOOPPEE!! BREAK OUT THE CHAMPAGNE!!! As it is, I’ll settle for a decent meal and a decent night’s sleep. At least I have a decent room for a decent price, so better than the last night in Barcelona and no small consideration for any ...

... I "Rrruufff, rrruufff!" at Cyril to remind him of whose life we now have. All we do is go look for milk, go look for soft drinks, go look for vegetables ... Once, a high-ranking cashier called for Cyril. As my roommate ran to the front of the store, I yelled, "Va chercher! Va chercher!" ("Go look for!" - but, if said to a dog it means, "Go fetch! Go fetch!") A ton of snow has hit the world lately. It´s kept me from taking hitchhiking trips to France on my days off. A lot of the ...

... shortly, Dave and I were able to very gradually zigzag our way down the hills with a piece of skill. Dave - to me - resembles a typical English punk. His round head is encased in a jet-black ball of shoulder-length hair, which in turn gets encased in a dark winter cap when he snowboards. He wears a yellow sweatshirt beneath a black winter vest. Seeing Dave weave his way down the ski slope is an amazing thing. He crouches on the board, presenting a look ...