You Never Know What You'll Stumble Into

A busy travel day.   Drove from our place in the Pyrennes to Figuera to turn in our car.  We have to return it in Spain or pay 500 Euros extra if we return it in Spain, so we returned it, then took the train one stop to Perpignan in France, and picked up another one.   Long drive there through more mountains!   (who knew Spain had so many mountains or that the Pyrenees were so huge!)

Returned the car, had to take a cab to the other station to catch the train, then had to wait 2 hours for it.    Got the new car easily and efficienctly and were happy about 

that.

It can be frustrating, very frustrating, but we realize it's just all part of European travel.  Good to remember, to never be that rushed, because it just won't work!   Probably the spa yesterday helped us too!   We met a few very odd people on the train, one a woman named Sarah, who lives on the Costa Brava, but is originally Swiss.  The other, a man from Perth who is apparently a professor of culture but who travels all the time.   They didn't know each other either.   We met Sarah while waiting on the platform for the train, and within 5 minutes, she invited us to stay at her house and wrote her phone number.   She did the same for the man, i think!   (she is married, she kissed her husband a long good bye)    He passed out his business card to her and then to me, told me to get in touch with him.

I mean, I knew these people about 10 minutes!  I am friendly, but this puts me to shame!   I think, perhaps, people who travel a lot on their own can just be like this.

We drove to Carcasonne with few mishaps, and discovered the B & B we are staying in is delightful and near La Cite, the Walled City.   Very nice place, called La Maison Vielle, very small and private.

The Walled City is spectacular.   Very huge, well preserved and fun to walk around.  Ate dinner at a place and had the specialty around here, cassoulet.  Mine had duck confit in it.  wonderful, came to the table sizzling away.   Very, very filling, but very good.  

We walked around and went into the old chapel, saw a group of people standing near the altar.  Suddenly, they began to sing!  It was beatiful!   We just sat down and listened.  

It was not in French, we couldn't figure it out, though i thought it might be Polish.   Finally asked someone who said they were from Slovenia, on a bus tour, and were a choir.   

Very cool!