A Sunday stroll in the Pyrenees – Vall de Núria

After walking on the Tour de Mont Blanc in September, I was pleased to take a somewhat less arduous stroll in the Pyrenees at Vall de Núria later in the month, for a bit of relaxation after the intensive networking of the TBEX conference that I attended in Girona. This was one of the post conference trips organised by the Costa Brava Tourism board who were keen to show us the highlights of their region, so I set off from Girona with a group of bloggers, who included my blogging friends Barbara, Simon, Laurel and Isabel with whom I shared an apartment in Girona.

The train journey up to Vall de Nuria

Our journey on the Cremellera or “Rack Railway” up to Vall de Núria was quite as interesting as our visit to the valley itself, starting at Ribes de Freser and stopping at the other stations of Ribes Enllac, Ribes Via and Queralbs to take on more passengers. The railway rises 1000 metres in altitude and the railway tracks have teeth, like a cog wheel, to stop the train slipping back down the mountain. The local people have decided not to build a road up to the high valley, to keep it special and unspoilt, so the railway is the only way up to the valley unless you fancy a 4 hour hike up the old pilgrim’s road. The railway was completed in 1931, being built with dynamite, pickaxes and hard labour and is a tourist attraction in its own right, with a background audio commentary, playing throughout the journey in French, Spanish and English.

Luckily, having got on at the first station, we were able to find seats, but as more and more people joined the train we were surrounded by chattering families with children in buggies and a few walkers with poles stuffed down the sides of their rucksacks. Having been that hiker with those walking poles on the Tour de Mont Blanc, I could imagine how these walkers couldn’t wait to get away from the daytrippers and into the wilder and more remote corners of the Pyrenees. Today, however, I was happy to gaze out of the window at the rocky mountain landscape where the cliff faces, which would be cascading with waterfalls in the springtime, were now bone dry following a summer without rain. As there is only one train track, we stopped halfway up the mountain at a passing place where the trains coming up and down the mountains can cross over. In the distance I could see tiny figures tracing their way along the walking trail that leads up to Vall de Núria.

Arriving at Vall de Núria

The train passed through the final tunnel and skirted alongside the lake, depositing us at the small station beside an imposing building sitting in the bowl of the valley. At the heart of this building is the church sanctuary with the wings of the hotel, restaurant, gift shop and information centre stretching out on either side. To the front is a grassy area in front of the lake and the whole view is framed by mountains on all sides. I was a little taken back to find such a large complex in this high valley of the Pyrenees, but apart from the riding stables, chapel and cable car station nearby there were no other buildings in the valley. We watched an interesting film in the information centre, then took a stroll around to see what else was there. My friends Laurel, Isabel and Simon had a craving to stretch their legs on a long walk and decided to walk back down the pilgrim’s way, to meet the group back at the bottom, so Barbara and I spent most of the afternoon together exploring what the valley had to offer.

The name Núria means “place of water’ and the warm Mediterranean air rising to meet the cold air of the mountains, creates one of the highest areas of rainfall in Catalunya in this valley. The streams and rivers flow into the lake which is dammed at one end, and then continue to cascade down the mountains. They say that if you live up here, you’ll rarely get a headache, as the blue aconite that grows on the mountain slopes is a cure for migraine and the medicinal properties wash into the drinking water.

This is the high Pyrenees, close to the border with France, and you can see the path that people used during the Spanish civil war to pass from France to Spain. The black specks circling above us were vultures, gliding on the air currents and looking out for dead animals at the start of the hunting season. On these mountain slopes, you might spot mountain deer and the marmot, as well as the mouflon, a wild sheep with curved horns which the farmers don’t like as they spread disease among the sheep and mate with them creating offspring that can’t be sold for meat.

In winter, Vall de Núria becomes a small ski resort, where people come by train from Barcelona, and these gentle slopes are ideal for families who stay in the hotel. On the Sunday in September that we were there, it seems to be where the locals head for a family day out, spreading their picnics out in front of the lake and taking their children on a horseback ride, or to feed the ducks.

Vall de Núria, a place of pilgrimage

Vall de Núria has been drawing pilgrims to the area for many centuries, seeking to emulate the simple life of San Gil (Saint Giles in English) who arrived in the area around 700AD. He lived the life of a hermit in caves around the valley, spending his time with the local shepherds, and is thought to have carved the painted image of the Virgin Mary that now sits in the chapel above the Sanctuary. The religious symbols of Vall de Núria are the cross, which San Gil brought with him to the valley, the cooking pot which he used to cook the meals he shared with the shepherds, and the bell with which he summoned them at meal times. The 8th September is the feast of Our Lady of Núria, when the carved wooden statue is carried in a procession around the valley.

Legend has it that the carved image of the Virgin was hidden in a cave when San Gil later had to flee from persecution. A few centuries later, a pilgrim called Amadeo was called in a dream to come to Núria and build a chapel there. He searched for and finally found the carved statue which San Gil had hidden, together with a cross, bowl and bell and brought them to the chapel he built. We visited the recently restored chapel where there is a copy of the wooden statue. The restoration had been paid for by donations from all the ladies in Spain who are called Núria which is a popular girl’s name – each of the donors having a plaque with their name on it inside the chapel.

Just inside the main Sanctuary there is a side room where women who are seeking fertility come to put their head inside a large metal pot and have the bell rung above their head, to pray for children. I remember when I was in the Quadisha Valley in Lebanon, there was a similar chapel at St Anthony’s monastery full of cooking pots brought as an offering by couples who were unable to have children, the pot being symbolic of the pregnant mother’s belly. If you were a Spanish girl named Nuria, looking to start a family quickly, this would be the perfect place to come on your honeymoon.

Walking around Vall de Núria

After lunch, Barbara and I walked on past the chapel of St Gil and the assortment of ponies, mules and ducks that were laid on for families and up to the end of the lake, where the dam across created a barrier that you could walk across. I’m not sure if we heard any water nymphs calling up from the depths of the lake to urge us to protect the natural environment for future generations, as we’d seen in the information video. From the dammed end of the lake we could see further down the valley over the small stone arch bridge beyond which you could climb up for a viewpoint. We also took the cable car up to the Alberg station where there was a cafe with views towards the Torrent de Fontedra.

From there it was an easy walk back down, passing the  pilgrimage stops and crosses along the way, part of a stations of the cross in the area, which is covered by snow in winter, but a popular walking route in summer. If you’re interested in walking, there is a useful map available from the information centre detailing all the walking routes around the valley, certainly enough to keep you going for a few days, and that’s without even leaving the valley. Other paths go through the black pine forests and up to caves that by tradition were used by San Gil and Amadeu as well as high-points for a view over the valleys. You can also choose to hike both up and down the mountain as our friends had done, along the”Camí Vell” that was used by pilgrims to reach the Sanctuary in the Vall de Núria

If you’re in Catalunya, I highly recommend a visit to Vall de Núria as a relaxing way to spend time in the Pyrenees, which has something to offer everyone who love the mountains, from families with young children to serious walkers.

Visitor Information for Vall de Núria

More information for visiting in both summer and winter is available on the Vall de Núria Website

The Cremellara or Rack Railways starts at Ribes de Freser which can be reached by the RENFE train from Barcelona, Girona and other Spanish cities. There is free car parking at Ribes Enllac, Ribes Via and Queralbs and the price is around €22 per adult for a 1 day return train ticket plus cable car , €13 for children. The trains normally run hourly throughout the day.

Accommodation in Vall de Núria is at Hotel Vall de Nuria where there are 65 rooms and 12 apartments to choose from

My thanks to Costa Brava Pirineu de Girona who hosted the visit to Vall de Núria.

What the other bloggers said about Vall de Núria

(If you have also written about Vall de Núria, I’d love you to add your link in the comments )

Barbara Wiebel – Hole in the Donut – Vall de Núria in the Spanish Pyrenees, Sanctuary then and now
Laurel Robbins – Monkeys and Mountains – Hiking the Vall de Núria, Pyrenees
Laurence Norah – Finding the Universe – Exploring the Núria Valley in the Pyrenees
Isabel Romano – Diario de a Bordo – Vall de Nuria post #TBEX trip
Simon Falvo – Wild about Travel -Pyrenees – Rugged and beautiful Vall de Núria
CC Chapman – Vall de Núria through my lens

www.flickr.com heatheronhertravels’ Girona and Vall de Nuria 2012 photoset

This article by Heather Cowper is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com - Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

 Don’t miss out – subscribe to Heather on her travels

The Passport Party Project – giving girls a chance to travel

Today I’d like to give a shout out to the Passport Party Project - started by Tracey Friley of OneBrownGirl which has the aim of helping more teenage girls in the USA the opportunity to get their own passport and get out into the world for life changing experiences.

Tracey pitched the idea at TBEX Vancouver in June last year and fortunately Expedia were listening and stepped up to support the idea by offering a prize of 6 trips of a lifetime that can be won by girls who have participated in the Passport Party and applied for their very first passport. Here’s the Press Release from Expedia giving more information about their Sponsorship. The US State department for passports have also created a Passport day on March 10 to enable applicants to get their passport more easily in regional centres around the US.

Why do I love the idea of the Passport Party Project?

I live in the UK where it’s no big deal to get a passport at birth for your baby. We have Europe on our doorstop and foreign lands are a ferry ride across the channel or an inexpensive flight away from our local airport. But I know that with the USA being such a big place with plenty of holiday opportunities and flights abroad being so expensive many of our friends across the pond don’t travel outside their own country until they’re grown up and maybe not even then. And I think that’s a shame.

I have a 16 year old daughter who has been travelling since she was tiny on family holidays in Europe, to visit family in Greece each year and even further afield. She has grown confident in dealing with new situations, she has seen how other people live, how different customs can distinguish us but how we are all essentially the same in what we hope and dream for. She has met children who walk up to 2 hours each day to get to school but seen that happiness is not necessarily connected to an affluent lifestyle.

Last year she was on a school trip to Nepal, where she and her friends trekked through the Annapurna foothills, visited a nature reserve and pitched their tents on the old rice paddies beside a school high in the mountains for a community construction project.

Now she’s taken on a position at her school which involves raising money for worthwhile causes and she’s planning to take a gap year before university to travel. My wonderful daughter is citizen of the world and I believe that travel will give her boundless confidence and kindness in whatever she ventures – that’s why I’d like to wish the same life changing experiences on other girls of her age.

More information about the Passport Party Project - Tweet it on #PassportPartyProject and on Like it on Facebook

Read more about Sophie-Anne’s travels in Nepal

My teenage daughter’s trek in Nepal
My daughter’s elephant safari in Chitwan, Nepal
My daughter’s community project in the mountains of Nepal

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com - Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

 Don’t miss out – subscribe to Heather on her travels

A tour of the Georg Jensen silver workshops in Copenhagen

What does Georg Jensen mean to you? Before I had a behind the scenes tour of the Georg Jensen workshops in Copenhagen, I might have thought of beautiful, handcrafted antique silverware, some simple Scandinavian cutlery designs or Arts and Crafts style jewellery. I discovered that it is all these things but there’s a fresh vibe in the air that’s reinventing all that heritage for a younger, design conscious audience.

The tour that I made as part of the TBEX travel bloggers exchange conference in Copenhagen is only available by special arrangement as the workshops aren’t open to the public, but still let me give you give you a glimpse of what we saw.

Georg Jensen silver workshop , Copenhagen

Georg Jensen silver workshop , Copenhagen

We were taken around by the lovely Anne Mette, business manager of silver who talked us through 100 years of Georg Jensen designs, illustrated by an impressive array of table settings, champagne bowls and silver dishes laid out in chronological order to illustrate how different designers had made their mark on the company. We saw the simple wooden cabinet where Georg Jensen would display his designs in the early days, making just a few pieces at a time to earn cash to buy the next batch of silver. His work was inspired by the arts and crafts movement with his trademark beaten finish and motifs inspired by fruits and flowers of the natural world.

Georg Jensen silver workshop, Copenhagen

Georg Jensen silver workshop, Copenhagen

As we there in the late afternoon, some of the silversmiths were still at work and it was fascinating to see the benches laid out with design sketches that they were working from and pick up pieces of dull metal shapes that would end up as an heirloom  fit to grace any royal table. The large bowl being worked on could have passed for a battered old washing up bowl but would soon become a specially commissioned champagne bowl like those on display.

Georg Jensen silver workshop , Copenhagen

Georg Jensen silver workshop , Copenhagen

After Georg Jensen’s death in 1935, the company collaborated with top Scandinavian designers, bringing clean and simple designs such as the pitcher by Henning Koppel that goes by the affectionate nickname of ‘the pregnant duck’ or the Vivianna bangle watch by Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe that was recently spotted on the wrist of Lady Gaga. The daisy collection is held in particular affection as it is associated with the Danish Royal family and was worn by Queen Margrethe at her wedding.

Georg Jensen silver workshop , Copenhagen

Georg Jensen silver workshop , Copenhagen

Now the company is drawing on the archives and bringing out the old designs to reinvent them for a new audience. We saw the moonlight collection on display that uses the original Georg Jensen Art Nouveau designs, and the grape collection that has just been launched with a chunky bauble ring that all the girls were trying on, based on the original grape brooch and earring designs. You can read my post about the Georg Jensen Grape ring here.

We enjoyed some champagne while the CEO, Ulrik Garde Due told us about his plans to develop Georg Jensen as the leading Scandinavian luxury brand, with new jewellery designs to appeal to a younger, fashion conscious audience and co-ordinated lifestyle products for the home. He was part of the team that transformed Burberry from an upmarket purveyor of raincoats into a trendy fashion brand, so it sounded like the future was bright, with stores opening all over the Far East where they can’t get enough of luxury brands. I fear that the pitch was rather lost on most of the travel bloggers present, but as I once worked in the fashion industry for the English fashion brand, Jaeger, it was all great fun for me.

Georg Jensen silver workshop , Copenhagen

Georg Jensen bust

As I said, the tour was specially set up for us TBEX bloggers but if you’re passing through Copenhagen airport, do indulge in a trying on session at  the Georg Jensen store in the airport or in any city where they happen to have a shop. Say that Heather on her Travels sent you!

This article is posted as part of Photo Friday hosted at Delicious Baby. Head over for more Friday photos and stories from the gang.

Compare prices and book hotels in Copenhagen through Hotels Combined.

More fun things from Copenhagen

What the TBEX girls want for Christmas – A Georg Jensen grape ring
Cosy up in Copenhagen at Avenue Hotel
Burning the midnight oil – my TBEX Copenhagen diary

www.flickr.com    heatheronhertravels’ Copenhagen for TBEX photoset

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com – Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

Don’t miss out – subscribe to Heather on her travels

Next Page »