Day Four: Barcelona - Taul

Day Four

Date:     2 April  2013

Place:    Taull

Weather:   Sunny.  A cool start giving way to high teens mid afternoon.

Accommodation:    Hostal Rural Santa Maria

It was our last morning in Barcelona so we packed and then ventured out for breakfast at our little café.  The weather predictions for the Pyrenees were below zero so Desley and Cameron set out to find another jacket.  David and I walked up La Rambla for the last time.  It was bustling with workers after a busy Easter long weekend.
 

Can you spot us....people watching from the front window of the café!

 

We took a taxi to Sants, the main railway station, collected our hire care and set off for the Pyrenees.  We managed to negotiate our way out of Barcelona successfully with the help of the GPS and we were on our way.  What a contrast this trip was to the one eight years ago when Spain was in the grip of a severe drought and bushfires.  The countryside was a very vivid green and I spied my first poppies along the way.

We made a detour to the mountain of Montserrat not too far out of Barcelona. We visited the basilica which is very large and enjoyed the fantastic views over Barcelona.  The church is famous for the Black Virgin (La Moreneta) icon which stands well above the altar.  The devout queue to climb the stairs to pray to the virgin which is said to date from early times.

The basilica at Montserrat with the famous craggy rocks above.

 

As fate would have it when we thought we were going so well, our GPS let out a warning alert that it was severely low in battery.  Despite the cord being inserted into the point it was failing to charge.  Cameron went from being a passive passenger in the front seat to an alert navigator thankfully with a Michelin road guide of Spain we had brought with us.

As we neared the mountains the snow cover was still evident on the mountain tops making for a very pretty drive.  We turned into the Vall de Boi which contains many small villages.  The area is noted for its national park with many diverse walks and its famous Romanesque churches.  The churches were declared  a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2000.  They were all built between the 11^th and 14^th centuries.  The frescoes are now copies (however excellent) being housed in the national Catalanyan museum in Barcelona to protect them. 

As we drove through the township of Boi and up past the last few windy kilometres to Taull we could see the snow was still scattered to a low level with a heavy cover above.  Alpine trees dotted some mountain sides and cows were being led into sheds for milking.  Picture perfect!

The 12^th century church of Sant Climent stands tall at the entrance to Taull village where all the houses are made of stone and the tiles are made of slate.  The impressive six storey bell tower sits alongside the church and overlooks the valley.  Interestingly and despite the village’s smallness there is another Romanesque church (Santa Maria) situated in the centre of the village which was built only twenty years apart.

David and I had stayed in the accommodation and I was pleased Cameron and Desley had the room we had had previously which overlooks St Climent and the little township.  The sun shone directly onto the village and the snow twinkled in the sunlight – yes, I’m waxing lyrical here but the whole picture couldn’t have been more perfect.

Our lovely room.

We wandered around Taull with our first visit to Santa Maria.  It is a tiny and well tendered church with bare stone walls and three naves.  Its simplicity gives it a divine quality and I wondered if the local villagers marvelled in awe at the age of the building or had it simply become a part of their environment?

David and I standing on Desley and Cameron's balcony....notice St Climent in the background.

Beautiful Taull in the Val de Boi.

 



We wandered around St Climent and we were hoping to find a restaurant open.  It was as it was last time – people dine very late and we weren’t sure if they were going to open so we drove down to Boi (St Joan of Boi) and inspected another church before finding a restaurant open.

Doesn't get prettier than this....St Climent with its magnificent six storey bell tower and snow-capped mountains.

 



As fate would have it, it was the same delightful tiny restaurant we had been to before.  In the stone building there were six tables, a bar and a welcoming  fireplace from the now very cool temperatures.  We bungled our way along with no Spanish to order our drinks however a menu was provided in English.  The meals were superb and we were a very happy lot with a great ending to  another day exploring.

 The happy travellers!