longer.blue

Day 9 of our Pyrenees tour: canyons, cows, horses, sheep, vultures, and… curves! Alternating between Spain and France, in every shape and form imaginable! Daily distance: approx. 250 km. Vertical meters covered: Mount Everest would turn green with envy… 🫣🤣 I hadn't anticipated sitting on the motorcycle drenched in sweat right after breakfast at the hotel in Jaca, but mercifully, the weather gods provided cloud cover for our planned route; this dropped the temperature from a sultry 27°C in the city to a pleasant 22°C in the canyons—making carving through those curves truly fun… 🤗🏍️🏍️🏍️. Although Santiago de Compostela is still nearly 750 km away (that’s about 14 days' journey?!), the pilgrim trails running alongside the roads are clearly marked with the pilgrim symbol: the scallop shell. As for the route: We started with the winding gorge of the Rio Eska (Salvatierra de Eska)—the first highlight of the day—where we could refill our water supplies at a spring (staying hydrated is essential in these temperatures, and tap water here usually isn't drinkable 🫢, so spring water is very welcome! 👍). Then, at the Mirador de Belagua, we tackled the switchbacks climbing up into the high mountains toward the mountain village of Arette, a ski resort (I’ve ridden up and down these things hundreds of times, yet I still hate them… 🙄). Regarding the high mountain areas here: they are often designated as "free-range zones" for livestock. This means the animals have absolute right of way and free rein—you’ll encounter cows, sheep, goats, and… large herds of horses 🤔🫣😉, along with the usual "deposits" they leave behind, so watch your throttle… 😉. We continued via Licq-Athérrey—after fortifying ourselves in Tardets with "small" sandwiches (€5.50 each 🫣—I have no idea how they calculate their prices)—taking the Route d’Espagne up to the next pass, the Col de Larrau (~1,585m), which is already part of the Atlantic Pyrenees. We then rode on via Garaioa on the Spanish side (temperatures had climbed back up to 35°C by then 🥵). After a fuel stop 🥤, we took a road with incredible curves via Luzaide/Valcarlos—I’ve never ridden anything quite like it 🫣🫢👍🤗🏍️🏍️🏍️—to our hotel for the night in Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry in the Basque Country. Tomorrow, on our final day, we’re heading towards the Atlantic 😎.