Sant Llorenç de Montgai is a fantastic leisure space where you can stroll, kayak, cycle, and rock climb; it's a place where we can recharge with positive energy.
Getting lost in Sant Llorenç de Montgai
We've deliberately taken the narrow secondary road LV-9047, full of twists and turns, between vertical rocks where climbing is practiced. As the Segre River widens due to the reservoir, Sant Llorenç de Montgai stands out in the distance, blending with the riverbank.
Sant Llorenç de Montgai is a peaceful spot, off the tourist routes, where we can enjoy numerous activities related to its small reservoir, such as kayaking, sport fishing, and bird watching.
Houses bordering the reservoir
The lake
The dam, built in 1929, gave rise to this fantastic natural space. In 1990, it was declared a Natural Reserve due to the abundance of waterfowl and its scenic interest.
Gates of the Sant Llorenç dam
The school
Part of the old school has been transformed into the bar-restaurant "El Mirador del Llac", which features an idyllic terrace overlooking the reservoir. It serves as a meeting point for both the locals and the groups who are climbing in the area.
Old school of Sant Llorenç
The Lake Train
Sant Llorenç de Montgai is one of the stops on El Tren del Llacs (Lakes Train) that runs from Lleida to La Pobla. The journey, marked by the Segre and Noguera Pallaresa rivers, is filled with tunnels and bridges, and features exceptionally beautiful landscapes.
Lake Train Stop
La Roca dels Bous
The Roca dels Bous is an archaeological site that seeks traces of the stays made by groups of Neanderthals in this rocky shelter thousands of years ago. It can be visited with the guidance of Espai Origens.
The rocks on the sides of the Roca dels Bous, such as the Cilindro and the Pared del Oso, are usually filled with climbers. It could be said that Sant Llorenç is the climbing capital of this area of Lleida.
La Roca dels Bous - Cilindro - Pared del Oso
The Camping La Noguera
The La Noguera campground has become a major catalyst for the area, featuring a restaurant, indoor pool open year-round, paddle tennis court, and rental services for bicycles and kayaks.
In the Aran Valley, you can breathe well-being, well-off people, everything is orderly and clean. The roads and tracks in the mountains are in very good condition. It is noted that they enjoy a standard of living higher than the average in Catalonia. It is noted that there are only about 10,000 inhabitants in 620 km2. It is also noted that they are located very far from urban areas and only those who can afford it visit them.
Before 1948, the year in which the Vielha tunnel was completed, they were isolated and had a subsistence economy. When the port of Bonaigua was blocked by snow, they could only leave in the direction of Occitania, following the course of the Garonne River.
The Vall d'Aran faces the Atlantic, which makes its forests noticeably different from those of the rest of Catalonia, which is southern.
Today, the Aran Valley lives mainly from tourism, which represents 80% of its GDP. Its educational system is in Aranese, Catalan, Spanish, French and English. In addition, its baccalaureate is compatible with the Spanish and French educational systems.
The Aran Valley wants to be more than simply the Baqueira Beret ski resort, which almost sold a million ski passes in 136 days during the 2022-2023 season. It seeks to become a tourist destination suitable for all ages and appealing all year round. It certainly has the capabilities to achieve it, it is an exceptional site.
Vielha - the capital
Arties - hot springs
Salardú entrance door to the Colomers mountain cirque
The Colomers cirque, formed by 48 lakes with crystal clear waters, black pine and spruce forests, and impressive mountains that rise nearly 3,000 meters, make this glacial cirque and its valley an essential place during our stay in the Aran Valley.
Saut del Pish in the Varradós Valley
The Saut deth Pish, which is located half an hour from Vielha by paved road, has two waterfalls: the upper one is about 15 m. high and the lower one about 5 m. The water comes from the Long Lake of Liat and comes out through a karst course at the Era Pila source in the Siesso ravine.
Uelhs deth Joeu
The eyes of the devil or Jupiter are spectacular waterfalls fed by the waters of the Aneto glacier. The waters that melt from the glacier disappear in the Forau d'Aigualluts in the Benasque Valley and reappear in the Arán Valley, after a 4 km underground journey. An excursion worth dedicating a whole day to.
The burning of Eth Haro in Les
In Les, they celebrate the solstice during the night of Sant Joan with the burning of eth Haro, a fir tree placed the previous year in the middle of the square. This tradition is part of the Pyrenees fire festivals, recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2015.
Balaguer, the former capital of the County of Urgell, is distinguished by its rich history and cultural diversity. Its imposing Gothic wall, along with Andalusian remnants, attests to its past since the 9th century. The coexistence of Christians, Muslims, and Jews in the medieval city highlights its multicultural character. The arcaded Mercadal square and its weekly market reflect its vitality as a social center. Additionally, the Gothic church of Santa Maria, the Holy Christ, and the illustrated balconies honor its cultural heritage.
Walking along the 500 meters of the Balaguer wall that have been restored is a good way to start getting to know what was the capital of the County of Urgell from 1130 to 1413.
We parked the car next to the Segre in the Pont Nou and we headed to the arcaded plaza of the Mercadal, where there is a market every Saturday. Looking towards the town hall, we take the alley on the right that takes us to the Portal del Gel, on the other side there is a structure that allows us to climb the wall.
If we go to the right, we walk on top of the wall that is more than a meter and a half wide, enjoying excellent views of the city and the Noguera plain. On the other side, a metal walkway takes us up to the Gothic church of Santa Maria.
The part of the wall that can be visited, in addition to access through the Portal del Gel, has doors at both ends, in Santa María and in the Torre del Bombo.
The three entrances to the wall are closed and are managed by the tourist information point located in the Museum of the Noguera.
Gel or Monzón Portal
Except for small Andalusian sections, this part of the visitable wall dates from the 14th century, from the county period.
The largest stones in the following photo are fragments of the Andalusian wall that is attached to the Christian wall, and present a construction structure very similar to the Andalusian wall of Castell Formós from the 9th century.
Balaguer Walls Flyer
Be sure to look at the flyer made by Noguera Museum from which I have extracted the following map of the walls, both Gothic and Andalusian.
Extracted from a flyer from the Noguera Museum
Balaguer Andalusí - Noguera Museum
Balaguer became a medina in the 9th century, the result of a military camp held by Muslims in the 8th century. The city developed under the protection of the camp wall and experienced parallel growth with its wall during the 9th and 10th centuries. The camp and subsequent medina occupied an area of 25 hectares known as the Almatà plan, which is one of the most important medieval sites in Catalonia.
Balaguer within the Andalusian culture does not have the importance that Tortosa and Lleida may have, but it has the advantage that the city moved towards the southeast over the years, leaving the Andalusian area free of later constructions, which currently facilitates your research.
The Andalusians who lived in Balaguer already had artisans specialized in making ceramics.
They looked at the world in the opposite direction to current Westerners and placed the Arabian Peninsula in the center. The Iberian Peninsula is on the far right and is the opposite of usual.
They were looking for gold in the Segre River that the waters carried from the Pyrenees.
Andalusian bombs
El Mercadal
The arcaded plaza of El Mercadal is medieval, and has always been the social center of Balaguer.
Porticoed Plaza del Mercadal.
The Jewish quarter
In Balaguer, the three monotheistic cultures, Christians, Muslims and Jews, coexisted since the city's Andalusian era. In the 14th century, the Jews were moved to the south of the Plaza del Mercadal by royal order, creating the Jewish quarter, which was the name given to the Jewish neighborhood of Balaguer. In the 15th century, there was a Jewish community of about 300 inhabitants who even had their own legal system. At the end of the 15th century, they were expelled from the peninsula by decree of the Catholic Monarchs.
Objects from the Balaguer Jewish quarter.
Santa Maria
From the final part of the wall, in the Bombo tower, former Franco observatory during the Civil War, looking in the direction of Sant Llorenç de Montgai and Camarasa, we see from left to right, the Gothic church of Santa Maria, the mosque converted into the church of Sant Crist, the Sierra del Mont Roig of reddish rock, Sant Jordi in Camarasa, Sant Mamet in Alòs de Balaguer, and further down the Montsec.
Within the Fars de Ponent tourist route, in Balaguer you go up to the Torre del Moro of the Santa Maria church, which is the one on the left in the previous and subsequent photographs.
Illustrated Balconies
In the Historic Center of Balaguer, Núria Riba has created a mural tribute to Frederic Letamendi, in the Plaza del Carrer dels Teixidors,
highlighting traditional Balaguerine customs.
Very close by, in the Museum Square, there is another illustrated balcony that pays homage to Margaret of Montferrat, mother of Count Jaume d'Urgell, in this case the work of Oriol Arumí.
"Gar Gar" is the sound made by the Great Bustard, an endangered steppe bird, and it is the name chosen for the mural festival in Penelles.
The GarGar festival has turned Penelles into a national reference for Street Art. Three days a year, the festival fills the walls of the town with murals created by graffiti artists from all over the world.
Without a doubt, the town is worthy of a visit!
Scaf & Abys - 2019Draw & Contra - 2017Jorge Gerada - 2018'Alicia en el país de las maravillas' - 2017
The Gar Gar is a low-key festival where people stroll peacefully, admiring existing murals and those in the process of creation, with some creativity-related workshops designed for families, and relaxing music setting the atmosphere while enjoying the day with friends.
