Thrifty Fifty - Andorra to Ainsa

 Day 6 – 206 miles: Andorra → Aínsa

Accommodation: Hotel Dos Rios

“Top five rides”, that’s the Dan rating for this morning’s route from Andorra to Aínsa. Just me, the machine, and that umbilical ribbon of tarmac binding us to the mountain. Flowing along in total harmony, nothing else existed. A motorcycling zen moment.

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By early afternoon, after 120 miles, we regrouped for lunch at Tremp. As with breakfast, the pace of service was distinctly Spanish, much slower than in France. Nothing was rushed. 

Above, odd place for a boat  - atop a mountain.

Compared to the speed of the open road, dining in a restaurant felt like we’d started crawling backwards. Breakfast had taken an hour; lunch stretched to two. In fact, we didn’t even wait for coffee and dessert (included in the price!) and we’re all pretty tight, so that says something

Below, riding out of my 40's. 

Above and below, the canyon along the n26o approaching Ainsa. 

The afternoon mirrored the morning: following the N260 along the Pyrenees toward Aínsa. As we approached the village, enjoying a spirited ride, we spotted police at the roadside. For reasons known only to them, they waved us through and instead pulled over the van we’d just overtaken at a rather questionable pace. Jason, for his part, had been riding no-handed, arms outstretched, perfectly mimicking the “Jack and Rose” scene from Titanic. And still, the police waved us on!

Aínsa itself is a historic village in the Aragón region.Aragón is known to me for two things:

1 - Catherine of Aragon—Henry VIII’s first wife.

2 - A recommendation from a bike mechanic in Nottingham. Which why we're here, nothing to do with the king of England. 

Aínsa is a perfectly preserved medieval working village. We dined in the square, drank beer in its quaint streets, and soaked up the atmosphere. The following morning, though, it was obvious we’d soaked up a bit too much beer, judging by the ache in my helmet.

The last two days route..