Hiking in the Pyrenees Mountains

I truly believe that nature is the best antidote to calm our minds and bodies.

For this Friday excursion our friendly and hilarious guides Jose and Alex took two groups of students up to Rupit Village near the Pyrenees Mountains (about 800m above sea level). As we stumbled out of the vans after a nearly 2 hour drive along winding roads up the mountain side, the cool wind tugged at our bodies and relieved us from the humidity of the city almost immediately.

After a cozy breakfast with hot coffee, plates full of crunchy bread, and slices of cheese and ham, we set off to roam around the ancient, cobble-stoned Rupit Village, It was absolutely fairy-tale like, gazing at the vintage, iron street lamps and vibrant red flowers blooming from the balconies. The wooden doors of shops and houses were dainty and aesthetic, and the empty streets were quiet and peaceful, as if tiny treasures were hidden at each corner waiting for us to find them.

With the gravel road crunching under our feet and leaves constantly tickling our legs, we entered further into the trees and hiked through the dense forest, trailing one after the other as we jumped from rocks, climbed down stone steps and weaved in between branches. It was a good hike, not too challenging but required the right amount of effort to reach the beautiful view waiting for us at the top.

Everyone caught their breath as we saw the magnificent rocky boulders jutting out in curves on the side of the mountain, dotted with miniscule trees and thin stretches of roads. Shades of green hit me suddenly, a vast and quite fluffy looking forest green carpet stretching endlessly into the distance, with the blinding white clouds floating on top of the pale blue canopy overhead. It was nature at its best, showing us hikers its beauty and power proudly.

We arrived at the top of a waterfall soon after, and we oohed at how clear and silvery the flowing water was. Everyone spread out on the big rocks overlooking the gorgeous landscape with the transparent, shiny waterfall spilling downwards. I edged my way to near to the end of the rock where it meets the sky and felt a thrilling rush of excitement and awe. I could lay here at the waterfall all day if I wanted to.

All too soon we were called to leave, so we scaled back up the rocky boulders of the waterfall wistfully and started our descent down to the village. On the way our guides Jose and Alex pointed out intriguing details in the forest such as hunting traps and graves used decades ago by the villagers, and we also drank from the refreshing mountain spring spilling gloriously out from a pipe (Jose dosed his head under the stream). To my surprise and delight, each of us got to take home a 60 million year-old fossil that Alex found on the ground.

Finally the ancient stoned streets of the village greeted us once again, and we milled into a local restaurant, where we were treated to a ravishing lunch. There were DIY tomato bread with strong aioli sauce, grilled chicken, rabbit and lamb meat, and creamy melted Catalan creme brulee for dessert. Wow, we sure stuffed ourselves silly with all the wonderful food and of course, red and white wine poured into a funny looking glass container (Jose showed us the marvelous trick of chugging down the wine from a pointed opening, and soon the glass containers were crazily passed back and forth from each person, imitating his astounding wine-drinking technique)

This was a fabulous excursion with wonderful people, rich architecture, and spectacular nature landscapes that will never be erased from my memories.