The weather is brilliant. I am sitting in the lobby of Aquensis, an ultra-modern aquatic center built into a Victorian-era shell which also incorporates a gambling casino. This is the old spa town of Bagneres-de-Bigorre which is in a steep valley on the French side of the Pyrenees. Mary is soaking in a whirlpool bath to help her sore back. (I suppose I should volunteer to carry our baggage once in awhile.)

Across the street there is a salon de the which has been restored in a particularly French way. The proprietor has managed to clean it up and reinforce it without removing the decayed wooden window frames, faded awnings, scuffed floors. Impressive, a real triumph.

Bagneres has a permanent market building. Every morning people, such as this woman with her mushrooms, come to sell their wonderful looking produce. We have purchased some slices of jambon de pays, a chunk of cheese and a couple of mini baguettes of rough bread. We plan to eat on the road to Lourdes, which is a couple of valleys away. French food is a double edged sword; so good yet so rich it is lethal. We are about maxed out on prix fixe "menu" meals featuring pate de fois gras, salads covered with sauted duck gizzards, pork chops with roquefort sauce, ... Pique Niqueing is a good way around this.