Undiscovered Catalonia
By Nancy Dorrans
As promised here’s how our Catalonian Women, Walking, and Wine adventure continued through the Priorat wine region to the stunning coves of Costa Brava. This is undiscovered Catalonia.
The views were amazing as we headed from Barcelona west to Gratallops, one of 26 charming hilltop Priorat villages in the surrounds of Parc Natural de la Serra de Montsant (Monsant Natural Park).
Our tour operator, Meritxell of El Brogit Wine Tours warmly greeted us upon arrival. We were treated to our first taste of Priorat wine, soaking in the mountain views from the terrace of our hotel Cal Llop. While most of the group opted to unwind, Meritxell led a small group of us on a golden hour walk through terraced vineyards and olive groves.
Priorat wines paired with fresh, seasonal cuisine at family run Slate Wine Bar made for a most delicious cap to this day… We were now deep in the heart of Catalan wine country. This is the Catalonia that I wanted to share.
Deep in the Heart of Wine Country
Our first full day of walking was on an unseasonably hot day. Luckily we were able to reset with an organic olive oil tasting paired with a fabulous farm to table lunch in at Arrels de Cavaloca in Scaladei before heading onward to our Hotel Balco del Priorat.
After a hearty breakfast the next day we were driven up the winding roads to the hilltop village of Siurana, our second Priorat village. A former Moorish Kingdom, Siurana was “a fortress perched almost halfway to heaven with impenetrable walls.” During the 11th Century, all of Catalonia had been returned to Christian rule with the exception of Siurana. Legend has it that after the Christian soldiers stormed the castle, the beautiful and heroic Arab Queen Abdelazia road her white horse off the cliff to avoid being captured. You can still see the horse’s hoofmark that sank into the rock before he took the jump… Or so they say…
From Siurana we hiked down ancient cobblestone trails to Cornudella de Montsant our third Priorat village and yet another farm to table lunch at Restaurant Intim followed by a wine tasting at Gritelles Winery.
This night, the dinner menu at La Morera Del Montsant, read: Enjoy a vermouth and then for starters try Truita amb suc… a unique omelet made up of three parts: tomatoes, garlic, ground almonds, flour, paprika, and parsley sauce; an egg omelet, filled with spinach, beans, or both; and pieces of potatoes and cod.” And that was just the beginning…
Medieval Cities and the Pyrenees
We moved on from Priorat and boarded the Tren dels Llacs, an historic train that winds its way through the mountains, bridges, tunnels, and spectacular gorges to the village of La Pobla de Segur.
Next was Peramea, “a medieval hilltop enclosed village where the walls of the houses work as a protective external wall.” I’d like to spend more time here in Peramea, walking about and exploring this quiet historic village. It deserves its own column.
From Peramea our hike covered over nine miles. With horses grazing and vultures soaring we ate our picnic lunch in a cattle pasture. From our picnic spot gazing north were stunning views of the majestic Pyrenees. The whole nine miles, we were followed and herded by the sweet dog from the Casa in Peramea. After we reached our next village Senterada, the guide and his girlfriend drove the pup back home.
Sometimes, time stands still. And so it seems in Senterada. I was there in 2019 and Casa Leonardo was as I remembered. The hosts were warm and welcoming and the croissants were huge, warm, and delicious. After breakfast, I reconnected and laughed with a few of the regulars that I recognized from five years ago, still sitting in the same places, drinking coffee together as they do almost every day. This is community!
Salvador Dali Museum to the Coves of Costa Brava
We moved onward towards the coast with a stop in the city of Figueres. Then on to the famed artist Salvador Dali’s museum. And I thought Gaudi was unique!
Dali was a surrealist, and his works are surreal! I can’t wrap my head around it. Perhaps he said it best, “The fact that I myself, at the moment of painting, do not understand my own pictures, does not mean that these pictures have no meaning; on the contrary, their meaning is so profound, complex, coherent, and involuntary that it escapes the most simple analysis of logical intuition.”
Our journey ended with a couple days relaxing in the seaside village of Calella, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. We took a guided coastal walk past Iberian ruins and the colorful, wild, and unspoiled small coves along Costa Brava. A few even took a dip in the Mediterranean!
A dip in the Mediterranean
Adios, Catalonia. I hope to see you again someday…
