As we explained in this post, last Easter we took profit of Dídac’s stay in Heidelberg to do a short road trip through the beautiful regions of Alsace (France) and the Black Forest (Germany). We had heard lots of good things about the Black Forest (or Schwarzwald in German) but we hadn’t imagined that we would visit it so soon. We though that the Black Forest was the perfect destination for nature lovers and families and the truth is that our brief visit to that region confirmed our expectations.
Boardwalk towards Blindensee. White and green
We know that the area is full of natural wonders and nice villages, but we needed to focus on one destination to make the most of our time there. Thus, Dídac proposed to spend a night out of his apartment in Heidelberg. The chosen destination was Triberg, one of the most remarkable villages in the Black Forest. We had not heard about Triberg before planning our trip, but as soon as we read the travel guide that Dídac’s cousin lent us we found four powerful reasons to go there.
While you read this post we are in our adventure trip in Namibia. During these days it is difficult for us to connect to answer comments and share thoughts. However, don’t stop doing them. We will read them asap! Today we should be around Swakopmund where we had planned a 4×4 excursion to the Skeleton Coast, a jet flight above Namib desert and a horse riding through a Moon landscape. Soon you’ll read about this! See you soon!
Alps? Andes? Himalaya? No, Pyrenees!
Pyrenees are unknown for many people around the world. This mountain range that separates Spain and France has many places that don’t envy the greatest ranges in the world. One of the most beautiful landscapes is Aigüestortes in the National Park with the same name. It is located in Lleida province, Catalonia, and offers peaks higher than 3000m, frozen lakes and old glacier valleys. We organized a family trip with snow rackets in one spring day.
As always, when we travel we get up early. We were sleeping in a typical wooden house in Gosau Valley, Austria, close to Hallstatt, which is considered the most beautiful town in the world. We don’t know if it is true… we have seen so many beautiful towns… but for sure it is in the top10. From Gosau we took the car and drove towards the largest ice cave in the world. This is one of many must-see places in Salzburgerland, a land full of surprises!
Montserrat was once a delta of the Tetis Sea. It was before the growth of the Pyrenees, before the actual Iberian Peninsula and the rest of Europe merged. But then the tectonic forces pushed the Iberian plate towards the north and the land started to compress, fold and grow towards the sky. The Pyrenees were created and other mountains appeared where there used to be sea, plains or deltas. Nowadays Catalonia stands on the land that once was under the water and in the center of the country; Montserrat is still the light that guides the Catalans. It is our sacred mountain and a must-see place when you visit Barcelona.
There is an island where you can feel in the middle point between the heaven and the underworld, a place that you can only reach by boat and where the shrines seem to float on water. A World Heritage Site, along with the virgin forest of Mount Misen and numerous preserved shrines, monuments and historical sites makes you realize you are in a unique place in the planet. The perfect harmony between human beings, nature and spirituality that Japanese people usually do so well can be felt in every corner of this island, Miyajima Island, the Island of Gods.
From the boat we saw the floating Tori while approaching the island.
