Spain April 2024 – The Pyrenees

A Week of Hiking in the Pyrenees

Here is the whole week in one post! Enjoy!

After the seamless, fast, smooth, three-hour train from Barcelona to Zaragoza, we meet our cousins who are also hiking friends, Sandy and Ellie, right at the train station where they conveniently arrive from Madrid. This will be our third trip featuring hiking. We each rent a car to facilitate any chance we want to head in different directions. Sandy and I are designated drivers. In my car, a new hybrid model with a six-gear stick shift, I have a terrible time learning how to start it! Lemme know if you ever need to know! The throttle is in the key only when the gear shift is in neutral and a foot is on the brake, then turn the key very slowly!

It is early afternoon. A detour to the rocky outcrops of the “pre Pyrenees” is too tempting. In spite of the late hour, we go: not to be disappointed by Mallos de Riglos near Ordesa National Park.

We find a beautiful, welcome walk through a small mountain town, a church built into the cliff, and rows of steep red stone faces creating an impressive vertical topography. The 10th century town, Riglos, seems to be “off-season”, shut down for now. Its purpose is as a trail head. Late April is still early spring season here. A couple of serious rock climbers walk by with ropes and carribeners; a couple of vacant camper vans are parked in the lot, but we are essentially on our own.

On to Ainsa, Huesca, one of many medieval stone castle towns with high protective walls, empty moats, turrets, towers, steps to guard posts…. a mini Carcassonne with enormous character. Hotel Siete Reys https://lossietereyes.com is right in the middle of the arched niche on the main plaza.

Parking is not allowed in the plaza so we obediently follow the signs and leave the car in the distant lot, then unceremoniously drag our roller bags along the cobblestones. I’m sure there is a valet service, but no, we are a do it our self group. Nothing subtle about this foursome! We learn there is a way to drive across this expanse. It is allowed for short deliveries, so the departure will not be as noticeable.

We are shown our rooms on the second level, one on each end of the building connected by a generous living area. The house is locked at night. There is a code if we are later in the evening to get in. The ground floor bar turns into a breakfast room every morning where we are served fresh orange juice and Spanish coffee and slivers of cheeses and black hoofed ham with thick pieces of white bread. Food is good.

It will be raining more than half the time over the next three days here. Nonetheless, I can’t stop taking pictures of the views from our room across the river to the highest in the Pyrenees, Monte Perdido (3,200 meters).

The first explore is with a guide Xisco (Cisco). He takes us to the main part of the three part park region, the oldest declared a World Heritage Site in 1997 (ish) known as Pradera Ordessa. Huge ice flows scraped through here from north to south to make the enormous valley millions of years ago. Avalanches are still doing their work scouring clean the forests, leaving swaths of dirt and stone toppled over broken limbs. Some views are rich with trees, others a broken jumble of avalanche and icicles.

Xisco is a wealth of knowledge, answering our (my) questions through the hike. He starts with the geology, but is well versed in the flora and fauna, the trees (in three languages). He continues about the local mountain culture that he joined ten years ago, transferring from a busy life as a nurse in the city of Barcelona. Here, he is training climbers to climb and emergency responders to work as rangers and first responders in these mountains. He rents a house with enough room to hold all the equipment the climbers will use. I love this stuff as I rock climbed a bit years ago.

We find a beautiful, welcome walk through a small mountain town, a church built into the cliff, and rows of steep red stone faces creating an impressive vertical topography. The 10th century town, Riglos, seems to be “off season”, shut down for now. Its purpose is as a trail head. Late April is still early spring season here. A couple of serious rock climbers walk by with ropes and carribeners; a couple of vacant camper vans are parked in the lot, but we are essentially on our own.On to Ainsa, Huesca, one of many medieval stone castle towns with high protective walls, empty moats, turrets, towers, steps to guard posts…. a mini Carcassonne with enormous character. Hotel Siete Reys https://lossietereyes.com is right in the middle of the arched niche on the main plaza.Parking is not allowed in the plaza so we obediently follow the signs and leave the car in the distant lot, then unceremoniously drag our roller bags along the cobblestones. I’m sure there is a valet service, but no, we are a do it our self group. Nothing subtle about this foursome! We learn there is a way to drive across this expanse. It is allowed for short deliveries, so the departure will not be as noticeable.

View from our hotel window of Pena Montana Range and Ainsa RiverWe are shown our rooms on the second level, one on each end of the building connected by a generous living area. The house is locked at night. There is a code if we are later in the evening to get in. The ground floor bar turns into a breakfast room every morning where we are served fresh orange juice and Spanish coffee and slivers of cheeses and black hoofed ham with thick pieces of white bread. Food is good.It will be raining more than half the time over the next three days here. Nonetheless, I can’t stop taking pictures of the views from our room across the river to the highest in the Pyrenees, Monte Perdido (3,200 meters).

The first explore is with a guide Xisco (Cisco). He takes us to the main part of the three part park region, the oldest declared a World Heritage Site in 1997 (ish) known as Pradera Ordessa. Huge ice flows scraped through here from north to south to make the enormous valley millions of years ago. Avalanches are still doing their work scouring clean the forests, leaving swaths of dirt and stone toppled over broken limbs. Some views are rich with trees, others a broken jumble of avalanche and icicles.

Xisco is a wealth of knowledge, answering our (my) questions through the hike. He starts with the geology, but is well versed in the flora and fauna, the trees (in three languages). He continues about the local mountain culture that he joined ten years ago, transferring from a busy life as a nurse in the city of Barcelona. Here, he is training climbers to climb and emergency responders to work as rangers and first responders in these mountains. He rents a house with enough room to hold all the equipment the climbers will use. I love this stuff as I rock climbed a bit years ago.

The first day is a good climb up the right, I think it is the eastern, side of the U-shaped gorge then following a better trail along the Cola de Caballo river. We hike along the waterfall UP the mountain. The growing river weaves around and over the smooth rock surfaces. The slow sculptural process forms waterfall after waterfall we follow all day finally descending to pools of turquoise froth, just like the glacial waters of Patagonia. Breathtaking.This whole day affords only a quick glimpse of the peak, we are shaded in fog the rest of the day. My pictures are closeups of textured stones and ferns along the trail – just beautiful. We agree it’s great to be up and going strong after the hours of travel.

We all know that glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, here as in all parts of the world. But nothing can take away the optimism we see in the new growth of greens emerging in umbrella-shaped sprays during this spring season. Every day this week, the light and reflections of the dew will change as the leaves emerge to full size. Uninterrupted by damage of winter and storms, the foliage is stunning.

It will be a drive to any of the hikes from Ainsa centrally located between sections of in the national park. The next two days are for us to choose from the suggestions from Xisco, or from Wikilocs or the AllTrails App. Once ON the trails, we find them clearly marked and we clear enough to follow our noses.

 

On our last day in Ainsa, Mont Perdido finally reemerges from the fog to reveal a few quiet colors bouncing off the Ainsa River. I could spend a lot of time here. We hardly glance at the second half of the town, the modern section, but briefly stop in the market, window shop along the main drag with it’s clothing stores, etc.Michelin TapasAs a final tribute to Ainsa, a reservation is set for a treat, a “tapas” dinner at Callizo Restaurant https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/aragon/ainsa/restaurant/callizo located on three floors of a historic building just down the colonnade from our hotel. Every floor features another course on the menu, each in a uniquely designed room, serving a special drink paired with some morsel. Appetizers start in the basement on a table that is showing a moving picture of the mountains. On the main floor, the chefs, maybe 8 of them, nod hello to us from the kitchen as we taste amazing oysters or something like that on a stone counter top. The final room has several set tables. I am completely preoccupied with tastes and sips in each of the carefully designed environments. I don’t try to photograph it as it is impossible to absorb the rich flavor explosions of a bite while trying to push a button on a box at the same time. There is a single young man dining at the table next to ours, enjoying his meal of five courses. Smiling, he declines my invitation to join us in crisp, clear English. He prefers to eat alone. He comes here every time he passes through driving from Madrid to eastern Europe on business. (What a way to break up the road! Take a memo!) He is served a full desert (not a tapa like ours). It is a round piece of chocolate as big as a softball surrounded by sauces a chef paints and spoons all over his table mat. When a waiter lights the ball like it’s a candle, it explodes with a loud bang! The chocolate pieces go flying! The other guests join in the complete surprise!

The next day is memorable for the “food hangover” of flavors in my brain paired with the enormous amount of rain! We try to take the walks around the village outside the castle walls that we have heard about. Every “hike” I attempt is interrupted by buckets of water, thick fog and cold! The cats and I take refuge under the ancient food market stalls.

Sandy and Ellie wearing thick rain gear manage a hike for an hour or so: rain pants and waterproof boots. This is when Michael and I take refuge in the Environmental Museum located in the tower. There is a sanctuary for injured wild birds, wet raptors! In the tower section, every floor explains the topography, flora and fauna of a different altitude of the mountains.

On the fifth floor are the black bearded buzzards in their nest with their chicks. They forage for the bones of carrion after the other buzzards have cleaned the meat. The heavy bones are dropped from above the nests onto rocky outcrops. This breaks them up so the birds can feed on the marrow. Resourceful.

Day Three is spent exploring San Juan de la Pena National Monument situated in a beautiful part of the Pyrenees. We find a monastery built under an enormous rock formation and a nearby archeological site of a colony for an early Christian sect from 500 AD by hermits in 500 escaping persecution.

We piece together the story from snippets in a brochure, badly explained in Spanish with translations in French and English. “The Mozarabic Door (10th Century) was moved from the Mozarabic Church in the 12century to the cloister.” Got it? Wonder how that happened?

En route a park ranger in the small information center suggests we take a detour through a steep canyon. The single lane road is one way for 15 kilometers along the river.

Sandy and Ellie are headed to a hike. We decide to “sit it out” for the road trip. (Sharing stories at dinner we each wish we could stay longer to do both!).

Time for a transfer: It is a morning drive to the western park of the Pyrenees on the edge of Cantabria. We situate in a striking contemporary four-bedroom posada adjacent to the classical buildings of the farm village of Bonanza. Hotel Terra is like another home with the architect, Alejandro, in residence serving us drinks and tending to our needs. Our meals are cooked by Maribel, his wife.

Hotel Terra is at the heart of a trail system that extends from the terraces here past the cow pastures up into the high elevations of the mountain range.

Within a few minutes hike, we find an “ermite” to explore. These are one room stone chapels that face east, perched on the lower hills of this eastern Aiguistortes Park. Ermites were built on ancient pagan sites that are visually prominent. They were gathering places, warning sites to protect from religious foes, sites for prayers and festivals. And over the centuries, they proved perfect respites for smugglers. I find each of the structures with different features, to be soothing and yet powerfully mysterious. It would be good to stay a while longer.

We are hiking several miles a day by now, adjusting our step counts, getting along well with our different pacing, different interests.

No blisters, sufficient rain gear, collapsable hiking poles and a pack system that works with plenty of water and a snack lunch. (I don’t wear a pack on my back, Michael has switched to his lighter one).

After all the days of rain, the Pyrenees mountains emerge from their shrouds. It is crystal clean, expansive, white chain of peaks stretching from our point of reference on into the distance.

At a glance, Bonanza is a hiker’s paradise for its simplicity, its accessible trails and for the industrious cattle farming community. We are overjoyed.

Bonanza is a perfect stop. The signage begins right in the village. Trails are clear. Our host Alejandro knows them well. He runs them often. His wife, our chef, does not! It is a fond farewell to them both. Their hospitality has changed our experience for the better

After seven days in the mountains, we drive our rental cars back to Zaragoza to tour the mid-size city mid-way between Madrid and Barcelona.

Leaving the mountains, we encounter one sheep herder bringing about a hundred head up the open road.

Upon returning the car, we experience the taxi system that lines up at the train station where long lines of people just arriving off of the trains at the same time funnel down the escalators onto the curbside pickup to await their turn. Everyone needs a lift. Rows and rows of white cabs crawl along to the “taxi stand”. In this way, hundreds of people disperse in just minutes. Somehow it is remarkably organized!

Moral of the trip – go in May. April is too rainy! and not only on the plain. ( Sorry!)

Stay tuned: one last leg: A quick stop in Zaragoza & Cordoba’‘s Festival of Patios!