This is Laruns !!!

Posted in Bretagne, Europe, France

Let me tell you more of a little village in my road warrior trips thru the Pyrénées between my beloved France and Spain. It has been many trips by it for many years lost count even in years when there was no tunnels up the peaks and down and back. We had many good times with the boys and my dear late wife Martine. I am thrill to have found this picture in my cd rom vault that made me do this memorable post. Therefore, happy to tell you about this is Laruns !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.

The village of Laruns is located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department no 64 in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of my belle France, It shares a border with Huesca Province, Aragon, Spain. Historically and culturally, Laruns is part of the province of Béarn formerly a sovereign state, and shares its unified historical and cultural identity. It is situated in the Ossau Valley, It is 39 km from Pau, 33 km from Oloron-Sainte-Marie, 51 km from Lourdes, 6 km from Eaux-Bonnes, 8 km from Bielle, 56 km from Urdos, 75 km from Canfranc (Spain), 86 km from Jaca(Spain),827 km from Versailles, and 740 km from my current town. All these places with posts in my blog, Laruns is accessible via three main routes such as if arriving from the north the RD 934 road; from the Spanish border , arriving from the south via the Col du Pourtalet (see post) on same RD 934 road; and from the Val d’Azun, arriving via the Col d’Aubisque (see post) on the RD 918 road. Please note that this last route is open only during the summer. We have taken them all over the years !! Memorable trips ! We have come from Versailles and from Pluvigner ! Basically down on the A10 autoroute l’Aquitaine to around Bordeaux taking the A62 autoroute des Deux Mers dir Toulouse get off at exit/sortie A65 autoroute de Gascogne dir Pau/Saragosse (Zaragoza) bear rigth on A64 autoroute dir Saragosse(Zaragoza) ,get off at exit/sortie 9,1 dir Pau/Saragosse(Zaragoza) on the D817 road going thru City center Lons on Bd de l’Europa at next roundabout becomes Rue du Piémont same road 2nd roundabout becomes the D834 road bear right twice on big roundabout and continue on same D834 road cross the Gave de Pau river on Pont Bleu de Laroin continue to next roundabout bear left onto the D802 road or Avenue du 18 Juin 1940 continue passing around Jurançon ,on next roundabout bear right onto the N134 highway dir Saragosse(Zaragoza) continue passing Gan then make a sharp right turn on loop to get onto the Route d’Oloron and continue into Avenue des Pyrénées on the D934 road continue ,road changes names but same D934 road continue to becoming Route de Laruns then Avenue Aristides Briand by Louvie-Juzon continue passing by memorable Bielle where always had our breakfast ! Continue onto Laruns on the Rue d’Aiga Bera then turn right into Avenue de la Gare ,and after Place de la Mairie and tourist office Vallée d’Ossau – Bureau de Laruns ,before reaching it on your right hand side big parking lot, Below arriving to village on the D934 road!

Things to see here if more time are the Château d’Espalungue dates back to the Middle Ages. In 1988, the village erected a stele dedicated to those who escaped France ,specifically Resistance fighters who left the country to join the Liberation Army via Spain during WWII. Pilgrims traveling the Way of Saint James (Camino de Santiago) through the Ossau Valley (crossing the Col des Moines) would stop at Gabas ; a hamlet within the village, where Viscount Gaston IV “the Crusader” had established a hospice and chapel in 1121; these were placed under the authority of the Hospital of Sainte-Christine du Somport, located in Aragon (Spain) at the site of the current Candanchú ski resort. Gabas still retains a mountain chapel dating back to the 12-13C. The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary dates from the early 17C; it was rebuilt and enlarged in the 19C. The Church of Saint Peter dates from the late 19C and was built on the site of an earlier church from the 15-16C.

My anecdotes here tell us that Laruns lay on the route of Stage 16 of the 2007 Tour de France, held on July 25. The 218-km course ran from Orthez to Gourette (Col d’Aubisque). On July 27, 2018, the town served as the finish line for Stage 19 of the Tour, which started in Lourdes. In 2020, it was the finish line for Stage 9, starting from Pau. In 2023, it was the finish line for Stage 5, also starting from Pau.

A bit of history I like tell us that in 1385, Laruns had 114 households and fell under the jurisdiction of the Ossau bailiwick. In 1650, the town’s *jurats* (municipal magistrates) decided to build the “Caze de Brousset” in the valley of the same name; this structure served both to monitor the passage into Spain and as an isolated refuge variously known as an “inn” or “tavern” over the years for travelers crossing the Pyrenees in the upper valley. During the French revolution, the building was burned down by Spanish forces from Sallent in May 1793. In 1808, it was set on fire by the Spanish once again. The final tenant by then, the structures were badly dilapidated, and in 1858, a third fire devastated the building. It will not be rebuilt, as the construction of a road in November 1901 rendered any such refuge unnecessary. After exploiting the Aspe Valley, the Royal Navy established a presence in Laruns in 1776, building an arsenal at the site of the current Place du Port, and the Maison de la Marine.

The town of Laruns on its heritage: https://www.laruns.fr/decouvrir-laruns/presentation-du-territoire/

The local Vallée d’Ossau tourist office on Laruns : https://www.valleedossau.com/laruns-eaux-chaudes-goust-gabas-artouste

The Pyrénées Atlantiques dept 64 tourist office on Laruns: https://www.tourisme64.com/en/our-destinations/welcome-to-bearn-pyrenees/laruns/

There you go folks , all set for a wonderful ride into the off the beaten paths beauties of my France , a wonderful trip to never forget, memories forever !!!  ,and looking forward to be back ,eventually. Again,hope you enjoy the post on this is Laruns !!! 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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