Touch down

The lights below rose up slowly to meet us with the distinctive waving motion produced by the gentle roll of the plane.

The cabin lights were dimmed for our night landing, so the traffic could be seen clearly and I experienced a temporary loss of orientation as I watched cars driving on the 'wrong' side of the road.

But with the disorientation my heart also beat faster – we were flying in over Barcelona; the adventure had begun.

Beyond immigration we shouldered our packs and strolled out into the warm night air. The cloudless sky, though washed by a neon glow, showed a broad vista of stars and we basked in the promise of long sunny days walking forgotten trails through the high mountain wilderness.

A week later we crouched beneath the edge of a large boulder. Clouds rolled in never ending waves up the lower reaches of Vall de Mulleres before turning abruptly and soaring  towards the  Serra de la Gerbosa where they turned again to launch a chilling downpour over the upper valley. The view was awe inspiring as the shifting air currents generated ever-changing patterns in the mist. But our cramped shelter beneath the boulder was, quite literally, a shit-hole.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  We have a train to catch.  I hope you'll come along for the ride...

 Next >> 

Chapter index - skip ahead by following the links below:

Chapter 1: Pyrenean foothills, please; one way

Chapter 2: Lovers and fishermen

Chapter 3: Visions and vistas

Chapter 4: Shattered dreams

Chapter 5: The mountain gods

Chapter 6: Catching the drips

Chapter 7: Ghosts on the col

Chapter 8: Teeth of the storm

Chapter 9: Stealing the solitude

Chapter 10: Voulez vous!

Chapter 11: The yellow goblin

Pyrenees photo album

Barcelona from the air at night

Montjuic Placa Espanya, Barcelona

Wikimedia photo, reproduced under Creative Commons licence

Hey, that's my photo!

I have a bunch of my own photos to illustrate this feature but they are all temporarily unavailable.  So, as a stop-gap, I have used photos from various sources.

I tried to contact rights holders but, when you find the same photo on several websites, none of which cite their source, it becomes a little tricky.

If I've used your photo and you don't mind but would like an acknowledgement, just let me know.

Or, if you want me to remove it, just say so; I'll apologise and take it down right away.  Contact form

Make a free website with Yola