After my four days break in Sete, I was ready to be back on my bicycle again. So where to next? It all depended on the rain and wind. And so, following the weather forecast, planning my next part of the cycling journey, I decided to continue south (rather than west). Cycling through the Pyrenees Mountains towards Spain.
The original idea was to go towards Toulouse and the west coast of France and Spain. Nevertheless, I had no desire to cycle into strong winds. It didn’t really matter where in Spain I would finish, did it? And heading towards Barcelona and Valencia sounded perfect to me.
However, that also meant crossing the Pyrenees Mountains in a few days, which was much sooner than expected. Was I ready?
So now, that I changed direction, it was time to leave the Eurovelo cycling paths (thank you for leading me all the way here) and map out my own way towards the Pyrenees Mountains and the Spanish Border.
After Sete I headed towards Narbonne and Perpignan mainly on the main roads. Narbonne is a gorgeous town with a stunning gothic church, the ‘Cathedral of Saint-Just and Saint-Pasteur’. I had the perfect view from my hotel. Not to mention the delicious ice cream!
And then it was time for the Pyrenees Mountains.
The Pyrenees Mountains
The Pyrenees Mountains are a range of mountains, forming a natural border between Spain and France. The highest peak (Aneto) reaches 3,404 metres altitude but I chose the 280m low pass that lead me into Spain. Perfect peak for cycling. Although a more popular route for cyclists seems to be the route along the coast. Maybe next time…
It was an unbelievable feeling cycling the Pyrenees Mountains. The road (N-II) was wide enough to share with traffic and the windy route made the hill quite doable. Or was I that fit? Either way, it seemed I reached the top faster than I expected. WOW! What an achievement. I felt great!
On top of the Pyrenees mountains and on the French/Spanish border, I reach 2000km, cycling through Germany and France. Awesome!
And as I rolled down the hill the next 24km, my first stop in Spain was Figueres, in Catalonia and the town of DALI.
…to be continued….
Dali Museum 
