Day 3: VALÈNCIA D'ANEU - ESPOT - AIGÜESTORTES NATIONAL PARK I LLAC SANT MAURICI - ESTERRI D'ANEU - VALÈNCIA D'ANEU
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Today we get up a little sooner and the first thing we do is look out the balcony, looking for that clear sky that we "need" for our small itinerary through the Aigüestortes National Park and the Sant Maurici Lake.
We find a fog that covers everything and in less than 5 minutes it dissipates as if by magic and after another 5 it hides the whole landscape again ... I can assure you why I have seen it with my eyes, that if I would not say That this can't happen 🙂
The fog "playing"
After seeing that the sky gives us a beautiful clear blue color, we went down to breakfast at the Lo Paller Hotel lounge.
We ask that we prepare a couple of snacks to take away and we start to Espot.
We are about 10 kilometers away and it takes us less than 15 minutes.
This time we park in the parking lot of the town, knowing that we will be much longer.
We go straight to the office of Aigüestortes National Park where they sell the tickets and we see that, although it is not yet 10 in the morning, there is a lot of queue.
When it's our turn, we're lucky that there are already 4 people to our destination, so we don't have to wait for anything to get on the 4 × 4 (to go to Estany de Ratera and Amitges, we have to have a group of 6 people, if not you have to wait for the 4 × 4 to come out)
While we are going up to the park the driver will explain some things about the park and some excursions.
Each time the climb is getting tougher and although we see that there are people who do it on foot, we believe that our decision has been the right one.
We go up in 4 × 4 to Amitges and we go down until we reach the Sant Maurici Lake.
While we are going up we are seeing stunning views, I would say better than those we saw 2 years ago in the part of Boí.
The climb is becoming much steeper and even at 4 × 4 it is difficult to climb.
In a little more than half an hour he leaves us at L'Estany d'Amitges and they tell us that every hour on the spot they spend 4 × 4 in the area of Llac Sant Maurici.
The first thing we find are a couple of lakes in front, with spectacular views.
We don't think about it and take out the camera without thinking.
Estany d'Amitges
Estany d'Amitges
After a good while "adapting" to the views we have, we retrace our steps to go to Estany Nere that we have a few minutes from where we are.
Estany Nere. Aigüestortes National Park and Sant Maurici Lake
Here we take a few photos and see that in less than 500 meters we have been traveling for more than half an hour. If we follow this rhythm we will never arrive !!
So without further thinking, we got down to our next "challenge", Estany de Ratera.
We are going down the slope that we have previously climbed with the 4 × 4 and the climb is even tired !!
We see people going up and we think we are right with the decision to do it the other way around.
While we go down we have views of heart attack.
Views as we descend.Aigüestortes National Park and Sant Maurici Lake
Els Encantats
We start the descent
Way forward
When we almost reached the end of the steepest downhill road, we found the detour to the viewpoint.
We do not think about it, since it is one of the routes we want to do. Mark 20 minutes, but being almost a flat road, we do it at that time stopping to take pictures and cool a little ...
Impressive sights.Aigüestortes National Park and Sant Maurici Lake
Cooling on the road
When we arrived at the viewpoint we met a small group of people, we waited a while, but seeing that they do not move from the viewpoint, we decided to skip a kind of protection fence and go to a corner with spectacular views.
Views from the viewpoint
After resting for a while and chopping some things that we carry in our backpack, we return to the path we have come through and we go straight to Estany de la Ratera.
As we see it appear, it seems more beautiful. The pity is that the sky is getting more and more closed and looks like it will not take long to start raining.
Estany de la Ratera.Aigüestortes National Park and Sant Maurici Lake
Estany de la Ratera
Roger comments about eating here, but watching the clouds progress, we prefer to go straight to the waterfall and then go down to the Lake of Sant Maurici inside of the Aigüestortes National Park.
We still have an hour and a peak on our way and we hope that the storm won't catch us.
And so we do. We choose the heaviest road, because it is all of stones and more marked descent, to be able to see the waterfall and reach the lake in 1.30h or so.
Downhill path to the waterfall
This road is the most successful thing we do, for having stunning views.
Waterfall
After an hour and little begins to drizzle and see right in front the Lake of Sant Maurici!!!
We have arrived!!
Although we will not be able to eat here, we have completed the tour and enjoyed it very much.
Llago de Sant Maurici
The rain begins to tighten and we go straight to the parking area, where the 4 × 4 will come in case it rains.
There we eat the sandwiches and wait for our turn.
At 3 in the afternoon we are up to 4 × 4, going down to the parking lot of Espot.
Halfway the rain becomes a storm and no longer stops until we arrive at our hotel, in Valencia d'Aneu, the Lo Paller Hotel.
Now it's time to rest and above all wait to see if for a bit and this afternoon we can go for a walk in Esterri.
About 5 in the afternoon it has stopped raining and the sky turns completely blue again, so we do not think much and go straight to Esterri.
It took us less than 10 minutes to arrive and we found a town full of life.
We walk along the main street and stop for a drink.
Esterri d'Aneu
After having a drink and spending the afternoon in Esterri, we will go around the town again, to find a place to have dinner.
In the end we end up in a hostel restaurant, which we don't like too much by the way ...
From here we have to go to the Lo Paller Hotel, today there is a barça-madrid match and we can't miss that :))
Day 4VALÈNCIA D'ANEU - TÀRREGA - LLORET DE MAR
