Viva Espana!
Recently returned from a mini trip down to Spain (or Espana as they say!). I had a meeting with my running/drinking club (Hash House Harriers) in Madrid and decided to extend the trip and explore the Aragon region in the northern Spain Pyrenees. The trip started off and a good note with the first night in the old town of Ainsa. It is located in the lower mountains of the Pyrenees while still having some great views of the bigger hills.
Because it is not prime tourist season yet, I was fortunate enough to be able to park (with about 20 other campers) just outside the village with spectacular views. I continued on the next morning taking the scenic route and ending up with a stop in a gorge called Mirador del Rio Vero. While the gorge looked like a beautiful hike, it was the vultures that were resting on a rock ledge that seemed to catch everyone's attention. We were all waiting for one to fall asleep and fall off the ledge and then recover in a graceful flight. Didn't happen but still fun to watch :-)
It was then on down the road as I had to be in Madrid by that afternoon. Unfortunately....bad luck as my VW camper lost all power in the rolling hills outside of Zaragoza. I was able to get the VW restarted and carefully returned 70km to a Zaragoza VW dealer. It was not a good prognosis but on the positive side, the dealership was across the street from the train station, so I left the VW there and jumped a train for the weekend in Madrid. When I returned, I found after 5 days, they hand't started any repair, so I got to spend 4 more days in Zaragoza. I was only planning to do a drive by of Zaragoza but it worked out much more than that....and I'm glad as I was able to discover this nice city with it's cathedral, chapels and great food. The main cathedral, El Pillar, is a must see, both inside and out.
After the car repair, it was a direct shot to the Pyrenees. The excitement started to mount as I began to see the snow covered peaks in the distance, with small villages sitting serenely in the foreground. My quest was finally being realized!
I went to visit the town of Hecho, recommended by the guidebook, but I was not particularly taken by the setting so I went a bit further seeing a sign for a campground up the valley. After driving about 5 miles up a windy mountain road, I found the campground....closed! So I kept on going another few miles until I came upon a clearing that was gorgeous. I did encounter a road block by some locals but quickly bypassed that!
A little further up the road and I encountered more free range animals. In this case, it was a small group of horses with the adults wearing cow bells. This colt was very friendly and kept coming up to see what I was doing.
I proceeded to make a nice dinner and wait for the sunset which was going to be coming in fairly soon. It was well worth the wait as I saw some gorgeous cloud and light play on the mountain tops.
From here it was on to my final destination which was Torla and the Ordesa y Monte Perdido national park. This was where the big mountains were, with hiking trails passing waterfalls and flowing rivers throughout. It really was a paradise and a place that I will return to often. A definite holiday destination for me in the future.
I ended up bypassing the national park and staying in Bujaruelo valley where there were numerous hiking trails and a great campground.
I ended my trip a couple of days early as thunderstorms and heavy rain came rolling in. The good thing is that this paradise is located only about 5 1/2 hours from my house so I will be able to return and explore much more. Highly recommend visiting this region if you like mountains, rivers and waterfalls! Happy trails and Viva Espana!
 |
| A view from Ainsa of a mountain range in the Pyrenees covered in clouds |
Because it is not prime tourist season yet, I was fortunate enough to be able to park (with about 20 other campers) just outside the village with spectacular views. I continued on the next morning taking the scenic route and ending up with a stop in a gorge called Mirador del Rio Vero. While the gorge looked like a beautiful hike, it was the vultures that were resting on a rock ledge that seemed to catch everyone's attention. We were all waiting for one to fall asleep and fall off the ledge and then recover in a graceful flight. Didn't happen but still fun to watch :-)
 |
| A volt of vultures resting up before heading out for the hunt |
It was then on down the road as I had to be in Madrid by that afternoon. Unfortunately....bad luck as my VW camper lost all power in the rolling hills outside of Zaragoza. I was able to get the VW restarted and carefully returned 70km to a Zaragoza VW dealer. It was not a good prognosis but on the positive side, the dealership was across the street from the train station, so I left the VW there and jumped a train for the weekend in Madrid. When I returned, I found after 5 days, they hand't started any repair, so I got to spend 4 more days in Zaragoza. I was only planning to do a drive by of Zaragoza but it worked out much more than that....and I'm glad as I was able to discover this nice city with it's cathedral, chapels and great food. The main cathedral, El Pillar, is a must see, both inside and out.
 |
| The Basilica of our Lady of the Pillar stands majestically above the Ebro river |
After the car repair, it was a direct shot to the Pyrenees. The excitement started to mount as I began to see the snow covered peaks in the distance, with small villages sitting serenely in the foreground. My quest was finally being realized!
 |
| The little village of Binies, acting as a gateway into the Pyrenees |
I went to visit the town of Hecho, recommended by the guidebook, but I was not particularly taken by the setting so I went a bit further seeing a sign for a campground up the valley. After driving about 5 miles up a windy mountain road, I found the campground....closed! So I kept on going another few miles until I came upon a clearing that was gorgeous. I did encounter a road block by some locals but quickly bypassed that!
 |
| Some local sheep owning the road. They were as curious as I was |
A little further up the road and I encountered more free range animals. In this case, it was a small group of horses with the adults wearing cow bells. This colt was very friendly and kept coming up to see what I was doing.
 |
| A friendly colt in the mountains above Hecho |
I proceeded to make a nice dinner and wait for the sunset which was going to be coming in fairly soon. It was well worth the wait as I saw some gorgeous cloud and light play on the mountain tops.
 |
| The sun setting and clouds drifting on a Hecho mountain top |
From here it was on to my final destination which was Torla and the Ordesa y Monte Perdido national park. This was where the big mountains were, with hiking trails passing waterfalls and flowing rivers throughout. It really was a paradise and a place that I will return to often. A definite holiday destination for me in the future.
 |
| The small town of Torla, the gateway to Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park |
I ended up bypassing the national park and staying in Bujaruelo valley where there were numerous hiking trails and a great campground.
 |
| A river flows down the beautiful Bujaruelo valley |
 |
| A mountain range while hiking in the Bujaruelo valley |
 |
| A waterfall while hiking in the Bujaruelo valley |
 |
| A panoramic view of the Bujaruelo valley |
I ended my trip a couple of days early as thunderstorms and heavy rain came rolling in. The good thing is that this paradise is located only about 5 1/2 hours from my house so I will be able to return and explore much more. Highly recommend visiting this region if you like mountains, rivers and waterfalls! Happy trails and Viva Espana!
Comments
Post a Comment