Once upon a time there was a town perched on a cliff
When winter arrives and the landscapes oscillate between appearing soulless or hypnotic when covered in white, those of us who like to play it safe turn our eyes towards Rupit.
In this town of Osona region of Barcelona, the stone houses and the hanging bridges over a stream that will greet us frozen and playing to impress with the blow of an icicle would ruin any attempt to hide its medieval air. What we will be able to hide is the cold in one of the local restaurants that, in addition to fairytale views, will set before us steaming escudelles (soups) and hearty plates of grilled meat.
When winter comes, those of us who like to play it safe turn our eyes to Rupit
Later, as if it were a succession of meanders between tunnels of vegetation, the C-153 road will take us north, giving way to the C-152 and the GI-524 while the province of Barcelona yields the baton to that of Girona.
The next breath of fresh air that we breathe will be in the land of volcanoes. We are in the garrotxa and in the laundry of one of them, the Croscat, we find the Fageda d'en Jordà, a beech forest that does not need autumn to conquer us if in return it welcomes us with a mist ready for mystery. It is part of the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park which houses eleven municipalities.
We will not mind giving up the parallel world that secondary roads are always and return to the reality of a motorway, the A-26, to reach one of them: Castellfollit de la Roca. The concession will be more than justified if the person who receives us is a town that grew peering into the emptiness of a cliff as tall as the 50 meters it measures. Yes, you have to go to the viewpoint next to the old church just for the pleasure of holding your breath at the views, but you also have to stop on the footbridge over the river Fluvià to contemplate from below this natural feat spiced up with a little human hand.
Thirteen more kilometers of A-26 is nothing when one reaches what is probably the most photographed Romanesque bridge in Catalonia. Don't settle for crossing it and going Besalú, a town with a medieval touch and a Jewish quarter to boast about: It houses one of the few Jewish baths discovered so far on the Peninsula.
In Besalú is what is probably the most photographed Romanesque bridge in Catalonia
A combination of sections of the C-66 and the C-150A guide our entry into the region of Pla de l'Estany, in which we make a stop along the way due to the drop in revolutions that always involves walking next to large sheets of water. Banyoles Lake, its viewpoints and its fishing areas are precisely that: a Valium made into a landscape.
We will only go to Girona to say hello. Not because we don't like it, but because Girona deserves a trip in itself, just for her. But that will be a matter for another day.
For now, turn up the volume. Els Pets are playing on the radio. Take note, they are right: “Nothing has been demanded but have a good day” ("No one has asked, but it's a nice day").
A route through the counties of Osona, La Garrotxa, Pla de l'Estany and Gironés