Stepping out of the Groove: Chartres, Bordeaux, Andorra, and into Spain

Our departure from Paris involved a bus ride out to Charles de Gaulle Airport followed by a rental car pickup and then a couple of hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic getting out of Dodge. It was the first day of the Paris Air Show (50th Anniversary) and the place was jammed with traffic. Eventually we hit clear sailing on the interstate (equivalent) and before too long we were in Chartres.

Chartres is home to the Chartres Cathedral. The cathedral is considered one of the most architecturally important building of it's era and also offers an amazing array of stained glass. The cathedral is absolutely huge. I am not sure about the interior dimensions, but I would say the ceiling is conservatively well over 100 feet in height.

Our plan post-Paris was to make our way south towards the wine country of Bordeaux. We hoped to visit some vineyards and maybe do some biking. However, the rain was relentless. We camped in Bordeaux and after two days of packing up wet tents, we were moving on to dryer pastures. The weather appeared to be better south of the Pyrenees in Spain, so that is where we headed.

Near the southern border of France, we saw a sign for Carcassonne. It triggered a long-forgotten memory for me of having been to Carcassonne in 1989. I recalled that it was a medieval walled city and well worth the visit. We headed that way and actually arrived to a rain-free zone in southern France. The ancient walled city goes back 2500 years in history. We found a terrific campground within walking distance of the walls. Camping has been our saving grace here in western Europe. We toted these tents around since South Africa and did not use them at all for the longest time. However, Europe is super pricey and the tents have allowed us to stay on budget.

Speaking of budgets. Here comes a little bit of bragging: we made it through a week in Paris with an apartment in the first arrondissement for $275/day for 5 people. That includes seeing all of the major sites and usually 2-3 of those sites per day. It was not easy. We don't have a lot to report from Paris on the various quaint cafes scattered around the city. We ate at the grocery store. Just like we do at home.

Next we crossed the Pyrenees Mountains that separate France from Spain and we stayed two nights in the principality of Andorra. Andorra is a bit of a novelty for passport stamp collectors - much like Lichtenstein. It measures 470 square km so it is similar in size to Ouray County. The entire country is populated in a narrow valley high in the mountains. It looks as if it is a major ski destination. Lots of higher end developments ala Aspen or Vail. We enjoyed some fine weather there and did a nice hike up in the mountains. Also, it seems that most of the campgrounds in Europe have concrete (outside) ping pong tables. So we bought paddles and balls and have been ponging it up on a regular basis. A nice addition to our daily routine.

We left Andorra a few days ago and after a windy, circuitous drive we ended up in NE Spain on the Costa Brava. We passed though a town called Sant Joan de les Abadesses, which we concluded was honoring Joanie as Saint Joanie of the Bad Asses. Nice to be recognized.

Yesterday, we were wrapping up a long day in the car when we stumbled upon a great find: Sigüenza. Joanie had predicted earlier that day that we would find a cool village. She was right. We were just trying to make miles towards Segovia and we ran into Sigüenza in the Guadalajara province. What a neat place. Population of around 5000. Great looking castle on the high point in town as well as a spectacular cathedral. No campground, but we found and affordable hotel. We rented bikes today and cruised around the neighboring countryside. Sigüenza has the classic narrow cobble-stone streets and seemingly very few tourists. We are glad to be here.