Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 10.
Route: Lourdes -- Cirque de Gavarnie -- Pic du Midi de Bigorre carpark (spend the night)
Must-Incur Costs :
(1) Petrol at Luz St Sauveur - EUR42.80 (last filled in Biarritz on Day 6)
(2) Parking in Gavarnie - EUR4
The Story
100915 : My hiking shoes spoilt the previous day while I was doing a short trek in Pyrenees National Park. So, Prof Sweet Tooth drove to Lourdes for the second time to get me a new pair of shoes. It was not very far. He had driven the night before to Lourdes and we had spent the night by the roadside close to the town. We woke up feeling warm. This time, we were pretty confident in walking around Lourdes without getting lost. We walked back into Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes and this time, I saw that most of the doors were closed and got a beautiful view of the detailed mosaic. You can see the comparison in my post when I was there on Day 8.
We have been in France for 10 days but I have yet to try any French Onion Soup. Prof Sweet Tooth says that this is the most local food that one must try in France. He suggested that because I am always commenting that I will only eat French food since I am in France. But we had tried pizza and burger in France. The meat in the burger is juicy. The tomato paste on pizza is delicious. How can French people stay so slim with all these yummy food? Anyway, we finally found our French Onion Soup as we randomly walk into restaurants asking if they have the dish on the menu. Our French Onion Soup costs EUR5. It is unfortunately, tasteless. It is served with pieces of French bread and cheese and no taste of onion. So, we sprinkled some pepper inside.
We continued our hunt for my hiking shoes. I was beginning to be skeptical if they sold sports shoes or attire. I did see baby clothes with catchy phrases like - My granny came to Lourdes and got me this. It dawned on me that the tourist population comprises of the elderly which would definitely fall into the category of grandparents. If I was a Catholic, I would definitely put Lourdes as one of my must-visit places in my pilgrimage journey in my golden age.
Finally, I saw the shop that got me my perfect hiking shoes! I really did give up hope, but being in Lourdes, one shall never lose hope for a miracle. My miracle appeared. I got my hiking shoes for EUR40. It is way cheaper than my retired hiking shoes. It is a Notton brand which comes from Spain. I have not heard of it before but it is the perfect size, although it did chafe my heels a bit.
After my happy purchase, we were off to the next place - Cirque de Gavarnie. Parking is available at a flat rate of EUR4 where one can park until the next morning 8am.
Cirque is the geological term for a mountain glacial feature which is typified by the examples at Gavarnie, Estaube and Troumouse. They are incredible natural bowls carved out by ancient glaciers in grey, ochre and pink limestone rocks which have been turned over and thrust up to an altitude of 3000 metres by unimaginable geological forces. The Gavarnie cirque is the best known of the cirques in the region with its 6.5 km diameter, its wall of 1500 metres and in its heart, the largest waterfall in Europe (427m). This is the only cirque accessible all year round. (Source from Summer Gavarnie)
Before we started our walk, Prof Sweet Tooth decided to have a late lunch because the French Onion Soup was not up to his standard. There were a few cafes available. We parked ourselves in Bar Brasserie where I got myself a cup of hot chocolate and Prof Sweet Tooth got a burger with french fries served on a hot plate which he enjoyed tremendously. He is a man with very choosy food taste and if he says it is nice, it must be nice. My drink - EUR2.80. His burger - EUR14.90.
We officially started our walk to the Cirque at 5pm. It was drizzling, and the place was foggy. We could not see the Cirque, although it was stated that one could see from the village. I wished very hard that the rain will remove the fog. We took the easy path as we did not have enough time to take the longer route. The long route could take one 5 hours to walk. It took us 1.5 hour to get to the Hotel - the hotel accommodation that is the closest and faces the Cirque. The place looks closed though.
We decided to walk further past this signboard that warned us of the danger zone. We were extra careful in our steps, and know this is at our own risk. The fog slowly floated away and we could see a clearer view of the Cirque. I saw the biggest waterfall. We walked for an hour till we were very close to the Waterfall.
The fog gradually thinned and we could finally see the entire Cirque. It was a gorgeous view.
We reached back at the village by 9.30pm and was guided by the moonlight. The drive continues to Pic du Midi de Bigorre. It was one of the scariest drive we did. The route ascended up to the mountains and the navigator in the car could not detect the altitude as we break past 2000m. The road was close to the ledge, and Prof Sweet Tooth has to drive really carefully as we went higher. The road became a descending slope, and we could not see any signboard for Bigorre. I was afraid we were on the wrong route but soon, I caught sight of a small town which has lots of accommodation (that were actually ski resorts) and banners welcoming tourists to Bigorre. Prof Sweet Tooth parked the car and wrapped himself in a blanket wearing only a T-shirt and shorts, walked out in 7 degrees looking for the information centre to ensure we are in the right place. I asked if he was not cold? He said - I am a Scandinavian. I am not cold. *rolls eyes*
This time, we slept at the carpark. Not the roadside.
1 comment:
I must tell that the photo of the stone arch bridge trigged me to think about the movie "The Lord of the Ring"; if there had been a hobbit coming across it, I wouldn't rised my eyebrow very much... ;-)
But honestly, even the scenery of the rest of the walk is cinematic, and you can be in any Century when you see the landscape. I hope to return there again, to see if that hamburger is still yummy the next time, but I would also like to continue the track and see how the glaciers behind the giant wall of stones look like.
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