#13: Canigou and Le Petit Train Jaune

Friday morning we had a super early breakfast and were all on the bus by a quarter to 7am.  During our time in Europe, each member of the class has had to give a presentation on a topic we picked before the class started and researched during the Christmas break.  My topic was Canigou, a mountain in the Pyrenees range (the mountain chain that splits Spain and France most of the way).  I gave some facts and figures about the mountain, some historical and artistic facts about it, and read part of a poem, all to illustrate how Canigou is the spiritual home of Catalans.  I was hoping that everyone on the bus would be asleep and wouldn't pay much attention, but it was just the opposite--at barely seven in the morning, my audience was alert and lively.

Our reason for getting up that early?  Le Petit Train Jaune, which means "the little yellow train".  It's a trail that goes through the mountains, the same route it's taken for the past 100 years.  There was SUCH beautiful scenery as we passed through the French countryside!!

The train ride took 3 leisurely hours, and the bus driver had already made it to the station about an hour and a half before we did.  When we disembarked at the station, there were literally 4 people there:  a young woman and her two kids, and the woman working the newspapers and snacks kiosk.    Patrice found a local man to ask him where would be a good place to lunch.  He directed us to La Tour de Carol, a small village about 15 mins up the road by foot.  (As we learned before, the bus was too big for some of the narrow hamlet streets.)

We arrived into La Tour de Carol and it was deserted!  Few cars, no people, no talking except for our noisy chatter.  We found the only restaurant in town but it was closed for lunch as well.  We decided to go to a pastry shop instead, where (again? geez) almost all of the 27 of us got something to eat and nearly wiped then straight out.  We hiked back to town and the bus drove us across the border to Puigcerdá (pooje-cer-DAH), Spain.  After unpacking and relaxing for a few in the new hotel, Lindsey, Ellen and I met some other friends from class and went to the Tip Stop restaurant.  The food was quite scrumptious!  On the way out after payment we asked the restaurant owner where the nearest ATM machine was, and he pointed left and said "it's about 30 meters after the footbridge."

Imagine my surprise when, walking for maybe 4 mintutes, we were back in France!  Apparently the town of Puigcerdá backs up into the French town of Bourg Madame.  We explored for a little bit, then took pictures of ourselves on the border so we could be in two places at once (AND two countries at once? So awesome!).

The rest of the day was spent at our leisure, with dinner at the hotel that night (artichoke soup, catalonian salad or pasta for appetizer; fried fish with the face still on & mixed veggies or fried veal and french fries;  and flan, yogurt or chocolate cake for dessert).  After dinner, we watched part of a movie (L'auberge espagnole, or The Spanish Apartment) but after the mandatory section, I went back to my room and got some sleep.