San Sebastián to Torla-Ordesa

Friday, August 9th: Wowza, yowza,  Major kudos and praises to Leslie for landing us in Torla-Ordesa, Spain, with some of the most spectacular scenery we have seen anywhere.  And to add icing to the cake Torla provides easy, convenient access to the nearby Monte Perdido National Park where the views are fabulous in every direction.  You couldn't ask for a better location. 

But first.  Yesterday was a travel day, riding to the San Sebastián airport to collect our rental cars and then driving about 5 hours east.   San Sebastián was cool and cloudy, but the day got sunnier and hotter as we went inland.  About 1:30, we stopped for lunch in the small town of Yesa.  The Bar/Restaurant (the only game in town) was offering a 3-course meal for about 20 euros, so we decided to play native and indulge.  To our surprise, the meal was excellent.  Three of us had little roasted chicken halves that were tender, moist and herby, accompanied by a lovely white sauce.  Phil had a flounder-type of fish (called a Gallo to our confusion, since Gallo generally translates as "rooster"). We were so full that we didn't expect to want another meal till the morning. 

One of the three course lunches.

 The other feature of the drive worth mentioning was the condition of the highways.  We were in hilly country and Spain has invested in many tunnels and viaducts (we know them as "bridges") - the direct route across the landscape.  We went through a number of toll booths but they were easy to navigate.

We got to Torla about 4:30 pm.  Dennis and Leslie, who left earlier, had already scoped out the village and were waiting for us at a pizzeria where we got drinks to cool off.  The village, which is almost entirely built of stone, is set on a hillside with views inland to the majestic walls of the national park.  In the winter, it's a ski resort and own inn has a strong flavor of antique Alpine chalet (i.e., no air conditioning).

Enjoy the photos, which don't do justice to this valley!

First "record" shot from Torla looking at the prominent mastiff.

Our hotel - Edelweiss.

The view from our hotel room window.

The tunnel into town.

A typical side alley.

Torla last evening.  Despite our big lunch, we did go out for a late snack of tapas and drinks.  

After an early breakfast (to beat the predicted heat), we rode a shuttle bus up about 1,000 feet to start todays' hike - 9.3 miles and 1,350 feet elevation gain/loss for us.  The others did different hikes of similar distance all starting from the national park bus stop.  This is the view out the bus window on the ride up.  We were told that only 1,000 people are allowed into the park a day and the bus is the only way to get in (don't know if either of these claims are true).

The bus stop and Betsy.

The view back toward Torla.

The map for our hike -- we went up along the river visiting 4 different waterfalls and returned mostly on the other side of the river.  Much of the trail was in beechwood forest so stayed cool and comfortable.

Sandstone layers with a limestone top layer.

First waterfall- super clear water.

Second waterfall.

Third waterfall.

One of the many kinds of butterflies on a Plum Thistle.  After the waterfall area, the valley got wider and more open, with fields of wildflowers full of  bugs and longer views.

Ditto.

Hornet Mimic Hover Fly (its body is about the size of a kidney bean)

We crossed the Prime Meridian, due south of London.

Fourth waterfall.

Ditto.

The head of the fourth waterfall.

They called the overhang a "cueva," what we thought might be a cave.

Nearby 9,000 foot peak.

A 'curved' rock wall.

We returned by bus to Torla, rehydrated, cleaned up, and met the others for dinner at the pizzeria.  A most satisfying day for everyone, with a chance to do it again tomorrow.