The mountains call

Quillan, France surrounded by hills and mountains.

To loosely quote famed naturalist John Muir, "the mountains of Quillan, France, are calling and we must go." We arrived Sunday in the small village located about 60 miles north of Spain. It's nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees, which is why it's one of two locations under consideration for our new home.

Of course, we had to strike out on one of those hills on Monday, 1,200 feet up Pic de Bitrague. It wasn't the highest climb but several sections were extremely steep grades. Our effort was rewarded with some great views. The most amazing was a golden eagle that swooped up from below us not 10 feet away. He made wide circles to return and ride the updraft next to the sheer face. He kept that up until it started to snow, actually tiny beads of hail.

Paulita celebrating at the summit, 2,116 feet above sea level.

There are dozens of hikes of  varying difficulty close to Quillan. Trailheads and paths aren't as well marked as in the U.S. We used an app called wikiloc to follow the trail. Even then the app seemed confused, telling us we were straying but then  immediately saying we were on the right path.

We need to work in a couple of more hikes while we're here this week because in June we're walking sections of the El Camino de Santiago in France, part of The Way, the pilgrimage trails to the cathedral in Galicia in northwestern Spain. True to European hiking culture, we're staying at lodges instead of camping out.

The mountains and its proximity to Spain make Quillan a contender. Next week we'll spend in Pezenas, a larger village farther north and closer to the Med. We hope to pick the winner in April.