Spring is stingy with the sun? So that it is there (almost) for sure, head for the milder skies of Andalusia. Granada, the easternmost of the Spanish cities, reveals treasures of Mudejar art but also the splendid Baroque of the Catholics. With, nearby, the mountains of Sierra Nevada and the beaches of the Mediterranean. The right mix, under the Iberian sun.

The Andalusian city, which stretches at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, was alternately occupied by the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Visigoths. But it was the presence of the Arabs, settled in 711, who will have shaped the face of the city. Eight centuries of Al-Andalus domination.

Granada was one of the most powerful cities in the region, as evidenced by the sumptuous Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra. This architectural gem leaves no one indifferent, not even the great people of this world, like Bill Clinton, who praised the beauty of a sunrise over this “red palace”.

To breathe its atmosphere, you have to get lost in the maze of the Albaicin, medina of 3,000 alleys (a real labyrinth!), Discover the Carmelites (villas with patios) and watchtowers facing the Alhambra.

Even today, the small bazaar of the Alcaiceria holds the upper hand for those who would like to bring back slippers or drink a mint tea.

Christian Granada
The Inquisition also left its mark. Granada is the last city conquered by the Catholic kings. To establish their victory in this Moorish stronghold, they built again and again, converted those who wanted to stay, and expelled the others in 1501.

The Calle San Jeronimo opens on typical squares surrounding the formidable cathedral – the first Renaissance architecture in Spain – designed by Diego de Siloé in 1528 and completed nearly 200 years later, in 1704.

Just a stone’s throw away, the Chapel of the Kings, built to house the royal tombs, will have seen the light of day in just ten years. The street names also recall the recovery of the city, like the Isabel la Catolica square or the Reyes Catolicos street.

The unavoidable
– The Alhambra: its ocher silhouette leaning against the foothills of the Sierra Nevada dominates the city. This masterpiece of Islamic art is a gem. We admire the details of the mosaics and ceilings. One strolls with pleasure in its patios, in particular that of the court of the Lions, which was reopened after a few years of renovation. Linger in the General life, the summer palace of the kings, and enjoy the view from the Alcazaba (XI e -XIII centuries) overlooking the city.

– The Cathedral of the Incarnation, whose heart is currently under construction, impresses with its three doors: Ecce Homo, Saint Jerome and that of Pardon, which features bas-reliefs on faith and justice. The side chapels contain precious altarpieces and paintings.

– The Albaicin: old quarter of Granada, which has retained its medina appearance. It rises from Darro to the top of the hill facing the Alhambra. Superb view from the viewpoint of San Nicolas.

– The royal chapel, annex to the Cathedral, which was built to house the remains of the kings.

– The Realejo, the old Jewish quarter of Muslim Granada.

– The Madraza Palace: the seat of the Muslim school of Koranic law, founded by Yusuf I, as sumptuous as the Alhambra.

– The Monastery of San Jeronimo: imagined by Diego de Siloé, and completed in 1547, it has impressive vaults. One of the two cloisters was the home of Empress Isabella, wife of Charles V.

– The Basilica of San Juan de Dios: erected between 1737 and 1759, with a Latin cross plan, its interior is richly decorated (gold, silver, altarpieces and paintings).

– The Charterhouse: built in 1506, it combines the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. The Sancta Sanctorum Church alone evokes the emergence of Andalusian baroque.

– The science park: a perfect complex for a family trip, which offers interactive exhibitions on the human body, and other sections around animals.

Between sea and mountain
What other city in Andalusia can boast being one hour from the slopes and one hour from the beach? Provided that the weather gods are with you, you can swim and ski in the same day!

On a clear day, you can see the snow-capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada, which peak at over 3,000 m, in the background of the Alhambra. In winter, it is a real ski resort with a hundred slopes. In summer, it is a paradise for hikers wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

Lovers of relaxation will head to the tropical Costa, where the castles of yesteryear are reminiscent of the defensive activity of these coastal towns.

Stopover in Almunecar, a town founded by the Phoenicians, with pretty creeks, and in Salobre ñ a, whose pretty white house’s clinging to the hill are dominated by a Spanish-Muslim castle perched on a rocky outcrop. Leaving its medieval alleys, you discover a long pebble beach that invites you to relax.

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Catalonia, Pyrenean side

Catalonia is not just about Barcelona and the Costa Brava. It is also a country of mountains and Resistance long isolated – but oh so determining in the exchanges between the north and south slopes of the Pyrenees.

This Catalonia has a heritage unique in the world. A world of colors long before the hour, where the bell towers of the Romanesque churches weld the earth to the sky. Secret valleys, which men have striven to tame. A people who have managed to keep their traditions while developing them towards responsible tourism.

Because the Catalan Pyrenees are there, with their steep valleys and their forests, their torrents and their paths. A land of mules and goats, contraband and cheese. A country where the return of walks combines in large tables, Costers de Segre (the local wine), pork and vegetables from the garden.

A destination for the cracked of large spaces, for the fuses of rock-climbing, of sports in white water and excursion. In the Catalan Pyrenees, the outdoors is not an empty word.

An exceptional heritage

The Romanesque churches of the Val de Boí – classified as World Heritage by UNESCO in 2000, have gone through history almost intact thanks to one factor: their isolation.

Because the history of this valley is unique. Guardianship of the house of Toulouse until the IX th century, the county will go under the iron rule of Erill Lords in the XII th century, which will finance the beautification of their churches to assert their omnipotence.

Located away from the roads of Santiago de Compostela, they will not be influenced by the French novel, because it is Lombard artists who will work here. These little gems will then adorn themselves with sumptuous frescoes, some of which bear witness to a strong Byzantine influence.

Tempted by new conquests, the Erill will descend to war on the plain where they will prick themselves under the influence of Gothic-Flamboyant. Bell towers and altarpieces will be built to match their desire to appear, leaving their perched valleys and churches to the rule of their serfs. And the centuries will go by.

Not until the beginning of the XX th century for passing intellectuals in the area interested in this heritage. Suddenly, the temple’s antique dealers and merchants tumbled and began to loot it. The National Art Museum of Catalonia then began to acquire most of the works in order to protect them.

A string of churches

Not far from each other, the churches of the Val de Boí offer real and multiple pretexts – for walking: on foot, on horseback, by car.

Some of them contain real treasures, such as the descent from the cross from the Sainte-Eulalie church in Erill La Vall. Carved in wood by the end of the XII th century, this work represents a suffering Christ, out of step with the representations of the time (it prefigures the Gothic).

In the Church of St. John of Boí, the frescoes are the eye-catchers. On its walls unfolds a fantastic bestiary representing the moralizing characters of humanity. The landscape is stylized, almost modern, while these masterpieces dating from the XII th century.

But it is the village of Taüll which deserves the palm. Consecrated in December 1123, the Saint Clement church proudly erects its campanile in the landscape. In the main apse, a Christ Pantocrator rubs a crucifix and a Madonna with child XIII th century.

A stone’s throw away, Sainte-Marie, the only church in the valley to occupy the village square (seems that the locals were not too crazy about mass), is also the only one to have kept track of its baroque period.

Perched on its mountain, the hermitage of Saint Quirc sends its two bells to the clouds. It is from above that the purifying fire that commemorates the summer solstice descends each year. A pagan festival to which the villagers are still very attached.
A rebellious geology

Second park in the Pyrenees after that of Ordessa and Monte Perdido, the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici national park (photo) is a veritable granite labyrinth. Its steep valleys, planed by powerful quaternary glaciers for millennia, have spawned no less than 200 lakes! Today hyper protected and very well marked, it is a real paradise for hiking enthusiasts.

The Boí valley forms the epicenter. Its beauty, it owes it to its isolation. Indeed, until the 1920s, it took 3 days by road from Barcelona to get here. It is, according to amateurs, one of the most spectacular natural sites in the Pyrenees, and if a qualification were needed to evoke it, only one word would come to mind: wild!

Today a quick tour of the park house, located in the village of Boí, allows you to understand everything. Very well documented, this interpretation center draws up an inventory of the possibilities offered to observe the circular flight of the bearded vulture or the vertiginous climbing of the isard. The latter is now the only mammal to haunt the pastures of altitude since the extinction of the ibex, yet present here until the middle of the XIX th century.

In this little hand-to-hand game with nature, the fades of physical expenditure will be part of the traditional Carros de Foc, an endurance course which connects the 9 refuges of the park over more than 55 km, totaling no less than 9,200 m elevation.

Val d’Aran, large format emotion

The Aran Valley has always been highly coveted. Its inhabitants, descendants of the Celts and the Basques who arrived at the end of the Neolithic, had to cross swords several times to safeguard their autonomy.

Long landlocked, even downright turned towards France, the Aran valley was truly “catalanized” thanks to the drilling of the Vielha tunnel in the 1960s. Consequences of this relative autonomy, the Aran valley has its own language ( a form of Occitan), as well as a Generalitat which makes it autonomous vis-à-vis Catalonia.

Today, the Aran valley is playing the “large format” tourism card, marking out more than 400 km of hiking or mountain biking, and taming the mountain to build winter sports resorts (near 15 m of snow in 2013!). However, the region tries to keep the wild side, in order to satisfy rafting enthusiasts or horse-riding enthusiasts.

If the clientele (mostly French) indulges in outdoor sports here, they do not forget that after the effort, it is comfort. The Val d’Aran – whose ethics in tourism does not give way to its innate sense of commerce – has been able to highlight the trend of the moment: well-being.

A well-being that takes the form of a spa here, with massages to whatever you want and all the hassle, without forgetting a table, where grandmother’s recipes sometimes rub shoulders with a more “molecular” cuisine, happiness.

Áneu, the rebel valley

The Val d’Aneu is the stack side of the Aran Valley, its minimalist completeness, its surly side. Áneu is a way of life dictated by a geography of the few. A life of subsistence and resourcefulness, with its endless winters, its DIY but touching churches, some of which contain real little gems of folk art.

Land of passage to exile, this territory was decisive during the civil war. Today it is intelligently highlighted by the Écomuseu d’Esterri d’Áneu, who understood the importance of breaking down barriers between spaces and practices. He invites tourists to familiarize themselves with the locals, thanks to a visit to a farm or a cheese dairy.

This comprehensive approach combines guided tours of churches and architectural heritage, while giving pride of place to an omnipresent nature. The Val d’Áneu still cultivates its rebellious side today as a trademark.

What if you had to put an image to represent all of this? You can choose from: the scents of pine, thyme or juniper trees that climb towards the summer pastures, the torrents where the fario trout spawns, the ruined monasteries where the hymns of the Benedictines still ring, the taverns of the fortified villages where the we come to draw mustaches with local beer on the return from a hike … Or better yet, it would be the demon offering her cheese to Christ, a fresco from the church of San Julià d’Unarre.

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