Welcome to my first post! I'll be taking you on a trip through France today. I hope you enjoy reading this post!
In the beginning of 2020 we were talking about our summer holiday. Where would we go this year? After some discussion we decided on America. We would be discovering the east coast for about 3 weeks. Little did we know that in March our whole country would go in lockdown. And that because of a Chinese man who ate a stressed bat? (That's one of the many theories, right?) Well, a long mental breakdown later (in April or May) we were looking at some other trips closer to home. We really wanted to go somewhere in the summer, because our annual trip to Lanzarote in April had also been cancelled. A bit later we found the perfect trip: an adventurous holiday in a small village in the Pyrenees.
We started planning how we would get there. By plane was not an option obviously. We decided to go by car, so we could also make some stops in France. With a Tesla you have to plan your stops in advance, because you need to be able to charge the battery. So a long story short: We would drive to Spain in about 4 days, stay in Spain for a week and drive back in 3 days. Now the holiday can actually begin!
Day 1: Dijon
After a long day in the car, our first stop was Dijon. You may think of Dijon mustard, that's what I did anyway. Did you know that about 80% of the seeds used to make Dijon mustard come from Canada? Crazy, right? This picture was taken from our hotel room. We only stayed there overnight and in the morning we stepped right back in the car.
Hotel: Holiday Inn, Dijon
Day 2: The little streets of Lyon
From Dijon to Lyon to Avignon today. We visited Lyon and it was so nice. The little streets and the Hard Rock Cafe were my favourite. We stopped at the supercharger in Orange and saw our first vineyard in France! In the evening we arrived in Avignon and went straight to the swimming pool of our hotel. Very refreshing and much needed!
Restaurant: Hard Rock Cafe, Lyon
Hotel: Best Western Plus Le Lavarin, Avignon
Day 3: The beautiful city of Arles
Arles was the highlight of day 3. Arles is a lovely city in the South of France and it has an old arena, an obelisk and again beautiful little streets. To be honest, the obelisk is not worth a detour, but the arena and theatre are! It was so hot, but there was so much to see in so little time. After a couple of hours of exploring Arles, we drove to Ramonville-Saint-Agne. We passed Narbonne and Carcassonne, which you may know from the boardgame. If you would like to see Carcassonne, I would reccomend stopping at a viewpoint next to the A61. We stopped at Aire du Belvédère d’Auriac and there was a nice view.
Places to visit: Arènes d'Arles / Théâtre antique d'Arles / Aire du Belvédère d’Auriac
Hotel: Le Domaine de Montjoie, BW Premier Collection, Ramonville-Saint-Agne
Day 4: Finally in Spain!
Today we drove through the mountains on narrow roads with hairpin turns. Not the best if you get carsick easily, but I survived! We drove through the little village Bourisp and stopped at a small bakery. They had the best snacks for on the road! Later on we drove through the tunnel of Aragnouet-Bielsa. In this tunnel you cross the border of France and Spain. Our final destination was coming very close now, so we drove right to Aínsa from there. We were finally in Spain so our adventurous holiday could begin.
Before dinner, we checked in at the hotel. We had a little apartement, because my brother had injured his knee right before the trip and he would be spending quite some time there. It was basic, but had everything you need for a comfortable stay.
We were ready for a lovely Spanish meal by now, so we went to a restaurant named Ordesa 88. The food was good and the weather was nice, for a while... Just before we paid it started raining. No big deal, you would think. Well I agree, until it starts hailing. I honestly thought the cars would have dents all over them at the end. A warm welcome, right? So that was our first day in Spain.
Bakery: Le fournil de l'Ours, Bourisp
Restaurant: Ordesa 88, Aínsa
Hotel: Apartamentos Dos Rios, Aínsa
To be continued...
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