And suddenly I feel very small. Endless expanse unfolds in front of me like a map, the shadows of the clouds glide over the meadows like black birds. A large painting, speckled with trees and slowly passing herds of cows, the air is so clear that I hardly dare to breathe it. Freedom is a slippery term that keeps slipping through the fingertips when you try to grasp it. A dancing feather in the heavens of our wishes, so to speak – everyone is looking for her, but nobody knows where she is hiding. In this place, I suddenly feel like I can catch a glimpse of her face. I was never a great lover of the mountains, I’ve always given preference to the rugged coastal landscape and the sight of the boundless sea, but here my heart is suddenly beating faster.
We got up early in the morning for this tour in the rocky heart of the Costa Brava – The weather couldn’t have been better, I’m sitting in an old car, the cool box on the back seat is filled, the wind blows in my face, the smell of freshly mown grass and endless summer days seeps through the open windows. Our route takes us via Castellfollit de la Roca through the small mountain villages of Oix, Beget and Espinavell to Setcasa, that tiny point on the map that resembles a coffee spot in the middle of green abundance. The spectacle around the Pyrenees I was only known from descriptions in travel guides – only now can I understand it. Even in the towns that we pass, a more rustic charm is up to mischief, unlike the one I met so often in the coastal towns. Old stone walls and half-timbered houses steal the show from each other, colorful flower boxes hang on the facades, and exhausted hikers have lost their way to the restaurants in search of a refreshment. From wrought-iron balconies, the residents look down on the few visitors who roam the narrow alleys and stop again and again to take a look at the extensive landscape. I too can’t turn my eyes away for more than a few seconds. Even the most unromantic person becomes weak in this backdrop.
Although our cool bag is already filled to the point of bursting, we can’t resist Nordic delicacies – freshly baked bread, cottage cheese, smoked ham. Although I am a great advocate of seafood and fish, this is at least as good here. After a stop in Espinavell, we finally reach the road that will lead us to Setcasa. Although street is perhaps the wrong term, there is a narrow gravel path in front of us that winds through the heart of the Pyrenees like a snake’s body. The journey will take two hours – we need three because we stop every few minutes to stretch our heads out of the windows.
And this is exactly where it happens. I’ve only had this feeling once before, on a six-day road trip along the Great Ocean Road in Australia, where the rugged face of the coast revealed itself to us in all its roughness, but this almost exceeds it. In the midst of this seemingly endless expanse, the border to nature is completely blurred and I suddenly become aware of the immensity of its power. In fact, I have the feeling that the impressions offered here cannot be written in my head or in words. I could just fall into a trance and stare out the window for hours.
After two hours, setcasa finally pushes us back into reality a little roughly. The dirt road turns into a paved expressway, 80 km/h seems like a Formula One race to me. I’m still a little dazed – and at the same time my heart is jumping with joy. Setcasa is no less appealing than the places that were previously on our tracks. It seems to be a draw for hungry hikers, the restaurants are filled, there are almost more hotels than residential buildings, cheese, honey and almonds are sold in the village square. It’s the perfect place for me to take a deep breath after this trip and slowly return to civilization. On the way back I take a last look at the silhouette of the Pyrenees, which is now in the fading haze behind us. I will come back.
