Lunch at La Bexane

Continuing on through Andorra, we drive through several ski resort towns that look a lot like Breckenridge in Colorado.  This is a high end destination, no doubt, but one of our riding companions who grew up in England tells us it has not always been expensive.  He used to enjoy family vacations here as a child, and it was beautiful but not so always so posh.  Only in recent years has it become quite expensive to own land or a vacation home in Andorra.

We cross the border into France, our third country of the day, and after another hour or so of riding, stop for lunch at a restaurant named La Bexane in a picturesque mountain village called Pays de Sault.  It sits along the Plateau de Sault near Col du Chioula and is surrounded by forests on all sides.

Across the street from our restaurant is a small watering trough with mountain water running freely from a faucet mounted on a weathered metal box.  Several of our friends use the cold water to cool their faces and necks.  We have seen fountains or small watering sources like this located usually in the heart of small towns everywhere.  Many years ago, this is probably how townspeople gathered water for their daily needs if they did not have access to a stream or well otherwise.  A few of us also wander down the road toward a small farm to get a closer look at a donkey eating his lunch along the roadside.  In spite of his rather mangy coat, he has a friendly face and enjoys a good scratching on his nose.

Lunch at La Bexane is delicious – a meat plate with salad, cheese and foix gras as a starter followed by the special of the day, a huge portion of pork in a brown sauce made with Dijon mustard, vinaigrette and no doubt plenty of butter.  Add in a pile of fries.  We were stuffed, and I admit I only made it about half way through the special before I gave up.  Our guide kept telling us to save room for the real meal of the day, which awaited us at our hotel this evening, and I planned on enjoying that if I could manage to save room.  Once again, an older couple ran the place and were just delightful hosts.  Throughout the meal they stopped by to check on us making sure we were comfortable.  We opened the sliding glass doors from the dining room onto the porch and the mountainside beyond.  The breeze was marvelous.