Day 9 - Lourdes to Pau

Today's headline: Cyclists survive storm taking shelter in greenhouse (more in that later).

We had rain last night, and it was cold, down to 8, but got up to some sun trying to peek through. 

And as we got on the road to Lourdes the skies opened. Lourdes is a town dedicated to religion. Miracles and visions from the past have people from around the world coming to visit, a pilgrimage. On a more significant religious day, the streets would be packed. We weren't allowed too close with our bikes, but we could feel the impression. 

And then we headed for the foothills of the Pyrenees, and it was a beautiful ride. (see Marc just about to climb the hill in his blue raincoat). 

And the roads and paths had stunning views, and the rain came and went, and came and went. 

Many small villages along the way. This one seemed to be abandoned but for the donkey and a few dogs (behind fences) who had a lot to say. 

But we eventually found our morning snack. 

And continued our beautiful ride. 

We came across a lovely big Abbey, and I know it is the wrong country but still, how do you solve a problem like Maria? 😉

More beautiful quiet narrow streets. 

And a lucky lucky white horse, or two along the path. 

But as we put on more kms without rain, the road ahead looked, well, like a lot of rain  .....

And wow did we get caught. The wind came up, the skies opened and quite a storm came through. We need shelter, so we turned back towards the closest village and took refuge in a greenhouse. It was a very powerful storm for about 30 minutes. And then we could carry on. 

We got to Pau, a little wet and ready for a roof. We basically took Velo Route 81, and it was such a great route. Highly recommend it. 

We have a lovely air bnb apartment, greeted by our host who welcomed us with a bottle of wine in the frig, and biscuits 🥰. And more local wine with a delicious local meal. 

Another day done. This region of France is lovely, so lush and green. The forest trees are covered in ivy up to their own leaves, and the bamboo stands several stories high. The rain today only made everything more beautiful, and added quite a few puddles to the trail!  

Please leave a comment for us to read. We are happy to have others share our adventures. 

Stats for today.