ROAD TRIP: LISBON TO THE PYRENEES, Guest Post by Susan Kean

The Pyrenees, on the border between Spain and France.

My friend Susan Kean and her partner George recently went on a driving trip from Lisbon in Portugal, through Spain, to the Dordogne region in the South of France, where they visited friends and toured the countryside, including a visit to the famous painted caves of Lascaux (a replica). Susan has graciously agreed to share her photos with The Intrepid Tourist. I have divided them into three sections, starting with the first leg of the trip, Lisbon to the Pyrenees. The next sections will appear in the following weeks. Susan writes:

Our first stop was just beyond Madrid in a town called Guadalajara.

Infantado Palace in Guadalajara, Spain

Lunch of "baby eels"

My lunch at a ‘Rest’ stop in Spain was a local delicacy…baby eels… I thought we asked for shrimp! It took us awhile to work out what they were. Happily, they were not real baby eels but made from fish like our mock crab meat. Eating real baby eels is controversial and they are a delicacy and very expensive.

Bull (toro) silhouette along side of the road in Spain.

This was originally an ad for Toro Brandy but has now become a symbol of Spain and they are all over the country.

CanFranc Estacion

Spanish roads were very good. We arrived in the CanFranc Estacion, an incredible hotel which one once a railway station high up in the Pyrenees. George had read about it in the Financial Times.

Check-in at the CanFranc Estacion Hotel.

Crocuses.

We drove up the mountains a bit and George spotted these wonderful Autumn Crocuses growing wild.

Susan's next posts: 

ROAD TRIP: THE BEAUTIFUL DORDOGNE REGION OF FRANCE. November 6, 2023

THE LASCAUX CAVES, TREASURE HOUSE OF PREHISTORIC ART. November 13, 2023