In the summer, when we had a rental car, we decided to explore Hondarribia which is on the coast and as close as you can get to France and still be in Spain (our rental car, "Pepe Car" doesn't allow renters to leave Spain). The road looked a lot flatter on the map.It afforded us some of the most breathtaking views we had in all of Spain. Breathtaking for two reasons: first, it was on a high-cliff and the view of the ocean and all around was incredible; second, it was on a high-cliff and the road was narrow and sinuous and gave no room for error. (I have a mental picture permanently etched on my anxious mind of skid marks going off the road on a curve that surely ended tragically.)
Poor David was reminded repeatedly by a white-knuckled Michelle in a stern voice, "Slow down!" We were already going a cautious 15 m.p.h. David is a great driver, but I get a little overly (neurotically?) anxious sometimes. ("Amen" he says as he reads this.)
On the other side, where you could see France in the background (that C-shaped beach is St. Jean de Luz), we stopped beside some ancient looking towers. I imagined that they were used by the Basques to spot whales for hunting. Or maybe they were used to watch out for invading France. Whatever they had been, they had a spectacular view and made a good spot to eat our bocadillos and explore a little.
Hondarribia? It was beautiful -- walled, cobbled-stoned, old and very quaint, but the real memories were made on the road there. I invite everyone, right here and now, to wax philosophical about the nature of life and "the road less traveled."
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