Pyrenees

One of the best things about Barcelona is that while it has everything a city offers with amazing architecture, delicious food, and the buzz of culture, it is also easy to escape when you need a break from city life. It is on the water, so that is easy to reach, but it’s also just an arm’s reach away from the mountains. It is at the foot of the Pyrenees range, which is known for it’s hiking, skiing, and beautiful landscape.

We have been wanting to visit the Pyrenees for years, but have always been intimidated by the idea of renting a car and trying to navigate the mountains. Thankfully, our Catalan friends finally said they would show us the ropes, and spend a weekend with us in the mountains!

We left on a Friday evening and drove only two hours. Because it got dark as we were driving, we couldn’t really see where we were driving, but we knew as soon as we got out of the car and felt the crisp air and looked up and saw a clear sky full of stars…we were not in Barcelona anymore!

We stayed at another “casa rural”, in which we got a two bedroom apartment, and a fireplace! We immediately opened the windows to let the cool air in, threw on our sweatshirts, and utilized the fireplace! Although it was mid-October, it was still in the high 70s or low 80s in Barcelona, so we were feeling desperate for some Fall!

Saturday we left for our hike, which was to a peak called Puigmal. Puigmal is among the highest peaks in Catalunya and lies on the border between Spain and France. The hike could be divided into three parts - up, down, and flat. It began with a very steep ascent to the top, which was difficult do to it being very windy and rocky. But we pushed ourselves to get to the summit, where we had our picnic lunch,  peered over into France, and then began the descent. After our knees had had enough decline, we reached the Vall de Nuria. This famous valley was full of families, and busy with activities for children including horse rides, farm animals, a lake, etc. We passed through it to head onto part three of our hike, which wrapped around the mountain, past grazing horses, and back to where we began. 

On Sunday, as we drove back to Barcelona, we stopped by 4 small villages between the Pyrenees and Barcelona. We loved seeing authentic Catalan life and stumbling upon a pumpkin festival and market.

We hope to return to the Pyrenees very soon, as there is much more to explore!