It’s Mid August and I’m just getting around to the blog…

Three weeks since the last blog…

What’s been happening?

At the end of July, Maria and Juan came for a quick visit on their way home from Lyon, France to Leon, Spain. Pau seemed to be a 1/2 way point and a good place to stop for a visit.  It was so great to have a visit  with them even tho we’d just seen them a little over a month ago.

Dinner at Le Dauphin

We walked around the Chateau district, dined at Le Dauphin, talked and laughed between eating and hearing the Basque Brass marching Band. Pau was celebrating King Henri IV for the weekend (thus the Basque Band) so there was music and dancing in the Plaza by the Chateau and Vendors selling food, drink, clothes and gifts along the Boulevard. It was a lovely evening.

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Our new friends, Peter and Nicola, moved into Le Residence on the first floor.  We’ve helped a little by setting up furniture and packing up their car (John) with stuff for the dump so one night 

they invited us for apero.

A really nice spread
 for just moving in, I must say.

Santé for the move in

Nicola and Peter laughing at John’s jokes

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Mozart’s Requium was performed in the Chateau Courtyard.

By the time I went to buy tickets, the concert was sold out.

So we walked to the entrance so see if we could hear anything.

The sun sets to a piano concerto.

At the entrance gate -
still pretty good view and sound.

 

Mozart’s Requiem

I took a video, but can’t seem to download it.

We stayed until the bugs started biting me.  Maybe it was good we didn’t get tickets.

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It’s hot, hot, hot, but we still go to the gym in the mornings before it gets really hot.

At the gym we run into “Golf”(Ampon) and we arrange to take a walk in the evening when it’s cool.

Ampon, me and John
by the Chateau.

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Life in Pau is a lovely way to spend our retirement.

New friends, long walks in the Chateau district, great food, 

old friends, like Maria & Juan and Christie & David, is a great time. 

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-Bon Soir-

We are well into July. So now, some fun things that have happened in Pau

 July highlights…so far

We skipped the 4th of July, well, because we are in France, not the USA

Instead, there is 

BASTILLE DAY! 

We were told it’s a great celebration.

During the after noon, we kept looking out the window and there seemed to be normal foot traffic of a weekend crowd, nothing unusual.

As the sun starts to set, which is about 10 pm, the crowds start to assemble.

People coming off the funicular

It’s about 10:45 pm

Looking over the Boulevard

 

It’s 11:00…

Then a flash of light!

And so the celebration begins.

Music on going for the 30 minutes of great firework display.

 

The last signs of the
Bastille Day

Pretty impressive display of fireworks in celebration🎉

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The Tour de France began on July 7.

We watch each day from our TV…LIVE!

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It’s the first time in 5 years that all 21 stages of the Race are within France’s borders.

The 14th Stage on July 19 begins from Pau!

Right below our window!

The first turn at the starting line
What we can see from our window

One can watch the start of the Race
On the giant screen set up

Activity center for the race

Support cars ready to go

And they are OFF!

Not a great photo, but it is the start of Stage 14 in Pau

They rounded the corner and
I have a better photo

John watched on TV.  Christie and I watched from the Boulevard.

I enjoyed seeing it “in person”

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The most recent excitement in the neighborhood…

For about a month now reconstruction of Rue Henri IV has been on going. 

It is now finished and everyone seems very happy with it.

Rue Henri IV
Finished and slick! 

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This Friday, we will have company.  I will try to post photos of us showing off Pau.

EU flags along the Boulevard

Au Revoir

A Trip to Spain

 

It’s been a week since we got back from Spain…

After much readjustment and rest, we are finally back in “everyday” mode. So, now I am doing the Adventure(s) blog…

THE BIG ADVENTURE

Bilbao to Leon/La Losilla, Spain

June 5 to June 10, 2025

It started  on June 5 around Noon thirty - kinda

The BlaBlaCar Bus…

Arrival of bus was an hour late.

A 4 hour ride to Bilbao Intermodel Station

Big and RED!

Over night in Bilbao and then on the train to Leon.

A short walk from bus to hotel

We got there a little later than we planed, so we went to the roof for drinks and the view, cleaned up in our upgraded room and dined in the very nice restaurant in the Ercilla de Bilbao. Then bed.

 

Rooftop drinks

Enjoying life

Elegant dinners at the restaurant

Salmon “Sandwich?”

Almost finished Squid in Ink Sauce

Next morning we used the gym at the hotel, cleaned up, packed and walked to the train station.

Bilbao-Abando Estacion

The train ride was very scenic and comfortable.

We change trains in Miranda de Ebro
Our next stop Avila/Leon

Looks like Central California

Juan and Maria pick us up at the León station.  

We go to La Losilla where they live.

Welcoming entrance

Our room

The patio

Patio dinning

 

To the garden

This door looks lethal

Door to the garden

This door to the garden keeps the dog, Josco, out of the garden. Its original purpose was for threshing wheat. It would be dragged over the wheat, then gathered up and separated.  Quite beautiful and awesome if you ask me.

To end the evening, we go for a walk

Off to Leon! Juan takes us on a whirlwind tour of Museums and Church in Leon.

Instituto Leonés de Cultura

Juan helped put this beautiful museum together.

Very impressive

Maria saying “Hi”
In the museum library

Juan showing John his research
for this museum

 

We go on from there to Museo Casa Botines Gaudi

This looks a lot like
My Favorite Cousin
Stephen Nomura’s work.
“The Torso”

We went to Museo Basilica San Isidro

Then we walked through the street of Leon…

Intrepid Tourists

Now

The León Cathedral

BEAUTIFUL and INSPIRING

Refreshments before we go back to La Losilla

Weary travelers with refreshments

The next day, we go to the “lake” near/in the mountains.

Maria looking over the lake/reservoir/dam

Map of the lake
“We are here 👉🏼”

We explore an abandoned town on the lake front

I guess this town is for “overflow”

Stork nest on Church steeple ruins

Guard dogs on the road
Mastiffs

Lots of untamed growth

From there we went to a wild life museum 

We met Anna and the granddaughters.

Maria and Granddaughter
Going back to the parking lot.

We went to a local restaurant  (the only one open in the area) and then went for a short hike.

After a full day, we went back to La Losilla for a nap. Then a light supper and Scrabble before bed.

John loved this patio

The next day - breakfast and then back to Leon to take the train to Bilbao.

Josco seemed sad that we were leaving.

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The train back to Bilbao

Bilbao - back to the Ercilla Hotel for a long rest.

Monday we take the “Hop on, Hop off” tour bus

then walk the streets of the city and visit the Bilbao Museoa 

The Museo is under some reconstruction
Right now, it still has some wonderful art

We have dinner with Amaia Guijarro at her home across the street from the train station.  Wish we remembered to take photos of us and her apartment.  It was fun seeing her again since the Summer 2018 when she and Ana Gonzales came to visit us in Pouzolles.

Monday morning, we pack up, have breakfast, check out, check our luggage with the Ercilla Doorman and  go out to make our appointment at 10:30 for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

Many more tourists since I was there 6 weeks ago.

Love this building

After the visit to the Guggenheim, we enjoy the riverside walkways and collect our luggage for the 4 hour FlixBus ride home.

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We get home after dark which is around 9:30 pm. Collect our keyes and stuff, get into the apartment, have something to eat. Then we enjoy the moonlight through our beautiful window and sleep to dream about our lovely getaway to Spain where saw new things and visited gracious and generous friends.

What a life John and I live!

Grateful for all we have.