Last Days of Vacation...

I left you on Tuesday night. So lets see, Wednesday wasn't very eventful. I went to the beach in the morning and read after a breakfast of hot chocolate and croissants. It hasn't actually been warm enough to sunbathe, but the beach is nice nonetheless, watching the waves and the surfers. Actually, I'm tempted to pick up the sport; it doesn't look too hard, and it certainly seems like fun.
I rode into town with my aunt and uncle and mom, since my mom and aunt wanted to shop and Stephen and I were going to find some internet to do e-mail things. We did find some internet, and hung out for a few minutes, and not too long later walked back home. It was only about a half hour between the town and our little campsite, and it was gorgeous and sunny outside, which was nice.
We had lunch around 1, and soon after decided to take a trip to see some nearby caves. We all drove in Stephen's, my uncle's, car, along the windy roads until I was just about ready to puke out the window, and then we were there. The Grottes de Sare (Caves of Sare), are magnificent huge caves deep into the mountainside under the Pyrenees. We took a tour, and it reminded me of Lurray Caverns, except with no stalagmites or stalactites. The water runs too quickly to leave large calcium deposits; the water still runs and the rock is worn in fascinating shapes. Early cavemen lived here as proven by remains found, which is pretty neat. There are seashells embedded in the rock, or at least fossilized shells, from when this area was underwater some 30 million years ago, give or take. Bats still live in the caves, and we could see their little furry bodies all wrapped up like cocoons hanging from the roofs of the cave.
After the tour we drove into town to do some shopping, in the case of my aunt, my mom, and I, and for a beer at the bar in the case of my dad and uncle. I got some gift shopping done, which was nice, and my mom got me a cute top/dress thing and some leggings. We joined my dad and uncle at the bar for a drink then headed back home for dinner. We cooked dinner in our little cabin and all ate together, as we have every night here. We went out to the beach afterwards to catch the sunset. There are benches above the beach and you can watch the waves and the surfers and put your feet up on the little stone ledge.
Thursday, our last full day, we hung around the campsite and beach. I read a lot, got some sun, at least on my face, and watched the surfers. We had a picnic lunch on the beach, and my uncle went for a bike ride since it was nice weather. I walked along the beach for quite some time, listening to music and then to the waves, and picking up rocks and then dropping them again. It was very nice.
Dinner was good, and was again followed by one last relaxing evening watching the beach and the ever-persistent surfers. Tomorrow we're leaving early (around 7:30 or so) so I spent some time packing this afternoon, as did my parents. It's only 9:45 now but I'm exhausted, probably from not doing anything today. Goodnight!

Friday morning we woke up super early (around 6:30 or so) to shower and take the sheets off our beds to give back to my aunt and uncle, who had kindly brought them for us. Since they were driving all the way to the north of France that day, they were leaving early around 7. We ended up leaving around 8 or so since we had already packed up, and we had a fair amount of driving to do the next couple of days.
We arrived in Pau, a French town just north of the Pyrenees about an hour from the Atlantic coast, around 9:30. My aunt used to live here for six months or so, and almost bought a house here, so my mom really wanted to see it, as did I. We walked around a little in the rain and saw the Pyrenees and found a castle. We took the tour of the castle, which proved to be pretty fascinating. It's the castle where Henry IV was born, one of the better French kings, as far as they go. Apparently he was the last king to be a proper soldier and fight with his soldiers, and made it his mission to make sure everyone in his kingdom had meat to eat once a week. Perhaps he cared about his subjects? Anyway, I think he's more famous for having only taken one bath his entire life, which he only took in order to consummate his first marriage, since his wife refused to sleep with him if he didn't clean himself first. He was sadly assassinated, supposedly at the order of his last wife, who wasn't the same as his first, which is kind of a shame. The castle itself had some pretty great treasures, including a wooden table 18 meters long, a giant turtle shell where little King Henry IV was first deposited at his birth, and more tapestries than you can shake a stick at.
After the castle tour and some sandwiches, we continued on our way; next stop Carcassonne. Carcassonne is another town not unlike Pau, but further down the Pyrenees close to the Mediterranean coast. We arrived and parked, and confusedly searched for the tourist office for some time, and more importantly, the castle. One would think a castle wouldn't be hard to find, especially since we'd already found the walls, and were inside them. Well, go figure, there are actually two towns surrounded by medieval walls in the area, and once we found a map, realized we were some fifteen minutes from the actual castle we were looking for, and we set off.
The REAL Carcassonne castle might be the epitome of all castles everywhere. It is the only medieval city to have the entire wall surrounding the town intact, as well as the castle still standing in excellent condition. We arrived late and didn't get a guided tour and instead walked around, so I know nothing of the history of Carcassonne. I do know the book Labyrinth partially takes place there, if you're into reading. The castle itself is pretty fantastic, with lots of turrets, walls, arrow slots or whatever those skinny windows are called, portcullises, and more. Since one wall was apparently not enough they actually built a second one, so part of the city has a double defense, not counting at all the fact that the whole thing was built up on a hill.
Though I didn't learn very much history of the castle, we did learn why we had trouble finding it. Apparently when some faction (perhaps the Moors, but I don't remember) were kicked out of the fort and it was conquered, they were peeved and stubborn enough to build a neighboring city about 200 meters away from which they could launch more attacks. There, they built another wall from which to defend their position, the wall we originally and mistakenly believed surrounded the castle and its town. Talk about a feud.
Anyway, we found a hotel and stayed the night in Carcassonne, but only after meandering along the medieval town's streets (no cars allowed), and peering into yet another cathedral, not unlike the last fifteen or eighteen I've seen. We went out to dinner and then to bed, and woke the next morning in time to visit several markets. We got some lunch materials and also some gift types, then after breakfast headed off again. It was Saturday, and we needed to make it to Barcelona by that night.
We drove first south, and soon hit the Mediterranean coast, which is both gorgeous and markedly different from the Atlantic coast. Rather than being green and forested, it is mostly scrubland, though with still imposing mountains. There are lots of palms, the water is much bluer, if possible, and the coast is rocky and cliffy rather than too beachy. We followed a windy road along the coast, since the coastline, unlike in many places, is not a straight line but a rather cliff and cove-ridden place. The Pyrenees meet the Mediterranean with a vengeance, and with no room to maneuver.
We passed a myriad of adorable small towns, first in France, then in Spain when we crossed the border. We stopped along the road for a picnic lunch on a bench overlooking the water and one of the towns with yet another castle. We didn't visit, but enjoyed the view, and tried to finish our groceries leftover from the week, since otherwise they would have to be thrown out. I dipped my toes in the water after clambering down the hill and rocks to the sea, but the water is still too frigid to swim in, at least for me.
Soon after crossing into Spain we found yet another monastery, which we decided to visit, I think to my mother's chagrin. She was driving, and the road up to the monastery was not the kindest (cliff down on one side, cliff up on the other side, and with the occasional speeding cyclist coming down the other direction). We made it up eventually and I tried unsuccessfully to cure mom of her fear of heights. I guess walking on top of the stone barrier over the cliff edge is not the best cure.
The monastery was partly in ruins, since it had been plundered in the 20th century sometime, but was still neat. It has apparently been around since at least the 10th century (over a thousand years ago), which is also pretty cool. There are no more monks, but there is a pretty nice tour and the most amazing view of the Mediterranean, pretty rocks, cliffs, and mountains all around.
We set off again and eventually hit a motorway, which made our way a little easier. We had already booked a hotel near the airport in Barcelona, and we managed to not get lost at all on the way there. We settled in, repacked everything, toured the Corte Ingles nearby and had a quick dinner before getting back to bed. I was very sad to be leaving my parents, and wanted to get on the plane back with them to the US when they left, but I only have two months left in Europe, and only three weeks more of class. Not even really, thanks to random holidays and early exams.
My TO DO list for my last two weeks in Valencia: Learn how to cook Tortilla Española and Arroz al Horno from my host mom, get some last minute gifts (OH MY GOODNESS SOME OF YOU ARE SO HARD TO SHOP FOR), spend a night on the beach, or at least several days, climb a mountain, swim in the Mediterranean, and say goodbye to all my favorite places in the city (the cathedral, the Torres de Serrano, the rio/park). Anything I'm forgetting?
Up next: Last Weeks in Valencia, then, Adventures With Family in France and England.
PS: You guys need to learn how to comment on these friggin blogs. It's not that hard guys. Have I been forgotten in Spain?!