CEBToD: Day 3 -- Llanca to Perpignan

So today was the day to cross the Pyranees. Fuck that shit. I took the train and left Dan to bike it himself.

Seriously, that's what I did. I'm in no shape to bike over mountains, and Dan told me afterward how wise a choice that was. Even he phoned it in for the last leg with a train ride into Perpignan. To help him, I took most of his heavy stuff with me, and then hopped the train from Llanca to Cerbere (just the other side of the border). He actually met me there (the train was slow), and then we parted ways again as I hopped a new train to Perp.

Once I got to Perp, my plan had been to drop my crap in a locker and then find a hotel on my bike. But they've apparently removed lockers from most of the train stations in France, or so the rumor goes. That fucking sucks!!! So I had to hoist like 60 lbs of crap on my back in a bag that wasn't meant for such work, and then wander in 90 degree heat looking for the tourism office which it turns out is NOT just around the corner, as the 4000 signs would suggest, but is in fact 2 miles away on the other side of town. Booooooo.

Anyways, I found the office and spoke with them entirely in French about a hotel. My conversation was so successful that she actually asked me at the end what country I was from. I was like, USA bitch!!!! hahahah! Seriously, though, go me.

Anyways, I got us a nice hotel... they let us keep the bikes in the room (vs. the storage closet like in Girona and Llanca). The hotel had a rooftop pool and even a jacuzzi, tho we didn't end up using either. Once Dan arrove, we cleaned up and then walked the town. Perp is actually a really nice place in most of the old town. We saw a lovely cathedral, the old city wall, and some beautiful squares, plazas, bldngs, etc. We had the best chorizo of the trip at a little Tapas place on Place de la Loge called La France. We tried seeing the incredible HUGE citadel which was the old palace of the kings of Mallorca (who knew!), but the place was close by the time we wandered down there. :( They used to breed lions in there! How fun!

Interestingly, this part of France was all part of Catalonia at one point... so despite the fact that everything is in French, they still have the colors and symbols of Catalonia everywhere... and even use Catalonian names for their towns (like Perpinya instead of Perpignan).

On the way back from our failed attempt to scale the wall of the Citadel, we stopped and got a 2nd dinner. hehehe. it was soooo good... Catalonian salad (think salade nicoise), a chicken/rice thing, and then creme catalan. And of course sangria. But the highlight was this insanely amazing butter they had with the bread. It was butter whipped with garlic and mustard seed... oh... my... god. I had a quiet foodgasm with that shit. I need to learn how to make it myself once I'm home, maybe for Sup Bitch.

And then we went back and schlafed.