In the fall of 2023, I had the chance to attend VMware Explore in Barcelona. This time, Keri joined me and we went 4 days early to rent a car and take a tour of Southern France and the Pyrenees Mountains.
Europe Day One – About 2 weeks late, but catching up on a trip through Europe with Keri, before I spoke at a conference in Barcelona. We started off renting a car in Barcelona, stopping at a seaside restaurant for breakfast and then driving up the coast to Narbonne, France.
Europe Day two – today, we drove to Nîmes, France. This city is the most well preserved Roman city outside of Italy. A favorite of Ceasar Augustus, and birthplace of Emperor Antonius Pius, much was built here in the first centuries BC and AD. And it is all still in regular use (we missed seeing an event held in the arena). We did FaceTime Thomas from the arena.
Europe Day Three – went spent this day driving to Andorra, a small country in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain. On the way, we stopped Foix, France. We loved this small town. The castle (Chateau de Foix) was the birthplace of King Henry IV and built around 1000 AD. Attacked, but never defeated, this castle is as beautiful as the valleys around it. This area also has caves with some of the oldest known cave drawings, we definitely need to go back. We ended the day in Andorra La Vella, and loved the night life there. Tons of energy.
Europe Day Four – spent this day in Andorra La Vella, taking in the sites and busy market. We then drove on to Montserrat and then Barcelona. While the French side of Andorra is steep switchbacks, the Spanish side slowly descends through a series of picturesque valleys. We got to Montserrat just before sunset, and the view was beautiful
Europe Day Five – we spent this day in Barcelona, checking in for my conference and revisiting some of our favorite places. Keri left the next morning, and it was work for the rest of my stay. (I will include a few pics from the conference, since it doesn’t need its own post.)
