Through the Pyrennees

Asking Julie and Cedric over Christmas which will be the best road from Madrid to Toulouse, where we've spent our last night with them on the way back home, they told us we'll have to go back to San Sebastian, in the north of Spain, and follow the highway.  However, looking at the map it just looked so much longer than to go through the Pyrennees (and a part of the road would have been the same than when coming from Fouras).  However, not knowing the Pyrennees and realising it might be difficult, I've explored different routes on google map before we left (there are a few options through the mountains) and found a route that will take the same time than via San Sebastian, but 100 kms less.  So I wrote down the route nr (not knowing there are different route nrs for one road and neither realising the route nr can vary along the route, I should have written down all the route nrs).  Hence, we've arrived in Toulouse in the dark after driving the same distance (and not the same time, but an hour longer!) than via San Sebastian.  At least we didn't have toll gates through Spain (while around San Sebastian there are many and many trucks as well) and it was a beautiful road (although nerve wrecking at some parts where it was narrow and some cars and trucks drove fast around the bends).  I think it must be lovely to have a summer holiday in the mountains (for the more adventurous there are ski resorts higher up in the mountains to justify a winter holiday).
I've managed to take a few photo's while driving (and regretted that we still haven't managed to clean the windscreen...).
From Madrid to close to the Pyrennees was quite dry and on a high plateau, closer to the Pyrennees we had very thick fog to drive through.  Once through the Pyrennees the contrast between France and Spain was huge, Spain being dry and barren, France being green and lush.

Driving through a village

A fort next to the road

An old castle/fort below (we have crossed the border):

You have to cross the river over an arched bridge to get there:

And then up this road:

A house in solitude:

And a small village behind the trees

With not much sunshine in winter, the snow takes longer to melt in this little village, the only snow we found next to the road

Above: And through the mountains, the road opening up

And a last stretch through mountainous roads (all along there are beautiful bridges):

And even though Portugal was beautiful and we have appreciation for the beautiful buildings in Spain, and even though France is only my adopted country, as a result of my marriage with a wonderful, patient French husband - I felt like saying 'oos wes tuis bes' on our arrival back in France, especially when we got home after 5 100 km!