A Week in the Pyrenees

We had the good fortune of spending the week of October 18 in the Pyrenees high on a mountain that has more sheep than people. It was a terrific way to get away from it all. You might ask, how did this come about amid the pandemic? Well, it is a good lesson in taking advantage of unexpected opportunities.

A week or so before, Carol, a friend of mine from yoga, mentioned she was spending the weekend at her friend’s mountain place and we might like it. She sent me the link to Pyrenean Experience, and I thought it looked terrific. So, I asked her to find out if there was any availability in early November. She replied that there was availability in mid-October – which was less than a week away! It turned out that a couple from the UK had just cancelled due to the UK quarantine requirements. After all the cancelled travel plans this year, we enthusiastically said “yes, we’ll do it!” And Carol even agreed to come along too.

So that’s how we ended up driving with Carol the hour or so ride to Ameztia, a small mountain in Navarre (in the foothills of the Spanish Pyrenees), and spending a week with Georgina (the owner) at her fabulous mountain hideaway, just as the territory was showing off its fabulous fall colors. Here is the view from the dining room – with the morning fog and without:

There is a guest house with 5 bedrooms (each with a bathroom), a dining room, kitchen, library and sitting room. And we had it all to ourselves! (The owner has a separate house on the property.) Georgina has mapped out more than a dozen, mostly circular, walking routes from the guest house that allow guests to explore the mountain, along with the various little towns in the valleys on either side. In addition, there are various cultural, culinary, historical, and language activities to enhance the experience. We elected to visit a local restaurant that has rejected a Michelin star and to visit and walk part of the Comet Line – the smuggling routes used during WWII to transport Allied pilots out of Nazi territory to safety (blog posts on each to come).

While we consider ourselves to be “city mice,” spending time learning to be “country mice” is never a bad thing. We spent the first full day hiking with Georgina to get the lay of the land, learning to use her topographical hiking maps, and seeing what the mountain had to offer:

Food and wine were included. Each morning we put together our own breakfast, lunch depended on the day’s plans, and dinner was a group affair. We disconnected from the news, went to bed early (not much to do once it gets dark on a mountain top), slept in, and slept well because it was so dark and quiet.

It was an incredibly relaxing week, the scenery was amazing, and we learned a lot about the local Basque culture as well. Of course, the week went by too quickly and we were sorry to leave. More posts and photos coming soon!

Hasta pronto,

Shana & Jeff