The bus dropped us off in Pont-de-Lescun, the point in the
main Aspe Valley from which a side road climbs up 900 vertical feet to the
stone village of Lescun . A young Belgian woman also got off the bus there and
joined us as we began the long walk up the road to the village. We again had
good luck. The Belgian woman stuck her thumb up as a car was passing by and
managed to score the three of us and our big packs a ride up to the village.
The sweet little lady who gave us the ride was a total maniac behind the wheel
as she took Cliffside hairpin turns at Grand Prix racing speed. And we had yet
more good luck when we got to town. Although the Gite (like a hostel) was full
for the night the Hotel Pic D’Anie, the only one in Lescun, had a room for us.
It was a very tiny room for two big dudes with big backpacks, but it was
perfect for our needs.

Lescun is a gorgeous little stone village on a steep
mountain hillside that manages to makes some lists of the most beautiful
villages in France. It’s certainly quaint. At the easternmost part of the
Basque cultural region, it’s one of few places in the French Basque Country
where Basque is still widely spoken. We had dinner at an outside table at the
only restaurant in town followed by watching the Eurocup finals at the bar.
Although we were in France, we joined most of the crowd in cheering on Espana
to a 1-0 victory over Germany.