Language
Having crossed from the French Pyrenees to the Spanish Pireneos, you are now in Spain. That part of the Pyrennees through which you are cycling belongs to Catalunya or Cataluna, and the nearest town is La Seu d’Urgell or Seo de Urgel. The latter is the Spanish name for the town whereas the former is the Catalan version. Catalan, the official language of the people who live in Catalanya, is in some ways closer to French, both in syntax and vocabulary, but with many words that are Spanish or uniquely Catalan, e.g. ‘amd’ for ‘and’ rather than ‘et’ or ‘y’. If you understand both French and Spanish it seems relatively easy to read Catalan. On the other hand, it is more difficult to speak because you need to guess the correct word to use - do you use ‘chambre’ or ‘habitacion’ for room. However, you will be more welcome, and it is certainly more fun, if you just plunge ahead with whatever language resources you have - especially when trying to talk to a country farmer who only speaks Catalan. However, speaking slowly and emphatically in English to a non-English speaker is invariably a failure - although quite amusing to watch! On the other hand, at banks, hotels, railway stations, etc, English is always understood.