We were by Urdos !!!

Posted in Europe, France

This town has a strong meaning for us, It was my first passing from France to Spain in 1990, This is a small town of about 120 folks right before the Pyrénées mountains of France! I like to update this post and tell you a bit more about with new text and links for you and me, Therefore, this is we were by Urdos !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.

Urdos arriving on N134 aug14

In my first trip we took off on then my girlfriend (eventually wife) on her VW Golf car (she love her little car a lot) and off we went without GPS just old paper maps. Little did I know that were going to face the mighty Somport just south of Oloron -Sainte-Marie on the road N134, climbing this mountain pass of the Pyrénées mountain mostly on second gear as it was and is very hilly around here lol! The return trip was done by the same Somport mountain pass and all the sights were awesome, and the customs border police at Urdos was very nice as before the UE this was the customs control border with Spain. Thereafter, the borders were cancel as UE came in and even if before we made couple more trips by it took some times when we decided to do it again and not use the new tunnel under the Pyrénées that is now much easier the pass, In September 1990 we made the trip in the VW Golf from Meaux (77) to Madrid !!! Indeed many years now but always in my heart, even more now as her passing in 2018 brings back many wonderful memories of these trips.

Some of the things to see here are the houses from the 16C, 17C and 19C. the train station on the Pau-Canfranc line, closed to traffic since 1970 ,and trying to reopen already a nice hotel resort complex there, . The Somport tunnel. And Sainte-Marie-Madeleine Church, from late 19C. Almost all of the church was rebuilt in the second half of the 19C. Between 1887 and 1889, it received a set of decorative paintings and Glass roofs were provided in 1901. From Urdos,Urdos ch sainte marie madeleine passing on the N134 aug17 you will access the Somport ski resort at an altitude of 1600 meters and the Somport ski area remarkable for the quality of its environment and ideal in particular for the practice of Nordic skiing .The Fort du Portalet was built on the orders of Louis Philippe I between 1846 and 1860 in the towns of Etsaut and Borce, this impressive fortress had the ambition to keep the Franco-Spanish border protected. Perched more than 100 meters high, on a cliff dominating the Gave d’Aspe, it faces the chemin de la Mâture path, and was responsible for protecting the road from the Somport pass. During WWII, the French state gave it a new destination: prison of state of the Vichy government.

A bit on Urdos tell us that it is located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques dept, 64,of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region ,and in my belle France. The town borders with Spain (Aragon) to the south. It is the first village in the Aspe valley, the gateway to Béarn and Aquitaine for travelers coming from/to Spain. It was once an obligatory stopover due to the complexity of crossing the Franco-Spanish border resulting in the presence of gendarmerie, police and customs services. The town is served by the national road N134. This road goes towards Spain passing by Urdos the last stop in France. Two important events in the history of Urdos On September 15, 1915, opening of the Somport railway tunnel and on January 17, 2003, opening of the Somport road tunnel. And I took the tunnel many times afterward until moving to Brittany in 2011, the way is shorter by Irun.

A bit of history on this area of which Urdos belongs, On January 12, 1790, the National Assembly established the Department of Basses-Pyrénées bringing together Béarn, the three French Basque language provinces (Labourd, Basse-Navarre and Soule), as well as the Gascon lands of Bayonne and Bidache . In 1969, the department took the more rewarding name of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The viscounty of Béarn, created in the 9C on the tiny Vic-Bilh, expanded by the game of alliances and became, as well as the Aragon, an independent state, until the edict of Union in the Kingdom of France promulgated by Louis XIII in 1616.

I will some webpages as places you can go/do from Urdos :

The local Pyrénées Bearnaises tourist office on the Espace Somport ski resort : https://www.pyrenees-bearnaises.com/explorer/neige/espace-somport/

The local Pyrénées Bearnaises tourist office on the Fort du Portalet : https://www.pyrenees-bearnaises.com/offres/le-fort-du-portalet-urdos-fr-2227842/

The local Pyrénées Bearnaises tourist office on the Hôtel des Voyageurs (stay or snack) : https://www.pyrenees-bearnaises.com/offres/hotel-des-voyageurs-urdos-fr-2192937/

The Pyrénées Atlantiques dept 64 tourist office on randos around Urdos : https://www.tourisme64.com/itineraire/urdos/

There you go folks, Urdos is a small hole on the world map, but a huge spot for me, always remembered it, It has become a part of our family’s history and great memorable moments of family travel. You too can take the ride its wonderful with huge beautiful views of the Pyrénées mountains, and the road freedom of a road warrior. Again, hope you enjoy the post on we were by Urdos as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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