PYRÉNÉES & MORE OF TOULOUSE

In August, we finally made it to the Pyrénées, the beautiful mountain range in between France and Spain. Several of the books I have read lately tell stories of servicemen shot down in France who crossed these mountains into Spain in order to get to England (and safety) during WWII.

We went to a little village called Luchon.

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and there was a parade downtown.

The community was also getting ready for a special "Fleur Fest" with floats made of flowers.

We took a short hike and then rode the gondola to the top of a nearby mountain.

The view from the top was wonderful!

I couldn't get enough of the views.

This would be a fun place to ski in the winter -- we saw some of the snow-making equipment. We would also love to come back to these beautiful mountains to hike or enjoy more of the scenery.

CORDES-SUR-CIEL

Most just call it "Cordes," and it is a beautiful medieval city that seems to reach to the sky. My pictures didn't do this justice, so I copied a professional photo (see credit below!)

Photo by: « Cordes sur ciel vue du Grain de Sel » par Adrien Béron — Travail personnel. Sous licence CC BY-SA 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cordes_sur_ciel_vue_du_Grain_de_Sel.jpg#/media/File:Cordes_sur_ciel_vue_du_Grain_de_Sel.jpg

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We took "le petit train" around the city, and then we also climbed the steep road to the city.

I couldn't resist the unicorn!