Payés, Montserrat

Revistes Catalanes amb Accés Obert

T R A V E L  
T H E  M O U N T A I N S ,  
T H E  O T H E R  S IDE  
O F  S U M M E R  
ALL IN ALL, A NEW POSSIBILITY, AN OPEN DOOR TO A SUMMER 
WICH IS DIFFERENT FROM AND COMPLEMENTARY TO THAT OF 
THE COASTS OF CATALONIA.  JOURNEY THAT WILL ALLOW 
VISITORS TO COMPLETE THEIR PICTURE OF THE COUNTRY AND, 
ABOVE ALL, WILL PROVIDE THEM WITH A DEEPER 
UNDERSTANDING OF IT. 
hen the words "Catalonia7' and 
"summer" appear together, most 
of those who know the country, 
or simply know where it is on the map d 
Europe, immediately associate it with the 
image of beach, sand, water, sun, aowds 
of people and so on. But this is nob ani 
altogether accurate picture. Theae ís am- 
other side to Catalonia and, as welU as ahe 
summer of the coastal tourist rewrts, m e  
can find a summer that ís rekmedl, cm!, 
green, quieter and less welP known: the 
summer of the mountains. 
The visitor who would like to  see this 
hidden side of the country has an im- 
mense range of possibilities to choose 
from. The most recommendable, by vírtue 
of its size and therefore the díversíty it 
offers the visitor, is the Pyrenean route, a 
joumey of over three hundred kilome- 
tres, at a height of more than one 
thousand metres, ktween the valley of 
Aran and the eastern region of Girona. 
Starting the jorarney in €he city of Girona 
ítself, nnquestiionably one of the most 
kautiful Pn the Principat, the visitor has to 
head towards Banyoles, still on the plain, 
whe~e he will be ab1e to see a large lake 
peserved as a first class ecological zone 
and on which one can enjoy al1 sorts of 
water sports. The itinerary continues to- 
wairds the town of Olot, an important 
Catalan centre and capital of the Garrotxa 
region. The town is surrounded by an in- 
active volcanic zone and clearly marks the 
divisíon between the plain and the start of 
the mountains. From here on, you can 
follow a long, winding road that will take 
you through the towns of Camprodon, 
Setcases, Molló, Baget, and others; small 
towns that, in winter, act as bases for visit- 
ors to the Vall-Ter ski-resorts. The land- 
scape here is completely different, closer 
to the typical image of the Swiss Alps than 
to that of the Mediterranean. 
You now return along the same road, but 
towards Sant Joan de les Abadesses, 
where you should visit the monastery. 
From here, you go on to another monas- 
tery, at Ripoll, a few kilometres away, 
before setting off for one of the most im- 
portant mountain passes in Catalonia, 
that of Tosses. Before starting this part of 
the journey, though, it is well worth mak- 
ing a detour and visiting the village of 
Queralbs. When you get to the top of the 
pass, you can enjoy a fabulous view of 
the Ripollks region, in the south, and the 
Cerdanya region, in the north. From 
here, you can visit the ski-runs of La Mo- 
lina and the villages of Fornells and D6r- 
ria. On the other side of the pass, we 
come to Puigcerdi, one of the most im- 
T R A V E L  
portant towns in the Catalan Pyrenees, a 
commercial centre and a high-class 
summer resort. A visit to the towns of 
Alp and Llívia is recommended. The lat- 
ter, actually in French territory but under 
Spanish administration, boasts a fine 
church and one of the oldest chemist's 
shops in Europe. 
The next stage takes you from Puigcerdh 
to Andorra, calling in at Meranges and 
Martinet, where you find two of the re- 
gion's most recommendable restaurants: 
the Hotel Boix and Can Borrell. 
We can enter and leave Andorra via Seu 
d'urgell. Practically al1 of this little coun- 
try is worth visiting, for its scenery, the 
shopping and the charm of a society with 
one foot in the eighteenth century. From 
Seu, you go to Viella via Sort, Llavorsí, 
Espot, and the Bonaigua pass as far as 
Bossost, once again on the French 
border. This region, called La Val1 $Aran, 
has its own quite different language and 
traditions and its undeniable beauty is 
possibly the most remarkable of this green 
summer we are recommending you. 
This journey can be completed in some 
seven or eight days, and shows one of the 
elements that profoundly influences the 
national reality of Catalonia. In recent 
years, foreign tourism has begun to show 
an interest in this hidden side of the coun- 
try, that exists alongside the more popu- 
lar tourism in the country. This hidden 
side is for the tourist who wants to get 
away from the noise, the bustle, the 
crowds and, at the same time, widen his 
knowledge of our society. 
The return journey can be made towards 
Barcelona, via the city of Lleida or, if you 
want to go north, crossing the border at 
Bagneres de Luchon. 
Should you prefer to spend less time trav- 
elling but still want to see and enjoy the 
mountain scenery, the other possibility is 
to visit the area of Montseny, situated a 
few kilometres from Barcelona. This 
range is an immense woodland park sur- 
rounded by villages, some of which are 
slightly larger than the villages of the 
Pyrenees; for example, Aiguafreda, Vila- 
drau or Breda. Here you should visit 
Santa Fe and Sant Marqal, go on excur- 
sions to the Turó de l'Home or Matagalls 
and see the Hotel Sant Bernat, set amid 
the most fabulous scenery. 
Al1 in all, a new possibility, an open door 
to a summer which is different from and 
complementary to that of the coasts of 
Catalonia. A journey that will allow visit- 
ors to complete their picture of the coun- 
try and, above all, will provide them with 
a deeper understanding of it. M 


The Mountains, the Other Side of Summer

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Revistes Catalanes amb Accés Obert