VALL D'ARAN: Day 1
- Estel
- Aug 16, 2017
- 4 min read
The church bells announce 8am and we are in the car packed and ready to leave. Destination: La Vall d’Aran. We start heading north in what will be a four hour trip. As we abandon our mountains we approach flat land: el Penedès. Here is where all the good catalan wine and Cava is made. As we drive through vineyards, Alex comments that he would love to grab one of those ripe and juicy bunches of grapes and stuff them in his mouth all at once squeezing all the juice out. I find it quite intense and barbaric first thing in the morning but… the boy loves his grapes I guess.
We quickly start climbing up towards higher mountains like La Serra del Cadí, a mountain range also called the pre-Pyrenees, all while following along the train tracks of the Train of the Lakes. A beautiful and very recommended train route, the Train of the Lakes connects the cities of Lleida and Saint Girons (France) through the Port de Salau (Salau’s Pass), following the river and going through lakes and gorgeous mountains.
We decide to stop in a beautiful little lake hotel at one of the train stops. It’s called Hotel Terradets, and we have coffee there while admiring the beautiful mountains that surround the big blue lake. At the background some kids are screaming and laughing being pulled on a tube by a boat. We don’t have breakfast there because we are traveling with my mom, and she has never left our house without at least one meal in her handbag. She offers us sandwiches, nuts and water and we happily take it while we resume our trip. I notice that after we finish eating there’s still a few sandwiches left in the bag… I wonder if she is planning on taking some hitchhikers.
Northern Catalonia’s landscapes are so diverse and beautiful. As we go up and down mountains and through tunnels you can se how vegetation changes. It’s a sunny and beautiful day, the sky is clear, and it’s quite chilly. We are almost below freezing and being a Southerner for a few years, an August like this is hard to believe.
No matter where you are seated in the car the views are priceless, even the rock walls on my side are spectacular. Also, no matter where you sit you won’t miss a thing because my mom is with us. She’s an amazing woman and mother but when we are on a road trip SHE. CANNOT. SHUT. UP.
When I was a little girl, the amount of details-per-minute described by her in a car ride like this made me question if I had supernatural powers and I was reading her mind. There is no filter. She will comment on every single thing that happens. Every animal species (she knows them all), kind of tree, name of river, type of rock… also explanations for every natural phenomenon, from coloration of the leaves and flowers, to cloud formation or wild animal behavior. She knows it all, and she is proud to share.
After about an hour of BBC background comments I doze off. Only to be woken up (I don’t know how much later) by ours truly to be informed that we are about to cross the Vielha tunnel. La Vall d’Aran is a big beautiful valley at the Pyrenees. Since you ask, my mom told me to tell you that “vall” is Catalan for “valley,” and “aran” is Basque for “valley.” It’s a very original name. Since the valley is very deep and you can only get in or out through Ports (passes), in 1948 they built the longest tunnel in the world (at that time) through the mountains. My aunt’s family moved from the south of Spain to the Valley to work on it, my aunt was born, she met my uncle and the rest is history.
We leave behind the sunny and clear skies and we get out of the tunnel to find a foggy landscape. The setting is majestic, huge mountains are surrounding us like dormant giants, and as the road meandered down the valley the town of Vielha played peek-a-boo between the clouds. All the roofs are made of slate. During the winter it’s a white wonderland, but during the summer, especially if it’s foggy, it reminds me of a Scottish landscape.
We stopped in Vielha and visited the beautiful streets filled with winter sports gear. We had lunch in this charming mountain tavern that was recommended by the lady at the wine store (where we bought wine and cheese) and died over the typical local dish “Olla Aranesa” (Valley’s Pot) that consists on this very hearty mountain soup with all kinds of meat, veggies, and chickpeas. It’s very much a winter dish, but we are on the 30’s, so it’s appropriate. We’ll try to make it at home and I’ll post the recipe here.
After that we drive to Salardú, a little town where our hotel is located. It’s a very cozy ski lodge, and Laura, the owner is so warm and welcoming, and takes care of all of us like we were her children. After dropping off our luggage we drive towards Pla de Beret. It’s a breathtaking mountain plain, and as we drive along the river we are welcomed by sheep, cows, and horses roaming the park.
From there you can park the car and walk to the sanctuary of Montgarri. As we start our hike, we are joined by a friend: a little skinny brown cattle dog that falls in love with Alex immediately. The dog followed his heels all the way to the refuge by the Sanctuary. The staff there is young and helpful and immediately calls the shepherd and confirms that it’s a young cattle dog that’s being trained but decided that it was more fun to go solo. From the refuge you can go hiking, ride mountain bikes or horses on the huge network of trails in the surrounding Pyrenees. Since we are freezing after our cold and humid hike we get some hot coffee.
On the way back to Salardú we spot some deer high up in the mountains and some goats that take over the road. We end our day with pizza in a little restaurant at the square.
This amazing pictures below are taken by Alex, click on the picture to see it bigger. He is so talented!
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