Thursday, September 30, 2021

About 2 miles east of Besalu: Hipica Can Genassa (Airbnb)

Bike Route: Sant Pau de Segúries to Hipica Can Genassa, 29 miles 1400 feet of climb

Everything was still cool and wet in the morning, after the previous night's rain. We peeled off all the layers of fleece blankets and stumbled downstairs to another amazing meal by Carmen. Again with music in the background and an impeccably set table, the two of us dined in elegance, polishing off course after course of breakfast goodies, peach juice, and cafe con leche.

Completely sated, we layered up with tights and fleece and ear bands and gloves, loaded the bikes, and left the little stone hostal on the old Roman road. The first 18 miles were downhill, winding along the side of the mountain with fantastic views of the valley below. Ken had read that the original movie Heidi (with Shirley Temple) was filmed in this area. It does look amazingly like Switzerland, Austria, and Bavaria.

Next came a stretch on a gravel road, where we discovered a quirky sculpture garden. After a few miles back on a small highway, we got to Besalu, a medieval town at the confluence of two rivers. It is known for its Roman bridge, 12th-century church, and Jewish quarter with baths.

We had a late lunch in Besalu, and explored the main sites in the town. Then we hit the highway for another 3.5 miles to our room at the Hipica Can Genassa farm. Amazingly, we were right back on the old Roman road, 29 miles from where we had left it in the morning.

Our host's dogs met us at the gate, followed by our host, Merce. After helping us store our bikes in the laundry room, she led us up the front steps, through a huge stone entrance-hall-now-great-room, and into our very own large suite. It was incredibly comfortable. 

We showered and then went for a walk around the property, visiting the host's horses and circling fields of alfalfa, hay, and tilled soil. We discovered that our host teaches classes and trains horses in dressage--a classical form of riding that our daughter-in-law and niece competed in for many years.

Cheryl and our host Carmen outside the Hostal Dalt.

Oix, a medieval town not far from Ripoll. We had visited it from the other direction on one of our day rides from Olot the week before. On that visit, we stood at the end of the peninsula and took pictures out over the valley. It was fun to see the town from this side, and take a photo back at it.

I can't remember the name of this garden plot / sculpture garden. The artistry was not quite on the same level as that of Gaudi, but it was interesting. It looked like it had been built in the 60s or 70s; it had kind of a hippy feel to it.

The old Roman bridge in Besalu.

A stylized knight outside a shop in Besalu.

An archway and courtyard below the street in Besalu.

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Sant Pau de Seguries: Masía en Sant Pau, aka Hostal Dalt (Airbnb)

Bike Route: La Pobla de Lillet to Sant Pau de Segúries, 28 miles, 2800 feet of climb

The first 18 miles were back along the same route as the day before, this time starting with a 5-mile climb at a steady pace, following the contours of the cliffs with views of the valley below and the Pyrenees above. We stopped at the town spigot in Gombren to refill water bottles, and again at a cafe in Ripoll for cafe con leche, a ham sandwich, and a chocolate croissant.

The next 10 miles were on roads that were new to us, but in an area familiar from the riding we had been doing around Ripoll and Olot the past week. By mid-afternoon, we were in Sant Pau de Seguries, looking for our country guest house listed as Masia en Sant Pau on Airbnb. A couple miles above the town itself, we found the location Google had given us--across the road from an old church, on the old Roman road. But the stone guest house standing there had the name Hostal Dalt on a plaque, and an information post described it as a restored guest house typical of the old Roman road.

Our host arrived and let us in just as it started to rain, and we listened to the water pound the cottage for the next several hours, as the temperature plummeted and the dark crept in. We were sooo glad we had made it there before the storm.

Our stay at the hostal was a highlight of our trip. Our host, Carmen, had sent a message telling us she is a great cook, and asking if we would like her to make us dinner and breakfast, for an extra fee. We said yes, and we are so glad we did. Though Carmen does not live on the property, she has a full kitchen and a private lounge area there, and she stayed and cooked the most amazing meals. We completely enjoyed her four-course dinner made with fresh local ingredients, including squash soup, pizza, pork with cheese and mushrooms, and an orange sorbet made by a friend of hers. The table was beautifully set with candles, and classical music played quietly in the background. It was magical.

The heat had not yet been turned on, and our room was pretty chilly, but we crawled under layers of fleece blankets and had an excellent night's sleep.

The guest house has four rooms, but we were the only ones there. We would love to return with friends for several days of riding (and eating). The biking in this area is some of the best we have ever seen: small roads, little traffic, reasonable climbs (challenging but not so steep that you have to walk), incredible views, wonderful little towns and villages and hamlets, amazing people.

The views on the way from La Pobla de Lillet to Gombren (the first 5 miles down the mountain) were incredible. That's the Pyrenees in the distance. The border between Spain and France is only about 10  miles north from where we were riding.

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

La Ponla de Lillet: Hostal Fonda Cerdanya, https://www.fondacerdanya.com/

Bike Route: Ripoll to La Pobla de Lillet, 17 miles, 2400 feet of climb

This day was all about biking to La Pobla de Lillet to visit the Jardins d'Artigas, designed by Antoni Gaudi. Because...well, why not?

In 1902, Gaudi was commissioned to design the Chalet de Catilaras to house the engineers and technicians for a coal mine that fed a Portland cement company owned by Eusebi Guell. While Gaudi was working on the design, he stayed at the home of the Artigas family. As a gift in return for the family's hospitality, he designed a garden for their home.

We wanted to visit the chalet as well, but it was over 5 miles up a steep gravel road, and we weren't up for the 11-mile round trip by bike or foot. (We could have taken a taxi, but we never think of that!)

Anyway, the ride to La Pobla from Ripoll was almost completely uphill, a steady climb for several hours. The road was beautiful. We stopped outside Gombren on the way, and had coffee at a restauranat overlooking the valley. We also stopped in Gombren itself, rode around the narrow medieval streets, and got water from the public spigot.

We made it to La Pobla just in time for lunch. Then we found our hotel, checked in, dropped our bags, put on our sandals, and rode a mile south of town to the tourist information office, which opened at 3:30. Through a little research on the website for the garden, I had found that the site has limited hours, but when it is not open to the public, you can get a key from the tourist office--which also has limited hours. The tourist office website said it would be open from 3:30 to 5:00.

We made it to the tourist office about 2 minutes before the officer, and followed her into the building. She was extremely friendly and helpful, giving us a paper guide to the garden in English. We purchased our tickets, took the key, and biked back through town and another mile and a half to the garden. We were the only visitors. It was magical. We followed the guide and walked through the entire garden, marveling at the complex and detailed artistry.

We finished our tour at 4:30 and rode back to the tourist office along the little track for the Cement Train. (The Asland cement company had a small-gauge train. Today, the town has restored part of the track and runs a little train between the tourist office and the garden. The train was not operating because the parking area was under construction, so the track was open for biking or walking.) We made it to the tourist office just in time to turn the key in before the office closed.

Back in town, we left the bikes in our room and explored the narrow streets and medieval buildings until we were tired.

Our hotel was very simple and dated, but clean and quiet. We were the only people there. The owner, a young woman from Senegal, said she had just bought it four months ago, had been booked up through the summer, and was still booked solid from Thursday through Saturday for the fall months. Good for her! She has lived in Spain for four years, working in the hotel industry in a larger city (I think she said Madrid). She loved this area and was very happy to own her own business. It was wonderful to see her pride and sense of hope for the future.

It's hard to capture the magic of the gardens in photos, but we tried.

Monday, September 27, 2021

Ripoll: La Trobada Hotel, latrobadahotel.com

Bike Route: Olot to Ripoll, 20 miles, 3000 feet of climb

A long climb out of Olot on a quiet country highway. Another beautiful day of riding.

Ripoll is an industrial town with a focus on metals and textiles. We rode about a mile through textile factories to find a Michelin-starred restaurant for lunch. The restaurant was closed, so we didn't get to try its special cuisine, but the ride was fun.

Our hotel was very nice, on the edge of Old Town, with a secure garage for the bikes. We explored the town in the evening, walking along the river and around the old streets.

Incredible views on the way to Ripoll.

Lots of climbing, with two cols (passes) between Olot and Ripoll. Col 1...

and col 2.

Did I say incredible views? 

Sunday, September 26, 2021

Olot, Day 7

Rest day. One last walk through Olot.

Saturday, September 25, 2021

Olot, Day 6

Bike Route: Olot to Oix Loop, 24 miles, 2600 feet of climb

Another beautiful ride. The area around Olot has simply outstanding biking. This time we headed north and east, to a town called Oix and back.

View from the Oix, looking north toward the Pyrenees.

Our trusty bikes, so fun to ride on day tours without packs.

Typical foods for the region, including white asparagus.

A real volcano in the distance, a landscape feature volcano in the traffic circle.

Friday, September 24, 2021

Olot, Day 5

Bike Route: Olot to Bas Area Loop, 26 miles, 1600 feet of climb

Oh, what a beautiful day! This easy cycle loop took us down one side of a valley through medieval villages and farm fields, and then back up along the other side of the valley. We cycled up the hills to explore villages built of stone in the 13th and 14th centuries, followed a little lane out to its end at a hamlet, took photos of old churches, and smelled all the wonderful aromas of cows and sheep and chickens and goats and horses and donkeys and corn.

About 1:00, we found a restaurant on a farm outside Els Hostalets d'en Bas. We ordered the menu of the day and were served huge plates of pasta with tomato and meat sauce, beans and bacon, boiled potatoes with an assortment of meats, and roasted beef and mushrooms--topped off with Catalan Creme and espresso. A short mile later we were chugging up the one steep climb of the day, to the beautiful village Joanetes. Overall, it was just a completely relaxing, pleasant day.

On the way back, we were chatting about how the days are starting to run together and speed up. For both of us, the first three to four weeks were full of a kind of nervous energy: figuring things out, learning basic language and cultural skills, getting our bearings and getting used to being on the bikes all day. The next three to four weeks, we were tired but started to relax and enjoy more of the little moments. About two months into the trip now, we think more about home and miss our friends and family and dog. BUT, we are also excited about the plans we have for the next five weeks, and experience says they will fly by. So we embrace the flow of the trip, and appreciate where we are in the moment.

The Vias Verde leaving Olot. This is less than a mile from our apartment in Old Town.

The church in Sant Esteve d'en Bas.

Down one side of the valley and up the other. Fields fill the valley floor, villages and farms are nestled up in the hills.

A really old church.

The rural restaurant where we had lunch is a family business. They serve all local farm ingredients cooked with traditional Catalan home recipes.

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Olot, Day 4

Bike Route: Apartment to Espai Bici Olot Bike shop and back, 4 miles

Walk Route: Apartment to Mercado and back, Apartment to patisseria and back, 2.5 miles

Ken's tire was still soft this morning, so we biked to the EBO bike shop with our spare tire in hand. The proprietor was able to take the bike right in, put on the replacement, and get it all up and running in less than half an hour.

The next chore was getting more groceries at the Mercado. We splurged on local cheese, jelly, bacon, ground pork, vegetables, and homemade quiche, and stocked up on milk, sparkling water, and fresh-squeezed orange juice (my favorite).

Next was pizza lunch in a small plaza we hadn't yet visited. On the way back, we passed a patisseria with incredible looking cakes. After spending a little time on trip planning, we took a nap and then went back to the patisseria for "dinner." At our age, we don't have to worry about eating healthy, right?

It was a relaxing day. We feel a little guilty for kind of wasting it, but I guess we can't be full-time tourists 90 days straight. Sometimes we just need to be regular people who take a rest 😊.

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Olot, Day 3

Bike Route (Ken): Olot to Top of Rocacorba OAB, 56 miles, 6000 feet of climb

Bike Route (Cheryl): Olot to Foot of Rocacorba OAB, 50 miles, 3500 feet of climb

Another beautiful day. It started out a bit chilly but warmed into the low seventies in the afternoon. Ken and I biked together about 20 miles to the start of the Rocacorba, which is a popular col used by pro riders for training. We found out about it last November, when Ken had Covid and I was also sick, and we were sitting on our couch shivering, huddled under wool blankets, surfing through YouTube videos of biking in Spain, dreaming of the trip we had postponed from spring 2020. 

Ken was thrilled to be close enough to tackle this famous climb. I was not up for the challenge of five-plus miles with long stretches at 10-17 percent grade. When we reached the river bridge that marks the start of the climb, Ken went on and I turned around. I cycled back to Banyoles, biked around a pleasant little lake there, ordered a cafe con leche at the tennis club, and sat in the shade and read a book for about 45 minutes until Ken finished his climb and joined me.

The entire ride was on very small country lanes and highways, through farmland and little medieval villages. We stopped at Santa Pau for dinner on the way back. There we met a couple from a small town in Belgium who were on a two-week driving holiday in Catalonia. They are both family physicians and have had a strange 18 months with Covid. Their area of Belgium is now 80 percent vaccinated, which sounds so wonderful.

The views of the Pyrenees as we coasted back into Olot were breathtaking. At the apartment, we discovered that Ken's rear tire was losing air. We located a bike shop that will take a look at it in the morning.

It's nice to finish a long, hard ride back at the same place, where we can relax and wash our bike clothes and take care of a flat and not get too stressed out. We are glad to have this week in Olot.

Olot is in Garrotxa, a county known for ancient volcanoes, medieval villages, and goat cheese. We biked through the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park to get to Banyoles and Rocacorba. Ken took this shot looking down from the top of Rocacorba.

Ken made it to the top of the Rocacorba! According to the pros, the goal is to make it to the top in no more than your age in minutes plus 10 minutes. He made it in 71 minutes, which is exactly his age. In his eyes, he beat the pros. I think that's pretty awesome.

Cycling back to Olot from Rocacorba and Banyoles on little country lanes.

When I pulled out the phone to take a photo, this momma and her little calf stood up and posed.

The 12th-century Pont de Can Prat is still intact and well-used. Amazing engineering.

The Plaza Mayor in Santa Pau is built around a medieval castle.

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Olot, Day 2

We spent a couple of hours exploring Olot by foot and taking photos.

Church of Sant Esteve, Romanesque style. The current construction dates from 1793. 

Details of the front door of Sant Esteve.

Side door of Sant Esteve.

Playground with steel structures near Sant Esteve.

Looking down on Olot from the Volcà del Montsacopa, a volcano that has been silent for about 100,000 years. Olot is in the Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa Natural Park, an area of extinct volcanoes.

Interesting building in a plaza near our apartment.

Front of the Masramon House (1913), by Rafael Maso.

Gate detail of Masramon House.

Front door of Masramon House.

Front terrace of Masramon House.

Fuente de Santa Magdalena.

Fuente de Santa Magdalena.