Eastern Pyrenees

From Catalonia to the eastern Pyrenees.

The arrival was half an hour early and there were no problems, so at 10:15 we were already on the Opel Corsa, ready to head towards the Pyrenees.
We continue along the wide roads that lead inland to reach Ripoll. It's a pleasant town where... The monastery stands out., whose famous Romanesque door is barely visible from the outside, well protected behind a glass window. To see it up close, you need to purchase a ticket that also gives you access to the rest of the complex, including the courtyard, which we are not interested in.

Along the route, we encounter beautiful forests, leading us to Port de Toses, which is located near the most famous ski resort in the Eastern Pyrenees. La Molina.

We head to Puigcerda, just two kilometers from France, where we purchase groceries for lunch at a shopping center. We stop along one of the many streams that crisscross the green valleys of the area and enjoy a coffee in a charming establishment built within an old abandoned train station in the middle of the high countryside of the Carol valley. We ascend into a mountainous environment to the summit of Puymorens, and descending on the northern side, we follow the eastern side of Andorra, where we will complete our trip in about a week.

On the road, we encounter two small villages that tell us something interesting: Merens, from which the name of the horse breed imported into our mountains also originates, and Luzenac, with its talc quarries, now owned by Rio Tinto.

Foix and the Route of the Pyrenees

We arrive at Foix to see the Saint-Volusien church. Almost discharged outside, inside, you will find a very simple Gothic style church, with beautiful stained glass windows. The city center is filled with medieval streets, with numerous wooden houses, while the famous structure stands high on the rock. castle of the counts of Foix.

Col de Portet d'Aspet and arrival at Boutx

We head west along country roads towards Saint-Girons, to take the Route des Pyrenees which leads to the col de Portet d’Aspet. The landscape becomes increasingly hilly, with mountain pastures or farmsteads. The road climbs steeply with many hairpin bends. We then climb again to reach the Col de Mente’. The descent is equally steep and reaches Boutx; we stop just before. a charming bed and breakfast nestled in the greenery Some guests commented that they had seen deer the night before. The dinner was good, simple and satisfying, and I got a restful sleep.