Out for a walk

The refuge at Viados/Biados is at 1760 metres above sea level and today, the 7th of November, it was 22C. A glorious day for a walk; sunshine, golden foliage, and snow-capped mountains.

Getting to the start of the walk involved driving along yet another mountain track. "Don't worry,," said S as he edged gingerly over rocks, potholes, ledges, cattle grids, and tree roots. "Last time I was here we were in Anne-Marie's sports car." Oh well, if she will risk her Porsche ... it took us half an hour to cover the 11 km, which gives you some idea of how tricky it was. The walk itself was a healthy five  and a half km and 280 metres of climbing, which is trivial for S, but means a lot to me since a year ago I wouldn't even have contemplated it.

We had a plan for our walk, which should have worked really well. Work up a healthy appetite, drive back down the rutted track, and have lunch at the restaurant in Plan. We got there at three, just the right time for lunch in Spain. At least, it would be if the restaurant, the only one for literally miles around,  wasn't closed for a private event. Too late to find anywhere else, and mid-afternoon is just the wrong time for shopping, so after buying a loaf of bread at least a day old in a service station, we improvised at home with pan con tomate and fried sliced pork.

Later we went out to replenish our supplies in Ainsa and also visited a photo exhibition in the fortress. The photos were displayed in a room so inadequately lit that I had to use my phone as a torch in order to see them at all ... definitely bad planning!