The beauty of the remote places
If a Canadian, growing near the Rocky Mountains, is completely fascinated by Nuria Valley, it can only mean that the magnitude of the beauty of this magnificent area of the Catalan Pyrenees is really astonishing.
“I knew I would like The Vall de Núria (Valley of Núria in English) as soon as I heard that the only way to get there was by rack railway or by foot. No roads=bliss/joy/nature (take your pick of adjectives). What I didn’t realize was how much I would like it.
The Vall de Núria is stunning! And this is coming from a girl who grew up near the Rocky Mountains in Canada, so believe me, I know my mountains!”
Do you fancy a bit of hiking with Laurel?
In love with Girona
Laurel is in love with Girona. Just within two years she has visited the region five times. And that’s because this area is full of amazing places, so mesmerizing you can’t avoid loving it.
“It’s one of those places that keeps drawing you back. Located just 100km from Barcelona, it’s an easy train ride and has a completely different feel than Barcelona. (…) You can easily spend hours getting lost in the cobblestone streets, wandering from one cafe to another, sampling some of its famous Jamón ibérico (Iberian ham) which is always one of my favorite things to do regardless of where I am in Catalonia.”
Be seduced by Laurel’s view of Girona!
Noguera Pallaresa, only for the brave
Have you ever done rafting before? Laurel tells us her fun adventure descending the river Noguera Pallaresa.
“And a second later, I found myself somersaulting out of the raft and into the water gasping for air as I pulled myself to the surface above the rapids. The water came up to my waist, but was very powerful – as rapids tend to be! I could hear voices and not the usual ones in my head – I kid, well mostly…but couldn’t make out any words. The rapids were too loud. I wasn’t swimming, just dragging along the bottom of the river bed, knees seeming to catch every sharp rock along the way. Over the crush of the waves I saw a yellow burst of color, aka a paddle!”
Excitement guaranteed. Dare to join her?
The secrets of the Catalan rices
A good rice with fine Catalan wines in an incredible natural setting. In this article, Laurel shares the experience of how to cook a good Catalan paella outdoors with the chef Joan Marce Gonzalez.
“At the risk of being hunted down, I am sharing Catalonian chef Joan Marce Gonzalez secret to perfecting a paella – Catalonian style. Note to all chefs – you can’t expect to share your secrets with a bunch of travel bloggers and have them kept as secrets. Or secrets about Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter. Better make that any secret. Travel bloggers are notoriously bad secret keepers. But I digress. Back to Joan Marce Gonzalez. He is also the same chef that also prepared our calcots at our Catalonian Gastronomical Event.”
Learn all the secrets!
