Notes From The Travel Journal--The Pyrenees!

When Simon and I were exploring destinations for our honeymoon, I came across the website for the Casa de San Martin, a converted monastery tucked in Northern Spain's Pyrenees Mountains. We ended up in Mexico then, but the idea of the Casa stuck. As we were sketching out the itinerary for this trip with Kristi and James a few months ago, I recalled the Casa and we re-routed things to include a stop.

Needless to say, I was a bit worried I had derailed our adventures based on a few website photos. The worries continued the morning we packed up our things in Barcelona and grabbed our rental VW Golf for a road trip into the middle of nowhere. It started out a bit rough, with James suffering from food poisoning on the road. While three of us made a stop in the cute hillside town of Ainsa for lunch and a stretch, he utilized Ainsa's parking lot to hurl.

View from the town of Ainsa

But the scenery quickly became more and more spectacular as we drove further into the Pyrenees.  Finally, as per the Casa's directions, we turned onto a gravelly dirt road and jostled our way up the mountainside. We were briefly stopped by a cow on the path and slowed around some curves that nearly sent the Golf's wheels sliding down the side of the mountains.  It was slightly harrowing, and I could feel the skepticism growing, both within myself and my comrades.  But then there was a break in the trees and across the valley, we saw this:

Casa de San Martin hugs the mountainside

Two days of pure relaxation followed. It's nearly impossible to explain the beauty of the Casa, the graciousness of our host, Mario, and the absolute peace we felt while there. Simon and I ventured off the grounds for a brief hike at Ordesa National Park but other than that, we enjoyed tranquil sunsets with our favorite Chardonnay, hammock naps, and exploring an abandoned village behind the property.  We will go back.  I recommend that you join us.

View from our room

Roaming the grounds

Cow!	Hiking at Ordesa