This is a Supplement to the Previous Blog 😬

 Because Jo Asked for More PHOTOS 😉

North of Lourdes

First up, a couple of quick hits from the ride we did on Saturday, which involved riding past Lourdes then on to do a loop north of the city, then back through for a spot of lunch. It will probably be the only time we stop in or ride through Lourdes on this trip as it was very busy, and slow riding through the centre of town. (And yes, I know you could have told me that but now I really do know for myself what a busy place it is.) 

The countryside though is marvellous, with lots of windy roads and little towns tor roll through. The highlight was a fantastic weaving descent after a (typically Pyrenean) short, quite acute climb.

Can you spot the short sharp climb?

There was a very slight bit of liquid sunshine happening as we set out and we couldn't decide whether the rain jackets should be on or off. Consequently, mine came off and Di's stayed on but undone:

I think we don't need our jackets; Di does. It looks like she's fed up with me, but who knows? 😉

Here's a photo of Di just coming towards the top of that steep climb I mentioned above: 

Had to get a photo of the Batten with palm trees, flowers and quite an attractive house and outbuilding

The countryside is just so fertile it seems almost like the cows just can't keep the grass down. There sure are lots of them about, some even behind fences:

The local farmers seem to like planting flowers on the borders of their properties

Every once in a while I pull the GoPro out and take a photo of a random house, barn or other structure. There are lots of very handsome buildings about the place, and here's one as an example:

Built to last and shelter a large family

Although the clouds hung around and it did rain while we were having coffee under an awning in Lourdes, it was quite warm and the rain stopped just as we were setting off for the 13 or so kilometres back to Argelès so we never actually needed the rain jackets in the end, and all in all it proved to be quite a lovely ride.

An Evening Walk in Argelès

An aerial view of Argelès-Gazost

After it rained quite a lot from yesterday early in the morning through to early afternoon, it cleared off and we thought it would be pleasant to have a walk to centre ville, do a bit of shopping, watch the world go by with a cold drink and have a bit to eat. The walk gave us a good opportunity to appreciate some of the beautiful houses of this lovely town. Here are a bunch of photos to illustrate:

The biggest delight of our little tour though was discovering Le Jardin des Abeilles, or the bee garden. A lot of love has gone into nurturing these precious insects. Here are a couple of photos to illustrate:

Another delight was discovering a lovely watercourse at the base of the hillside below the Bee Hotel:

There was also a functioning waterwheel just upstream but I couldn't get in a good enough position to take a video of it in action.

A little further along on our way back to our accommodation we descended these attractive steps:

I forgot to insert the picture I took of an old Renault on the way up into Centre Ville so I'll add it now:

Our accommodation is quite near a great park, part of which is occupied by the Bouledrome. We watched for a few minutes as a foursome of old codgers ~ who were probably at least a few years younger than the audience of two ~ were winding up a game. There was a brilliant shot to seal the match and "Bien joué!" rang out from the other players. Here they are picking up their boules at the end of the match:

One of the reasons for going for a stroll was to pick up some bread for breakfast, and a couple of other random baked goods: 

Fantastic bread, two pain au raisin (and I won't divulge the secret indulgences in the box)

 Finally I will leave you with the great view south towards the towering summits of the Pyrenees south of Argelès. It's quite a spot to hang out and do the odd bit of exercise: