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Issue #262, October 17, 2024, Foix France, and Andorra
The colorful umbrellas of Foix, which we saw when walking to the castle
View from the top of the Foix Castle
October 17, 2024 Foix, Andorra, and La Seu D’Urgell
Today, we made the transition from Occitania to Catalonia! It involved a drive through the the Pyrenees, first stopping at Foix, a valley town in the mountains, where there stands a castle from days long ago, perched high up on a rise above town. 'Long ago' means as far back as the year 987. In medieval times, the castle was a center of Cathar resistance. It is situated in a strategic point in the Ariège Valley.
Jon's sketch, from the top of the Foix Castle
In Foix, we had about two hours to explore, so we made our way to the castle, where I climbed to the highest point inside the tower (which itself was not constructed until the 15th century), and then did a sketch at the top.
Looking down from the castle
I did not complete the drawing with color this time, as I literally had 20 minutes before heading to the museum below to meet Mom, who had (as is usual) been absorbed in the exhibits.
Interior room inside the tower of the castle
The museum was good (but we had far too little time to check it ouit) and I found that one room had old lithographs of the town and castle, which were fascinating to see.
So many other realistic artistic renditions of the fabled medieval structure, all several hundred years old, reminding me that my ‘realistic’ approach is not all that unusual, or even innovative. At least I have good historical precedent!
The consumption of sandwiches we bought for lunch at a tiny little patisserie was initially thwarted, because we tried to eat them underneath a large covered pavilion that had plenty of open tables.
Jon about to get banned from sitting and eating
Almost immediately, a waitress came up and insisted we buy something if we wanted to be able to sit there. Slightly frustrated, but also feeling like American tourists ‘without a clue’, we moved to a nearby bench that was covered with enough three branches to absorb the rain that had begun to fall.
View of Foix from the castle
From Foix, we traveled up into the mountains, heading to Andorra, which is its own country. The clouds accumulated and the rain began falling heavily as we descended into Andorra from Port d'Envalira, the highest pass in the Pyrenees.
Rain-splattered windows indicate a storm to come
The rain began to assert itself in an alarming way. We stopped in Meritxell, a village along the way, to see a chapel called the ‘Basilica of our Lady of Meritxell’.
Facing a deluge to visit a sanctuary
Alarmingly, the rain was coming down in absolute torrents by this time. We saw both the original Basilica as well as a more modern reconstruction (the original one had burnt down in the 70’s). The other tourists who came in along with us were all soaked, so there was an interesting soggy moment to be had, in the chapel.
Soggy courtyard of the newer side of 'Our Lady of Meritxell'
The drive into the central part of Andorra was very interesting. Andorra is a tax Haven; so people do not get charged income tax to live there, only property taxes, which are quite high.
Heading in to Andorra
If you are a millionaire, or a YouTube influencer, that can work to your advantage, so I wondered about all the people we saw who lived there.
Andorra
We parked in a huge empty lot and then had about an hour to go explore.
The modern architecture of Andorra
Mom and I checked out a church, photographed an incredible mural on the side of a building that mimicked the mountainside behind it, and got a coffee in a shop where some of our travel conspirators were also doing the same thing.
Church of Sant Esteve, behind us to the left, which we also explored. The mural is Transparencia by Samantha Bosque Vives, made in Oct 2016
Then, it was just a short drive out of Andorra to La Seu D’Urgell, where we checked into the Parador de La Seu D’Urgell.
Another view of 'Transparencia'
The hotel in La Seu D’Urgell is interesting. Its central seating area was originally a Medieval cloister, remodeled and decorated with lots of green, red and yellow lighting. We had room up on the third floor, and like in every room we’ve been in on this trip, I moved the beds around so Mom and I were at a maximum distance from each other. (I find mom’s CPAP machine quite loud, and there was always the danger of me snoring).
Ileana walking back to the bus
Sleep has not been great on this trip. The morning we went to Andorra when it rained so much, my ears rang ferociously, (which they always do, with impending bad weather). Yesterday, with the warmer, sunnier weather we experienced my tinnitus was at a minimum, but today it’s been quite intense, waking me up at 3 AM.
Art in Andorra
The colorful umbrellas of Foix, which we saw when walking to the castle
View from the top of the Foix Castle
October 17, 2024 Foix, Andorra, and La Seu D’Urgell
Today, we made the transition from Occitania to Catalonia! It involved a drive through the the Pyrenees, first stopping at Foix, a valley town in the mountains, where there stands a castle from days long ago, perched high up on a rise above town. 'Long ago' means as far back as the year 987. In medieval times, the castle was a center of Cathar resistance. It is situated in a strategic point in the Ariège Valley.
Jon's sketch, from the top of the Foix Castle
In Foix, we had about two hours to explore, so we made our way to the castle, where I climbed to the highest point inside the tower (which itself was not constructed until the 15th century), and then did a sketch at the top.
Looking down from the castle
I did not complete the drawing with color this time, as I literally had 20 minutes before heading to the museum below to meet Mom, who had (as is usual) been absorbed in the exhibits.
Interior room inside the tower of the castle
The museum was good (but we had far too little time to check it ouit) and I found that one room had old lithographs of the town and castle, which were fascinating to see.
So many other realistic artistic renditions of the fabled medieval structure, all several hundred years old, reminding me that my ‘realistic’ approach is not all that unusual, or even innovative. At least I have good historical precedent!
The consumption of sandwiches we bought for lunch at a tiny little patisserie was initially thwarted, because we tried to eat them underneath a large covered pavilion that had plenty of open tables.
Jon about to get banned from sitting and eating
Almost immediately, a waitress came up and insisted we buy something if we wanted to be able to sit there. Slightly frustrated, but also feeling like American tourists ‘without a clue’, we moved to a nearby bench that was covered with enough three branches to absorb the rain that had begun to fall.
View of Foix from the castle
From Foix, we traveled up into the mountains, heading to Andorra, which is its own country. The clouds accumulated and the rain began falling heavily as we descended into Andorra from Port d'Envalira, the highest pass in the Pyrenees.
Rain-splattered windows indicate a storm to come
The rain began to assert itself in an alarming way. We stopped in Meritxell, a village along the way, to see a chapel called the ‘Basilica of our Lady of Meritxell’.
Facing a deluge to visit a sanctuary
Alarmingly, the rain was coming down in absolute torrents by this time. We saw both the original Basilica as well as a more modern reconstruction (the original one had burnt down in the 70’s). The other tourists who came in along with us were all soaked, so there was an interesting soggy moment to be had, in the chapel.
Soggy courtyard of the newer side of 'Our Lady of Meritxell'
The drive into the central part of Andorra was very interesting. Andorra is a tax Haven; so people do not get charged income tax to live there, only property taxes, which are quite high.
Heading in to Andorra
If you are a millionaire, or a YouTube influencer, that can work to your advantage, so I wondered about all the people we saw who lived there.
Andorra
We parked in a huge empty lot and then had about an hour to go explore.
The modern architecture of Andorra
Mom and I checked out a church, photographed an incredible mural on the side of a building that mimicked the mountainside behind it, and got a coffee in a shop where some of our travel conspirators were also doing the same thing.
Church of Sant Esteve, behind us to the left, which we also explored. The mural is Transparencia by Samantha Bosque Vives, made in Oct 2016
Then, it was just a short drive out of Andorra to La Seu D’Urgell, where we checked into the Parador de La Seu D’Urgell.
Another view of 'Transparencia'
The hotel in La Seu D’Urgell is interesting. Its central seating area was originally a Medieval cloister, remodeled and decorated with lots of green, red and yellow lighting. We had room up on the third floor, and like in every room we’ve been in on this trip, I moved the beds around so Mom and I were at a maximum distance from each other. (I find mom’s CPAP machine quite loud, and there was always the danger of me snoring).
Ileana walking back to the bus
Sleep has not been great on this trip. The morning we went to Andorra when it rained so much, my ears rang ferociously, (which they always do, with impending bad weather). Yesterday, with the warmer, sunnier weather we experienced my tinnitus was at a minimum, but today it’s been quite intense, waking me up at 3 AM.
Art in Andorra
solo/group kukai
drawing/writing/photography
jonathan machen
drawing/writing/photography
jonathan machen