Pau's Blvd des Pyrenees

Later in the day, we stopped in Pau to pick up my friend Hadley at the train station. After a stressful run to Leclerc (where the crowds anticipating the New Year's Day supermarket closure, stockpiled provisions as if expecting a blizzard or natural disaster), we retreated to the stylish Blvd des Pyrenees just in time for sunset. We took the funicular up the hill and then enjoyed a promenade along the famous boulevard, from where the views of the snow-capped mountains are spectacular. As the sun melted pink across the sky, we sipped noisettes and people-watched at a cafe.