Pyrenees pyrenees pyrenees (seriously this time)

We have made it to the Pyrenees! ANd let me tell you - holy shit. It is unbelievably gorgeous here. I think this is the first opportunity I have had in my life to use the word "resplendent." >But really there are no words. True to form, Liza and I are now talking about just hanging out in the Pyrenees for a couple days rather than our original plan of up and over and into Bordeaux. I´ve had my first crack at speaking French in the past days and let´s just say it has been pas pas mal. It´ll get better day by day and i can definitely get us around alright. Yesterday we took an off-the-bike day lounging around at a mountain hostal at the foot of the pyrenees. Why? Because I have contracted giardia. It seems that the convenience of the fuentes was definitely too-good-to-be-true. After five days of some of the most foul-smelling farts this boy has ever seen (I couldn´t stand being around myself anymore, felt like there was a little green devil inside of me, and kept thinking I was one fart away from asphyxiating myself in the open air), I called up my dad who is an infectious diseases doctor. We thought I might have developed a lactose intolerance from all the cheese and lattes we´ve had. My dad immediately thought upper intestine giardia. I started flagyl yesterday after going down HARD and began feeling better after 12 hours. And the farts disappeared! (Until reappearing briefly this morning and redisappearing after taking my morning Flagyl.) Sorry if that story was a bit much. I´m really just here to load pictures and keep moving. Thanks to everyone who has posted comments or sent emails - it´s nice to hear from folks back home. We´re nearing the halfway point of our journey! Kinda hard to believe. It´s great when you get to the point in a vacation where you think it´s going to last forever. Our love to you all. We miss you and think and dream of all of you in turn.

The pictures:

-View from above dropping down into river valley outside Cuenca

-My favorite fuente where I saw a fairy who may have given me giardia

-Benton Randall and Le Petite Bleu snuggling up while Liza and Geraldo get some spring water refreshment

-Canyon riding is amazing. We see huge birds and all you can hear is the wind and the water and the whooshing of your wheels

-One of our longer riding days through Castilla de la Mancha. Mostly we saw amber fields, red clay dirt, sunflowers, and huge fields of solar panels.

-