Today I will be walking you through the magical experience of the uttermost genuine roadtrip I've ever had in my life, Madrid to Ribes de Freser in the Pyrenees...
NO. I was desperate. Next time, I would definitely take a train, We decided to plan a family trip for Christmas and unfortunately, all the trains were full.
Was it worth it? YES.
Ribes de Freser is sheltered by the lofty peaks of the
Catalonian Pyrenees, and is at the point of convergence of three rivers: the
Rigard, the Segadell and the Freser. One of its most picturesque streets is
Cerdanya. It maintains the essence of yesteryear to this day, and leads to the
chapel of Sant Cristòfol. Medieval remains include the Segura (13th-15th
centuries) and Ribes (13th century) castles. The latter still has part of its
original walls intact. The stunning surroundings, mild summer weather, the
proximity of Pyrenean ski resorts and the presence of mineral water springs,
have made the village an ideal destination whether for rest and relaxation or
for mountain sports: hiking, climbing, caving, cycling, horse riding, and
skiing in winter. Special mention should be made of the honey from Ribes,
produced using traditional methods.
It all began leaving the center of Madrid off to the farmside, in the middle of nowhere, I am talking, NOWHERE. The Road trip was excessively long.
7 hours and 30 minutes long...
We made some stops at a few gas stations here and there, where we stopped to pee and get some snacks, you know the typical pit stops, some were nice and fancy stops with big diners, gift shops and parking lots, others were creepy as fu**. Made "Rest Stop" the movie, look like Disneyland.
Actually, these made you want to stay in the car and hold on to that pee forever...
Actually, these made you want to stay in the car and hold on to that pee forever...
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| Spooky Gas Station |
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| Pretty ample gas station parking |
We stopped at Lerida for some lunch, this, is a very small town, get this; it is one of the most mountainous provinces in Spain and is the
fourth and probably least-known province in Catalonia...Interesting and pretty because of its Medieval feeling...
The air was cold and crisp, the sun was warm and I enjoyed the " European" smell. It was very quiet and quaint. People were very nice.
It is provincial, but very well organized and built.
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| Medieval Lerida |
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| Lerida has modern architecture |
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| Streets of Lerida |
After making a quick stop in Lerida, off we went to our destination, paradise, it was literally paradise.
Ribes de Freser is a place where you loose all perspective of time and reality, you feel you have time travelled to a Medieval Wonderland, with its ruins, creeks, cobblestone streets, Gothic structures, mountains and mesmerizing passages, where the old and the new merge in harmony.
Ribes de Freser is a place where you loose all perspective of time and reality, you feel you have time travelled to a Medieval Wonderland, with its ruins, creeks, cobblestone streets, Gothic structures, mountains and mesmerizing passages, where the old and the new merge in harmony.
You can bump into deers, rabbits, cows, dogs, horses on the loose, wild and happy free spirits wandering in the mountains.
I recall the climate was very cold and a delicious chill would penetrate your body when you walked outside, specially at nighttime. Then when you walked in the house, warmth would drown you into a very cozy feeling. It truly is unforgettable.
This is where we stayed, maybe now you will understand...It was poetic!!!
Upon our arrival at the masia ( typical countryhouse or farmhouse), the owners received us with a delicious dinner that consisted of meats cooked on stone, lentils, suasages, their typical farm bread and wine. It was a culinary experience, simple, yet delicious. We ate downstairs in the diner, ( you can see the whole place in the link above), and sat out for a while, had some wine, and off to sleep.
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| Good night! |
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| Good morning! |
Good morning Ribes de Freser! And what a stunning view! It was like Heidi in the rolling hills and mountains!!! We were all impressed, we arrived at nighttime so we couldn't appreciate the view, but what a great surprise God gave us that morning! We all went out walking, the kids went scavenging, and I just chilled, stayed home and tripped the view all the time...I mean, look at this! I took this with an i phone 5, no filter!
I felt like Heidi, I wanted to milk the cows, feed the goats, clean the pig sty, brush the horses, handpick the best eggs, make fresh bread, churn the butter...OMG!!! Like Heidi!!!! That never happened obviously.
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| Morning at ribes de Freser |
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| Chilling at The Masia |
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| Sunset at Ribes de Freser
Christmas Eve we all went and had dinner at the little
town, in a restaurant called El Cazador,
we had a beautiful and delicious family dinner
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The next day, we did more chilling, and went to Vall de
Nuria, a beautiful skiing resort where the mountain is so darn steep you have
to take a train called " La Cremallera" ( The Zipper), or The Rack
railway http://www.valldenuria.cat/website_valldenuria/esp/cremallera.asp
It has a special mechanism that goes something like this:
It definitely made a weird noise, I can tell you that much.
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| La Cremallera Vall de Nuria |
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| Vall de Nuria Ski Resort |
The outing was beautiful, a great experience, and the ski
resort was tempting us to stay, but we had an agenda, so unfortunately we just
passed by and spent the day there...
The whole scoop on Vall de Nuria is here
Our countryside experience was over and off we went on a much shorter roadtrip to Barcelona...
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| Our last picture in Ribes de Freser
Hope you enjoyed this post, this place was worth writing about.
If you have the opportunity, don't hesitate on planning a vacation a few days in Spain's countryside with your family or a group of friends, or even a romatic getaway. The culture, the people, the ambience is magical, and it will give you a chance to unwind, relax and even forget the time of day.
Hope you enjoyed this post!
xo,
T.
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