Day 9 Jaca

N-260

Today was a five hour drive to the town of Jaca through the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen. The N-260 route through the Pyrenees (a total of 10 hours) is sensory overload. The Alps and the Rockies might have slightly higher peaks, but the Pyrenees have the most varied and beautiful views of any drive I've ever taken. Ninety five percent of the time you're looking at something that defies description. I'm at a loss for adjectives - stunning maybe. It is not an easy drive; it's two lanes and in parts only one and a half so sometimes you have to pull over for cars coming from the other direction. Trucks are another story - in two cases I had to back up at a turn. Fortunately, there's not much traffic and zero traffic lights. There are a 1000 turns; my left arm was tired from steering as my right was constantly shifting, always in third of fourth gear never in fifth. A car with an automatic shift is not the way to go. I would recommend this drive for anyone (note the N-260 road at the bottom of the picture). It's hard to get good pictures since there are not many places to pull over. I would love to do it again only from west to east, with a driver, a good camera and a bottle of scotch. It's a dream ride for motorcyclists and geologists alike.

Dessert

Checked into the Hotel Mur around two o'clock and went up to the room. I had made reservations for only one night, but after seeing the hotel, the room and a little bit of the town, we decided to spend two nights in Jaca. The room was small by American standards, but a more than adequate. The hotel built in 1875 was cute, the amenities up to date and only cost $60 a night with breakfast. A quick walk around town had showed us there was plenty to do, with lots of attractions, restaurants and shops. What impressed me the most was that I saw no English menus and from what I could tell no tourists - similar to Le Seu but a little larger town.

Later we walked around town, went into the Cathedral, looked in the shops, and tried to figure out what restaurant to have dinner. None of the restaurants opened until 8:30, and since we hadn't eaten lunch, we were the first ones in the Meson Serrablo. Started off with some fantastic mushrooms and scrambled eggs, followed by wild boar stew for me, and lamb parts for Sylvia - both were good. Dessert was ice cream with custard and fruit something or other - should have ordered two or three. Tired and stuffed we got back to the room by 10:30 and crashed.