Yesterday I let Chad sleep in while I ventured out in Barcelona to take care of our laundry. The woman at the launderette offered full service at a good price, so I left our clothes and brought Starbucks back to the room. Chad had been saying the past couple days how he missed American coffee and we've both been way less caffeinated than usual.

At noon we checked out of our hotel around noon (did I mention in a prior blog how beautiful and spacious and perfect our room in the Hotel Condado was?) and picked up the laundry, our car and a Catalunyan newspaper full of great pictures of the match. I plan to laminate some when I get home. Then, off through the Pyrenees to the Medieval walled city of Carcassonne, France.

The Pyrenees were magnificent, especially on the Spain side. We were up a mile high and got some beautiful photos (I apologize we are so far behind on uploading; takes time and a stronger Internet connection). After crossing to the France side the drive got pretty tedious as it continued to weave up and down the smaller mountains there. Much of the road was more like one lane than two and at one point I was sure we were in Narnia.

Our hotel in Carcossonne, booked that morning off Trip Advisor recommendations, does not have A/C and it was hot last night. But, we dropped off our bags in the room and drove over to "La Cite," the historic section behind the city walls.

It was really cool and the perfect evening sight because as it got dark they had it so nicely lit. It was like being in a huge open-air castle, with ramparts and watch towers all around. Here's a good link if you are interested: http://www.francetravelguide.com/visiting-carcassonne-frances-famous-medieval-walled-city.html.

We had a nice dinner within the walls, drinking the local Carcassonne red wine. Chad got the regional specialty, cassoulet. I got a great beef in red wine sauce with haricots vert (green beans). After dinner we walked around La Cite and got ice cream. A lovely evening.

Now Chad is out trying to find us American coffee again (no Starbucks, but the McD's nearby seems likely). Then onto Marseille and our most anticipated hotel, L'Hotel Le Corbusier, designed by the French architect and kept in his mid-century modern style.