Caminando en Catalunya

Our trip to Barcelona was not, perhaps, the relaxing break that Angelines was hoping for; it did, however, satisfy a little of my craving for adventure. ;) We didn't actually see Barcelona at all, unless you count the airport. Our friends live in the mountains about 50 min outside the city. They have a beautiful home on the side of a mountain with a great view and a forest in the backyard--it reminds me of Portola, some.

Usually we visit them in February to take advantage of cheap airfare, but this year we decided to go for it in August. They have a pool, which we've of course never been able to swim in on previous visits, and was particularly pleasant this week with another African heat wave hitting Spain. However, in reality we spent very little time lounging by the pool-side; instead we went on two really nice (long!) hikes.

Montserrat leading the way.

I have seen Barcelona and parts of Catalunya before, but I haven't seen much of the region's natural beauty (except from a car or bus) until this trip. It was lovely to walk through the holm oak forests that reminded me so much of California live oak forests near Chico. The trails need some serious maintenance in some places so I've discovered what I could do if I ever move to Catalunya--trail work! ;) The paths wind through woods and meadows, pass abandoned churches or farm buildings, lead to rural hostals, and cross highways. It wasn't exactly like a hike in Lakes Basin, but it was beautiful all the same.

Monica, Montse and Angelines in the beech forest.

An abandoned church we passed on our second hike: Sta. Julia.

The first hike was 12.5 km in a circle that took us around an ancient volcano: Volca de Croscat. I had no idea that Catalunya had a volcanic past. The last eruption was 11,500 years ago so there's quite a bit of vegetation that's taken over the area and years of erosion have taken their toll, but the distinct form of the crater can be seen. The soil and rocks are all volcanic in the area and in some places I was even reminded of Hawaii sand!

View of Croscot, the ancient volcano crater.

Our second hike was somewhat of an accident. We headed out the door for a "walk"... and got home six hours later. It ended up being about 20 km of walking. That's a lot, especially when you consider it was during the hottest hours of the day on routes that didn't have much shade and when we weren't expecting to be gone nearly that long. Still, it was fun and quite a little adventure. The pool felt great when we finally made it home!