The Easiest Part May Be Over

I hated to leave you hanging last time but for whatever reason the town I was in (Gandesa) took siesta at 1:30 instead of the traditional 2pm. So they booted me out of the library before I could finish.

I left Horta De Sant Joan that next morning & quickly found a bike trail that took me all the way through Bot and into Gandesa. The mountain scenery near Horta & Bot, esp with a sun coming out & mists swirling in & around the slopes, was incredible, very dramatic. I just kept looking at them and feeling like I was in one of the foreign movies I used to drive from the west side of Cleveland to the east to check out at the Mayfield theatre. I was breathless. Having the path all to myself (I think an old rail line....number of tunnels thru the mountains) was truly a treat too.

By early evening I was looking for a place to camp because some nasty clouds were brewing & then discovered a cabin nestled in the trees but not too far from the road. I undid the wooden latch, pulled the lever on the door & it opened---not locked. It was very nice & clean inside too with kitchenware neatly cleaned & stored & even a small bed in the corner. I put my sleeping bag on it & had a good night's sleep with rains never materializing but a bright moon instead. I left the place spotless except i spilled my cut toenails all over the floor. Gross, I know. I think I picked up most.

Yesterday was amazing. After going thru Asco & Flix (both in nice locales but marred by industry, the former with a nuclear power plant in the front yard and the latter with polluting businesses along the river) I found the day dead quiet only to realize.....another holiday-holy day (fiesta). I asked one woman, did you not have a fiesta last week?" She shrugged her shoulders and said, "It's Spain."

I then got on this small, rural road, very idyllic with stunning scenery. It was quiet the whole day. The towns were not much to speak of like Bovera or Granadella but the surroundings were precious. With the sun out (and my sun bonnet on again, and no jacket) on my silent, twisty road, I could've walked forever. It was very special.

At one point resting, I saw a wolf. Now locals say there are wolfs, but I had read in a guidebook before leaving that there are actually no wolves, only foxes. I saw a fox later in the day & have seen a number of dead ones. What I saw was a wolf! It was huge and for 5 seconds it stopped to look at me before it continued into the mountains. The largest four-legged critter outside of deer & bighorns I have seen traversing in these mountains with me.

I had a great campsite on a hill slope last night with views of the....Pyrenees!!! Finally I have seen the mountains I am about soon to climb. These formations will rival everything I have climbed to date.

What that means is I am about to leave Spain and bid a big adios! Spain has left such an incredible impression on me. I have seen little of Europe in my past always opting to travel in countries my mother has never heard of. Up til now I have only known London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Zurich & Paris and the last time I was on the continent was over 15 years ago.

Spain also has had an advantage. I will have spent 5 weeks walking through the country and every country henceforth will be less time. So Spain has had more time to showcase it's wonders to me. I wonder how the other countries will hold up.

Which brings me to what I have to look forward to. The summer heat has not yet set in, the tourist season has not started, prices are sure to go up and worst of all, I cannot speak any of the languages I am about to enter. I could get by well enough in Spain with my Spanish. In fact it improved. But in French I know three phrases:
How are you?
Where is the toilet?
I want to wrap you in barbed wire. (it was a line I learned from a friend who was a French major in college. Sue, I'm sure you're laughing if reading this)
My friend Fari has given me some needed phrases but I'm afraid for how I will do.

French has seemed to creep into the language here in the last two days with more LES and BON in the signs. It's actually Catalan (a fusion of French and Spanish but more Spanish, and regional). It's getting me ready.

I'm in Les Borges Blanques at the moment, about to hit rural FLAT roads thru Arbeca, Tornabous, & Mafet before beginning the slink ascent up the Pyrenees. And if all goes well, I will exit Spain on Sunday and start week 6 with my 66th country---Andorra, a small place at the top of the mountains sandwiched between Spain & France.

So that's it for now. It's sunny & warm and all is well. The towns are changing in character. I'm seeing Senegalese folks here. More people speak a little English. It FEELS more French. But I know what's on the other side of the mountains. Or do I?