INTRODUCING A FAMILY APARTMENT IN THE FRENCH PYRENEES
	HARRSICA, LE BOIS DE MARIE APARTMENTS, BARÈGES....

	......TOWNS & VILLAGES. Argeles-Gazost Bagneres-de-Bigore Barèges Cauterets Gavarnie-Gedre Hautacam La Mongie Lourdes Luz Ardiden Luz St Sauveur Pau
	......ARGELES-GAZOST
	Argelès-Gazost stands at the crossroads of the Lavedan valleys, the town itself rising up from the river’s edge to its medieval core. Like other Pyrenean spa towns, Argelès-Gazost was most popular in the late XIXth century hosting rich spa visitors. It is still possible to see some of the impressive houses built in that era, the casino and an English-style park of 20 hectares. For architectural gems neighbouring Saint-Savin is also worthy of note for its twelfth century heavily fortified Romanesque abbey. The fortifications were needed not only to protect from Aragonese invaders but also from the locals, as the wealthy monks carried a reputation for luxury and ungodliness. There are 450km of mountain bike trails on the doorstep, of varying length and technical difficulty. There are also cycling routes for those who want to take things a little easier, including an eight mile flat marked cycle track running between Argelès and Lourdes. The area is also a walker’s paradise with an endless selection of marked and unmarked routes waiting to be explored. You can take a stroll and a picnic with the family, or experienced hikers can challenge themselves with a walk into Spain. Whatever route is chosen there is fantastic scenery along the way and a rich and unusual array of birds, animals and plants. Other summer activities include swimming, horse riding, tennis, climbing, paragliding, fishing and water sports.
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	......BAGNERES-DE-BIGORE
	The historical spa town of Bagnères-de Bigorre has long been a firm favourite amongst tourists. Formerly named "Vicus Aquensis", it was in fact the Romans who first appreciated the virtues of the town's warm waters. They can still be enjoyed today thanks to the luxurious Aquensis natural health spa which opened in 2003.
	Set in a 19th century former casino building this spectacular health spa offers a 20 metre long swimming pool stretching out beneath an incredible wooden arch, a recreational swimming pool equipped with 14 hydro massage points and a hammam. Making excellent use of the rooftop terraces are two traditional Finnish wooden saunas, a Jacuzzi, sun bathing area and a viewpoint providing 360° views on the Pyrenees, Bagnères and the Bédat forest.
	Nestling at the foot of the Campan Valley, Bagnères de Bigorre is a classic looking town full of tree lined avenues and fine Pyrenean-style houses. Be sure to check out the fine markets every Saturday, and Wednesday during the summer, with a wide variety of regional fresh produce, fresh baked bread and delicious cheeses. In the evening try your luck at the roulette table at the Casino and also make time to visit at least one of the two charming museums: The Musee Salies with its elegant art gallery of mainly landscapes and The Musee du Vieux Moulin, a typical folk museum with exhibits of local furniture, agricultural tools and Bigourdan crafts. Nearby the Médous Caves are filled with spectacular stalagmites and stalactites. Take a walk around the old quarter for its lovely architecture. As well as several old houses you will find a graceful 15th century octagonal tower, the remains of a Jacobin monastery, the Carmelite church, remains of the old church of St Jean, the town hall and the 14th century church of St Vincent. Bagneres, surrounded by mountains with the River Ardour running through the centre, has a great choice of cafes and restaurants. It is a bustling town with the sense of charm and faded elegance of bygone days.
	English writer and comedian Tony Hawks purchased a house in a village near Bagnères-de-Bigorre as told in his 2006 book ‘A Piano in the Pyrenees’.
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	......BARÈGES
	Barèges is a traditional mountain village; nestling in an impressive, steep-sided valley and surrounded by towering 3000m peaks. The village is part of the Tourmalet ski resort - a perfect base for idyllic winter skiing, and wonderful in the summer for walking, cycling and multi activity holidays. At 1250m altitude, Barèges is officially the highest thermal spa village in France. In fact, the very existence of Barèges can be attributed to the discovery of its thermal waters in the 15th century. The curative properties of the spa waters were well known to the local farmers, who bathed their animals in a large covered pool. In 1675 a royal cortege first visited the village and benefited from the spa. Spa holidays became fashionable, and in Napoleon III ordered construction of the present-day thermal baths military hospital in 1860. Barèges is now known principally as a winter ski destination, as part of the Tourmalet ski area - the largest and widely regarded as the best ski resort in the French Pyrenees. In the summer Barèges is a perfect base for a number of activities in the mountains; walking, cycling and mountain biking, paragliding, horse riding, caving and water sports. The thermal baths, just a couple of minutes walk from our apartment, are still a popular destination, visited in the spring and the autumn, and appreciative holiday-makers year-round for a wonderfully relaxing dip after a day out in the mountains. Barèges is surrounded by beautiful meadows and woodland, and guarded by towering snow-capped mountains. Despite the idyllic rural setting, Barèges has good road access year-round and the village has plenty of shops and facilities. There are several ski and sports shops for convenient ski and snowshoe equipment hire, two bakeries, a cash point, post office, cinema and small supermarket. For families, there is an outdoor swimming pool in the summer (July and August), a number of children’s playgrounds and a climbing wall. The local ski school is particularly good with children. Barèges has plenty of hotels and restaurants offering good local cuisine, and some lively bars. The village is lively in the winter, but is not a rowdy ski resort. Many people ski here to get away from the crowded Alpine resorts and experience the ambience of a traditional mountain village. The local people are very friendly and welcoming, and the prices are fair. Barèges is part of the Tourmalet ski area and has plans for a new fast lift direct from the village within the next few years. In the meantime, the village is well-served by a free ski bus service - running up to the ski resort every 10-15 minutes. The main lift area is only 2km away – a five minute ride on the ski bus which you can catch just over the road from Harrsica, and most weeks of the season you can ski right back to the apartment door on a lovely green run beside the Bastan river, or a blue piste which meanders down through the woods back to the village centre. Barèges is also known as a destination for walkers. The infamous GR10 long distance walking trail (traversing the Pyrenees from Atlantic to Mediterranean) passes right through the village, and we are also right on the edge of the Neouvielle Nature reserve (the Pyrenean Lake District) and the Pyrenees National Park. There are numerous lovely walks direct from the village, and the famous Cirque de Gavarnie, a UNESCO world heritage site, and the lovely walks above Pont d'Espagne in the neighbouring valley of Cauterets, are just a short drive away. Cyclists flock to Barèges in the summer to attempt the legendary ascent of the Col du Tourmalet. The Tour de France passes through Bareges virtually every year, and the challenging climb is always a highlight of the route.
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	......CAUTERETS
	Cauterets (alt. 950m) is located southwest of Lourdes in the beautiful valley of the Gave de Cauterets and borders the Pyrenees National Park. Cauterets is a centre for excursions, the Péguère (2,316 m), the Monné (2,723 m), the Cabaliros (2,333 m), the Pic de Chabarrou (2,910 m), the Vignemale (3,298 m), and other summits being in its neighbourhood. Lake Gaube is approximately 1hr and 30 minutes walk from Cauterets or can be accessed by a chairlift from the Pont d’Espagne. The Cirque de Lys is also accessible by cable car from where there are panoramic views over the Pyrenees. Cauterets is also a regular stopover for walkers travelling on the coast to coast Pyrenean GR10 walking route. Cauterets is well known for its copious thermal springs. The main thermal baths, Thermes Cesar, were opened in 1843 and continue to offer treatments today. Cauterets provides both cross country skiing and downhill skiing. There are 36 km of cross country tracks at Pont d’Espagne and 25 downhill pistes at Cirque du Lys between 1700m and 2500m altitude which are mainly suited for beginners and intermediates. Further details can be found at www.cauterets.com.
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	......GAVARNIE-GÈDRE
	Gavarnie and Gèdre are two typical Pyrenean villages in the heart of the Pyrenean National Park, a setting recognised as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Over and above its landscapes, Gavarnie-Gèdre has a rich cultural heritage formed from its agricultural history and development as a tourism centre. In the early days, Gavarnie, at an altitude of 1,375m, was a shepherd’s village and an important passage point between Bigorre (France) and Aragon (Spain). Today it is a paradise for mountain climbers and home to the most famous Pyrenean guides. From the village, you can see the Cirque de Gavarnie, a glacial bowl rising up to 3,000 metres which first sparked tourist interest in the Pyrenees and the largest ice cascade in Europe (423 m). Also, if you want to climb the vertical walls from the bottom of the cirque, this is your starting point. The famous 2 hour walk to the bottom of the cirque starts here. Despite the fact that this walk is almost level, some tourists like to hire donkeys or horses to carry them there. Not only does Gavarnie offer access to the cirque, it also serves as a base camp for approaches to the Vignemale peak on a high variant of the GR10 walking route. Set on the Gaves de Gavarnie and Héas confluence, Gèdre (1,000m) is a typical example of a rural mountain commune where pastoral activities still remain. Gèdre equally offers some stunning mountain scenery: The Cirque d’Estaubé and the Cirque de Troumouse (which stretches 10km from end to end), the Bué valley and its lakes, and the Saugué plateau, an extraordinary viewpoint overlooking the Cirque de Gavarnie. The Héas valley, known for the tales and legends surrounding its pilgrimage chapel, discover the Gloriettes dam and the Pragnères hydroelectric plant, one of the largest in Europe. Hiking access to the Ordesa region in Spain through the Brèche de Roland from Gavarnie and from the Brèche de Tuquerouye from Estaubé. In winter an excellent snow record and some spectacular views towards the cirque make Gavarnie-Gedre a good downhill resort for beginners and intermediates. There is also some of the best cross country skiing in the Pyrenees here including a tour through the Brèche de Roland into the Ordesa National Park in Spain. Further details can be found at www.gavarnie.com.
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	......HAUTACAM
	Close to the renowned Argelès-Gazost thermal spa, Hautacam is a mid-altitude resort where the outdoors can be enjoyed the year round. In wintertime: alpine skiing (27 km of slopes), cross-country skiing (15 km) and snowshoeing hikes... In summertime: mountain biking, paragliding, Devalkart (karting down a green slope, without any engine...), Rollerbe (roller-skiing)... Hautacam unveils its peaceful charms within a spectacular Pyrenean landscape unblemished by constructions. With breathtaking views of the Pic du Midi and the Brèche de Rolland, outdoors enthusiasts and meditative travellers alike will want to make a stop in Hautacam. Should you seek a few thrills, take a ride on the Mountain Luge roller coaster, which has proved tremendously popular since opening in 2007. Further details can be found at www.hautacam.com.
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	......LA MONGIE
	The village of La Mongie sits at 1800ms but there are also residences at 1850ms and the Tourmalet building at 1900ms. It lies just over the Col du Tourmalet from Barèges on its eastern flank. La Mongie is linked to Barèges to form ‘Le Doumaine de Tourmalet’ the largest and widely regarded as the best ski resort in the French Pyrenees offering alpine skiing, snowboarding, a snow park, cross-country skiing, snowmobiles and hiking in snowshoes. In the summer cycling and mountain biking is also popular. La Mongie is in fact on one of the most important stages of the Tour de France. The Tour has regularly passed along the route since the inclusion of the Pyrenees in 1910. It is also popular for its cable car with access to the Pic du Midi and its observatory. The village has two small supermarkets, a tourist information centre, gift shops and many restaurants and ski rental shops.
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	......LOURDES
	Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes that are reported to have occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous. At that time, the most prominent feature of the town was the fortified castle that rises up from a rocky escarpment at its centre. Following the reports that Our Lady of Lourdes had appeared to Bernadette Soubirous on several occasions, Lourdes has developed into a major place of Christian pilgrimage and of alleged miraculous healings. The 150th Jubilee of the first apparition took place on 11 February 2008 with an outdoor mass attended by approx 45,000 pilgrims. Today Lourdes has a population of around 15,000 but is able to take in some 5,000,000 pilgrims and tourists every season. With about 270 hotels, Lourdes has the second greatest number of hotels in France after Paris. It is the joint seat of the diocese of Tarbes-et-Lourdes and is the largest pilgrimage site in France, the second site being the Basilica of St. Thérèse (Lisieux), in Normandie. Lourdes is located in the area of the prime meridian in France. It is overlooked from the south by the Pyrenean peaks of Aneto, Montaigu, and Vignemale (3,298 m), while around the town there are three summits reaching up to 1,000 m which are known as the Béout, the Petit Jer (with its three crosses) and the Grand Jer (with its single cross) which overlook the town. The Grand Jer is accessible via the funicular railway of the Pic du Jer. The Béout was once accessible by cable car, although this has fallen into disrepair. A pavilion is still visible on the summit. Lourdes lies at an altitude of 420 m (1,400 ft) and in a central position through which runs the fast-flowing river Gave de Pau from the south coming from its source at Gavarnie, into which flow several smaller rivers from Barèges and Cauterets. The Gave then branches off to the west towards the Béarn, running past the banks of the Grotto and on downstream to Pau and then Biarritz. On land bordered by a loop of the Gave de Pau is an outcrop of rock called Massabielle, (from masse vieille: "old mass"). On the northern aspect of this rock, near the riverbank, is a naturally occurring, irregularly shaped shallow cave or grotto, in which the apparitions of 1858 took place. During the 8th century, Lourdes and its fortress became the focus of skirmishes between Mirat, the local leader, and Charlemagne, King of the Franks. Charlemagne had been laying siege to Mirat in the fortress for some time, but the Moor had so far refused to surrender. According to legend, an eagle unexpectedly appeared and dropped an enormous trout at the feet of Mirat. It was seen as such a bad omen that Mirat was persuaded to surrender to the Queen of the sky by the local bishop. He visited the Black Virgin of Puy to offer gifts, so he could make sure this was the best course of action and, astounded by its exceptional beauty, he decided to surrender the fort and convert to Christianity. On the day of his baptism, Mirat took on the name of Lorus, which was given to the town, now known as Lourdes. After being the residency of the Bigorre counts, Lourdes was given to England by the Brétigny Treaty which bought a temporary peace to France during the course of the Hundred Years War with the result that the French lost the town to the English, from 1360. In 1405, Charles VI laid siege to the castle during the course of the Hundred Years War and eventually captured the town from the English following the 18-month siege. Later, during the late 16th century, France was ravaged with the Wars of Religion between the Roman Catholics and the Huguenots. In 1569, Count Gabriel de Montgomery attacked the nearby town of Tarbes when Queen Jeanne d’Albret of Navarre established Protestantism there. The town was overrun, in 1592, by forces of the Catholic League and the Catholic faith was re-established in the area. In 1607, Lourdes finally became part of the Kingdom of France. The castle became a jail under Louis XV but, in 1789, the General Estates Assembly ordered the liberation of prisoners. Following the rise of Napoleon in 1803, he again made the Castle an Estate jail. Towards the end of the Peninsular War between France, Spain, Portugal, and Britain in 1814, British and Allied forces, under the Duke of Wellington, entered France and took control of the region and followed Marshall Soult’s army, defeating the French near the adjoining town of Tarbes before the final battle took place outside Toulouse on 10 April 1814 which brought the war to an end. Up until 1858, Lourdes was a quiet, modest, county-town with a population of only some 4,000 inhabitants. The castle was occupied by an infantry garrison. The town was a place people passed through on their way to the waters at Barèges, Cauterets, Luz Saint-Sauveur and Bagnères-de-Bigorre, and for the first mountaineers on their way to Gavarnie, when the events which were to change its history took place. On 11 February 1858, a 14-year-old local girl, Bernadette Soubirous, claimed a beautiful lady appeared to her in the remote Grotto of Massabielle. The lady later identified herself as "the Immaculate Conception" and the faithful believe her to be the Blessed Virgin Mary. The lady appeared 18 times, and by 1859 thousands of pilgrims were visiting Lourdes. A statue of Our Lady of Lourdes was erected at the site in 1864. Since the apparitions, Lourdes has become one of the world's leading Catholic Marian shrines and the number of visitors grows each year. It has such an important place within the Roman Catholic church, that Pope John Paul II visited the shrine twice on 15 August 1983 and 14–15 August 2004. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI authorized special indulgences to mark the 150th anniversary of Our Lady of Lourdes. Yearly from March to October the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is a place of mass pilgrimage from Europe and other parts of the world. The spring water from the grotto is believed by some to possess healing properties, however there have been sceptics of the miracles from the first reports. An estimated 200 million people have visited the shrine since 1860, and the Roman Catholic Church has officially recognised 67 miraculous healings which are stringently examined for authenticity and authentic miracle healing with no physical or psychological basis other than the healing power of the water. Especially impressive are candlelight and sacrament processions. Tours from all over the world are organized to visit the Sanctuary. Connected with this pilgrimage is often the consumption of or bathing in the Lourdes water which wells out of the Grotto. Further details are available at www.lourdes.fr
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	......LUZ ARDIDEN
	The ski resort of Luz Ardiden sits above the busy spa town of Luz St Sauveur at an altitude of 1720m, opened in 1975. In more recent times, the road to Luz Ardiden has served as an occasional stage finish in the Tour de France. As a resort it is quite lively thanks to its tapas bars, restaurants and night club. Further details can be found at www.luz.org.
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	......LUZ ST SAUVEUR
	Over the years Luz has hosted some of the most celebrated dignitaries. A favourite spa destination of Victor Hugo, Napoleon III and the Empress Eugenie, the left-bank Saint Sauveur quarter owes its elegant facades to this period. The principal sight, at the top of Luz's medieval, right-bank quarter, is the church of St-André. Built in the late twelfth century and fortified in the fourteenth by the Knights of St John, it's a classic of its kind, with a crenulated outer wall and two stout towers. The north entrance, beneath one of the towers, sports a handsome portal surmounted by a Christ in Majesty carved in fine-grained local stone. Napoleon left his mark on Luz with the impressive ‘Pont Napoléon’. As well as an impressive landmark this bridge now serves as a nerve jangling site for bungee jumping into the gorge below. Further details can be found at www.luz.org.
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	......PAU
	Pau is a lively university town with elegant Epoque architecture and capital of the Pyrenées-Atlantiques department. It is famous for the Boulevard des Pyrenees, a walk of three-quarters of a kilometre from the château to the Parc du Beaumont and the royal Beaumont Park with magnificent views of the mountains in the Pyrenees mountain range. Along the elevated path the iron hand-rails have plaques explaining which mountain is directly in front of you and how high it is. Pau was the capital of the former province of Béarn. The site, on a slight elevation overlooking the valley of the mountain river called the Gave de Pau, where it was crossed by a ford, controlled access to an easy passage into the Pyrenees, used annually for the seasonal pasturage of flocks of sheep in the high meadows (now represented by a hiking footpath GR 65 that runs about 60 km south to the Spanish border). Access to the pass partly accounts for Pau's strategic importance. The site was fortified in the 11th century ("pau" means "palisade" in Occitan), and it became the seat of the viscounts of Béarn. Pau was made the capital of Béarn in 1464. During the early 16th century, the Château de Pau, made more habitable by Gaston Fébus, count of Foix, became the residence of the kings of Navarre, who were also counts of Béarn. Pau is chiefly famous as the birthplace of King Henry IV of France (1553 – 1610). His mother, Jeanne d’Albert, travelled for 19 days by carriage from Picardy, in the eighth month of her pregnancy, just to have her baby here. She sang during her labour, convinced that if she did so, Henry would grow up as tough and resilient as she was. As soon as the child was born, his lips were smeared with garlic and local Jurancon wine, in keeping with the tradition custom. When Henry IV left Pau to become King of France, he remarked to the local notables that he was not giving Béarn to France, he was giving France to Béarn. The English discovered the charms of Pau and its climate and left their imprint, partly because Wellington left a garrison at Pau on his way into Spain during the Peninsular War against Napoleon. Vacationing British, arriving before the railroad did, established the scenic promenade, the Boulevard des Pyrenées, the first full 18-hole golf course in Europe (laid out in 1856/1860, and still in existence), and a real tennis court. Napoleon III refurbished the château, while Pau added streets of Belle Époque architecture, before fashion transferred to Biarritz. Pau is still a major centre for winter sports and for equestrian events, with a famous steeplechase. In the centre of Pau there is a magnificent castle, the Château de Pau that dominates that quarter of the city. It is famous for being the birthplace of the 16th century king of France Henry IV and was once used by Napoleon as a holiday home during his period of power. It has a small garden that was tended by Marie Antoinette when she spent much of the summers in the city. The château now is considered a French historical monument and contains a nice collection of tapestry. From the Boulevard des Pyrenees, the Funiculaire de Pau, a newly refurbished funicular railway, takes you to the valley bottom near Pau railway station. Pau is home to the first golf course on continental Europe, laid out in 1856. Since May of 2007, the converted trinquet has reopened to its original sport, real tennis, on Sundays. Since 1930, Pau has become a mainstay of the Tour de France cycling race, thanks both to its geographical location and to its marvellous infrastructure. Further details can be www.pau.fr
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