Day 558 - 24/04/2015 : Santa Pau looking to the sea

As we told yesterday, we may guess that we're close to the sea if we look at the East from 'portal del Mar', the fantastic lookout point behind Santa Maria Church with impressive views from Ser valley which envelopes Santa Pau.

Take a sit in the walls, close your eyes and begin to relax, admire the landscape, hear the cry of the little birds, do you anything better?

Green's mountains swings around wind's rhythm, perhaps all of these things are the reason why it's one of our favorites places to stay.

Enjoy it !

Day 557 - 23/04/2015 : Santa Pau countryside

Just behind the Church and medieval castle you will find a beautiful balcony in Santa Pau towards its countryside.

Green fields can be seen along Garrotxa Natural Park mountains and volcanoes, creating a special landscape and guessing that the sea shouldn't be so far, because of the medium height of the peaks.

Why don't you try to discover by yourself? 

Day 556 - 22/04/2015 : Santa Pau medieval town streets

Santa Pau is a XIV century villa which has a distinctly medieval atmosphere, between walls and narrow and irregular streets.

The result of this is the medieval castle of the barons of Santa Pau, documented mid-thirteenth century, and situated on a ridge at the foot of the Sierra de Finestres. In 1971 Sant Pau was declared a National Historic-Artistic.

Don't miss to have a peaceful walk in this town to be wrapped in charm and beauty, it's a must !

Day 555 - 21/04/2015 : Santa Pau Church altar

Undoubtedly, the Gothic church of Santa Maria located in the main square is the most relevant building of Santa Pau.

Being located West oriented it will be governing all your walk around the square and the medieval town with an imposing bell tower, built in Gothic style in the fifteenth century, as the former parish of Santa Maria dels Arcs which was badly damaged after the earthquakes of 1427 and 1428.


You should enter to the church to admire the gorgeous Gothic style and the impressive altar.

Amazing !

Day 554 - 20/04/2015 : Santa Pau Town Hall

Being Santa Pau a town close to the mountains you may think that it's some kind of boring village, you will be surprised.

You will come across with stunning buildings as the Town Hall which seems a little Scottish castle crowned with its tower.

The Town Hall is located at the center of the street which leads to the medieval town from GI-524 road. Regarding medieval side of Santa Pau, don't miss following days, you won't be disappointed !

Day 553 - 19/04/2015 : Santa Pau

Santa Pau is the main located inside Garrotxa Natural park being initial point for the most of hikers who like go over this wonderful county.

Located at South-East side of 'Plana de Olot' in the valley created between Sant Julià del Mont and Santa Maria de Finestres ranges and being 496 above sea level, Santa Pau is a must when visiting Garrotxa.

It's easy to reach, we can arrive here only using the road between Olot and Banyoles, it's worth it, you won't forget a big 'fessols' dish, the food which the town is known in Catalonia.

Bon appetite !

Day 552 - 18/04/2015 : Garrotxa countryside

La Garrotxa is in the north of Catalonia, at the high basin of the river Fluvià, the Muga estuary and the Amer and Llémena river beds.

In this county you can see two totally different types of countryside. In a large part of the southern half there are more than 40 volcanoes and various lava flows, forming a gentle countryside without dramatic gradients, which is protected by La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. From the Fluvià river valley to the county's northern limits, the landscape changes dramatically, becoming more dramatic and steeper with an abundance of cliffs and gorges. This is the Alta Garrotxa, which is a declared area of natural interest (Espai d'Interès Natural).

Enjoy Garrotxa, enjoy Catalonia !!!

Day 551 - 17/04/2015 : Santa Margarida hermitage

Inside Santa Margarida volcano, the hermitage after which the volcano was named, is inside the crater governing all the atmosphere. The building was destroyed in 1428 during the 1428 Catalonia earthquake and rebuilt in 1865 preserving its original Romanesque style.

It's common see people walking on the path until the church and sit in front of it, because unfortunately it isn't possible to access inside.

Amazing !

Day 550 - 16/04/2015 : Santa Margarida volcano

The Santa Margarida Volcano is a volcano located in Garrotxa's shire, just 8km from Olot. The volcano has a perimeter of 2 kilometers and a height of 682 meters and is part of the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park.

The hermitage of Santa Margarida, after which the volcano was named, is inside the crater of the volcano.

The building was destroyed in 1428 during the 1428 Catalonia earthquake and rebuilt in 1865. A geology study published in 2011 at the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research indicated that the Santa Margarida and Croscat volcanoes were the product of the same eruption event 11500 years ago, alternating freatomagmatic activity, between water and magma, and magmatic activity.

Amazing !

Day 549 - 15/04/2015 : Autumn in winter

We were impressed by the spectacular landscape we were watching, it's seemed autumn when actually it was the second January's weekend.

Santa Margarida is a freato-magmatic volcano, whose explosion opened up a wide circular crater in whose midst stands today the eponymous Romanesque church.

In the case of Santa Margarida, the explosion opened a broad circular crater in which the chapel dedicated to Santa Margarida was built. Today, the crater floor is pastureland, while the flanks of the volcano are covered in evergreen holm oak on the sunny south-facing side and mixed deciduous forest on the cooler north-facing slopes

Enjoy your walk !

Day 548 - 14/04/2015 : Santa Margarida volcano's path

Santa Margarida volcano is the first one we suggest to visit after leaving Olot to the East on the way to Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park.

It's easy to reach St. Margarida driving on GI-524 until the car park before the path to the volcano starts. Not only is the path comfortable to follow and climb, but also he's specially beauty as you will discover in the following days.

We visited Santa Margarida in a cold winter morning and we are pretty sure the best time might be autumn, why don't you check by yourself?

Day 547 - 13/04/2015 : Santa Margarida de Bianya

The Church of Santa Margarida de Bianya is the main reference to reach Mas el Guitart, which was mentioned yesterday.

Located on the north slope of the sierra de Sant Miquell del Mont, the church was donated to the monastery of Riudaura in 858 and later in 953 it became under the jurisdiction of Santa Maria de la Grassa.

It was quite badly damaged by the earthquakes in the 15th century, but it preserves a great deal of its original architecture, which corresponds to the 12th century. There is just one nave but, at a later date, a chapel was added onto each side giving it the form of a cross. The chancel is formed by an apse, where there are three windows with half-pointed arches, a capitol and a frieze held by buttresses.

Lovely !

Day 546 - 12/04/2015 : Mas el Guitart

Mas el Guitart is a place to live, to meet, to rest, to play, to dream, to relax and so much more. It is also an open house, of both the entrance and the exit, and of the exit to the entrance, where the outside enters in and the inside extends outwards.

It’s like a home full of sensations: the lowing of a calf for its mother, the incessant tapping of a woodpecker, the white frost blanketing a field, the cloud that caresses the sun, the gust of wind that leaves the trees a little barer, the laughter of children lost amidst the forest and many others.

Here are some of the titbits of memories that you can take away with you from your stay in our house. Those of us who live here have no other more valuable wealth than this and we like sharing it.

It's a must visit hotel, you can find more information visiting http://www.guitartrural.com/en/

Day 545 - 11/04/2015 : Vall de Bianya

La Vall de Bianya is a combination of large and small valleys that form a region bursting with meadows, woodland, brooks and streams.

The municipality is made up of several small villages spread on Garrotxa shire, most of which are built around Romanesque churches.

This valley has a lot of stories to tell about its historic past, for one thing the Roman way at Capsacosta, a secondary road that joined up with the Via Augusta, which was the main road to Rome, passes through it.

We can also find some fifteen Romanesque churches dotted around the valleys, which enrich the beautiful, idyllic scenery with their valuable, cultural heritage.

 

Enjoy your visit !

Day 544 - 10/04/2015 : Sant Francesc church

Just inside Monsacopa Volcano we can find a little church which seems abandoned at first sight but actually it's one of the most remarkable spots in Olot.

This church was doing up in 1817 with its current shape and was rebuilt again in 1875, consisting in only one shed. Being Monsacopa a reference for Olot inhabitants, the church itself remains in the memory for ever.

There is a little farmer house along with the church probably used sometime for people taking care of the land.

You can't forgot to add this excursion in your list, it's worth !

Day 543 - 09/04/2015 : Sunset in Olot

Not for one minute had we realized such a beauty sunset when we were climbing to Montsacopa. We were impressed by the magnificent view, being Olot below our feet and Montolivet volcano in front of us.

Further on the horizon we saw the mountains belonging to Natural Park and Vall d'en Bas. We remained in the place, where we started to see other people climbing to admire the panorama, until the sun was completely covered and lights started to switch on in the city.

If the visit to Montsacopa has awoken an inter­est in the vol­ca­noes, then we sug­gest you head for Parc Nou where, in the base­ment of the Torre Cas­tanys house, you will find a museum, the Museu dels Vol­cans, that pro­vides an expla­na­tion of the vol­canic phe­nom­ena and nat­ural sys­tems to be found in La Gar­rotxa. In addi­tion, the gar­dens of this ele­gant house are also of inter­est and this 4- ​ha green lung, replete with ele­ments of clas­si­cal Eng­lish land­scape gar­den­ing, mature stands of native trees and a gar­den of med­i­c­i­nal plants, is an excel­lent spot in which to relax and take a rest from sight-​seeing.

Amazing !

Day 542 - 08/04/2015 : Monsacopa Volcano in Olot

The city of Olot spreads out around the base of one of La Garrotxa’s best known vol­ca­noes –Montsacopa– and climb­ing its slopes is a per­fect way to redis­cover nature with­out actu­ally leav­ing the city. Also known as Sant Francesc, this vol­cano is a reminder of the land­scape that sur­rounds you in this sur­pris­ing comarca and one of the best van­tage points over Olot.

Once you have vis­ited the streets and squares of the old cen­tre of Olot, take time out to climb one of the sym­bols of this city – the vol­cano Montsacopa or Sant Francesc – whose out­line with church and watch tow­ers looms char­ac­ter­is­ti­cally behind the old city. It is only acces­si­ble on foot, but it is worth climb­ing for the view alone, and vis­i­tors should also take a turn around the lip of its crater and enjoy the 360º view of other points of inter­est in Olot – the vol­ca­noes Gar­ri­nada and Aiguane­gra and the peaks of Bassegoda and Mare de Déu del Mont in the dis­tance to the east. The church of Sant Francesc was built at the end of the Penin­sula War in the 19^th cen­tury on the site of a mil­i­tary build­ing, while the watch tow­ers date from the era of the Car­line Wars, also in the 19^th century.

Enjoy !

Day 541 - 07/04/2015 : Vallter 2000

Vallter 2000 resort, which opened in 1975, is located in the heart of peaks exceeding 2,800 m above sea level. In this resort, users can combine alpine skiing in the central slopes with ski mountaineering in the area called "el Xalet".

The resort is in Ripollès region and within Setcases. Vallter 2000 is ideal to practice outdoor sports. Moreover, in Vallter 2000 users can enjoy other activities, such as snowshoeing, snow camps, nivology workshops, snowboarding, freeride, sledging or Tubbing at Playpark.

Thanks to its extraordinary situation in northern Pyrenees, visitors can enjoy a panoramic, unique and exceptional view. From 2,535 m high they can see the bay of Roses and Cap de Creus (Costa Brava). In addition, its proximity to Girona allows skiers to go to the resort in a quick and improvise trip.
Enjoy !

Day 540 - 06/04/2015 : Magnificent Poblet

We weren't able to see Poblet with a blue sky but anyway, not only is the Monastery an unique building, but also it's amazing whichever the weather was.

Autumn was taking relevance and we saw how the landscape change from one day to another. We never forget the organ concert we attended the previous night, it was amazing and it is that kind of events you should put in your agenda.

Cistercian movement in Catalonia have its most representative history inside Poblet's walls, definitely you should visit !

Day 539 - 05/04/2015 : Countryside and Riudabella Castle

Riudabella Castle belonged to Poblet Monastery before Mendizabal law in 1845, when the monks had to leave Poblet and all theirs properties were destroyed.

Afterwards the castle was acquired on public bid by Pedro Gil Babot who started the process to do it up in 1860 until reach its current appearance of a walled building.

Nowadays the building can be rented as a countryside house therefore being surrounded by Conca de Barberà vineyards along all its limits is undoubtedly a perfect way to spend a peaceful weekend with family and friends.

Day 538 - 04/04/2015 : Goodbye Prades

The day before we'd seen the same mountain plenty of snow in our way to Prades and we wanted to see again after the snow disappeared.

Color autumns were given to us in our driving rally into T-700 for a perfect end in our journey, definitely we will come sometime to Conca de Barberà and Muntanyes de Prades, above all when the nature is plenty of life.

Don't forget to note T-700 road in your route book, it deserves a journey to be enveloped in true nature anb be caught somewhere in time.

Day 537 - 03/04/2015 : T-700, serpent road

One of the best ways to enjoy Muntanyes de Prades, and probably the most comfortable, is driving into T-700 road from Poblet to Prades itself or in the opposite way.

The part from Poblet to the top of the hill where there is the crossroad with T-7005 is really amazing because driving on this serpent road becomes a funny game for those who enjoy climb with their cars the road mountains.

Are you ready for a thrilling race?

Day 536 - 02/04/2015 : Mas de l'Argany

Although the picture seems to be taken in the far west, don't be confused, we continue en Catalonia. Mas d'Argany is a rune town stretching near Siurana, specifically it's located in T-70 road before reaching Albarca.

Actually, it's consider a building belonging Cornudella de Montsant and we were captivated by the lonely place like we were in a desert.

We thought that these runes may well be witness from some romantic story, what do you think about?

Day 535 - 01/04/2015 : Siurana cliffs

If you look closely at the surrounding cliffs of Siurana, you will realise why no one was able to conquer it for three centuries, and why the ending was so tragic.
Before being overwhelmed by the Christians, the Moorish queen, Abdelazia, preferred to cast herself off the summit with her horse. The animal, terrified in its futile resistance, left the permanent imprint of its horseshoe on the rock.
It was a defensive point and impassable border with the Islamic world. Siurana was the last Moorish stronghold in Catalonia and fell at last in 1153 after the more important bastions of Lleida and Tortosa had fallen.
A historic town for a historic country !