We left San Sebastian and drove south, following the Pyrenees Mountains to the town of Huesca. We only stayed for one night in Huesca, mainly to break up the drive to Salou, on the south coast of Spain, which would have been a 6 hours drive from San Sebastian to Salou.
The drive out of San Sebastian through the mountains was unexpectedly stunning! The soaring mountains are dotted with clusters of houses, making up picturesque villages that overlook lush valleys below.
Braino was particularly impressed by the highways and tunnels that cut through the mountains, making it rather quick and easy drive. I can imagine the original roads through the mountain passes would have been a much more slower and winding.
The landscape eventually levelled out to a hilly yet arid climate, it reminded me of when we drove Route 66 in the USA, but with a little more greenery. Throughout the valley there are villages, many of which looks abandoned, perched atop the hills. They looked so intriguing, it would be a fascinating area to explore with a small camper van.
We’ve done a number of iconic drives around the world, like the Icefield Parkway in the Canadian Rockies, the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Route 66 in The USA and obviously now a lot fo the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, but Braino and I agreed that the drive from San Sebastian to Huesca was surprisingly up there amongst the best drives, in terms of the dramatic landscapes and scenery. I only wish we had stopped to take more photos.
The town of Huesca itself was a relatively large regional city with its own hilltop old town area, with the cathedral perched at the top. We spent the afternoon wandering the streets and quickly realised that an afternoon siesta is a real thing in this part of Spain. The street felt totally deserted between the hours of 2pm and 6pm, but came alive as the sun started to set. The town of Huesca even has a bull flighting ring that is still in use throughout the year.
Thankfully, good old Burger King was open and it had a surprisingly large indoor playground that girls enjoyed.
We stayed at the well located Hotel Pedro I de Aragon and had a room on the top level that included a terrace that over looked the old town area, up to the cathedral.
