Hugging trees and riding a donkey: goodbye to stress in the forests of Ampurdán

The

always been a landscape, cultural and gastronomic reference praised by poets and singers from Havaneres;

muse for great masters like

or

, who made her their home;

and populated by characters of all kinds, from fishermen to Hollywood stars like

who visited Tossa de Mar in 1950.

Without so much media hype there is another Ampurdán, the inland one, the one that hides under the

or in

;

the one that the monks conscientiously tilled a thousand years ago and in which the farmers now grow rice, apples or wheat that are the gastronomic pride of this land.

Let's go to it then, let's look for those historical, landscape and human roots and return to the origins.

Medieval architecture in Peratallada, one of the best preserved in Catalonia.

We start at

, the easternmost point of the peninsula, a place where the harsh native flora coexists in harmony with vineyards and olive groves that have been part of the landscape since the Greeks set foot on this place back in the 6th century BC. The recurring starting point may be the

an imposing monastery-fortress that developed its own strategies to repel the attacks of the pirates that entered here from the coast.

San Pedro is a colossus in its architecture, but above all it is magnificent in the human history of those religious who, against wind and attacks, inhabited this watchtower for almost a thousand years.

Challenging the tramontana and on terraces gained from a steep and stony orography, those audacious brothers implemented and developed the

that still persists today throughout the Ampurdán.

HUG TREES

Beyond San Pedro de Roda, where the natural setting of the Sierra de La Albera hides the border of France under the trees, we find the

.

It is one of the eleven areas protected by Sèlvans, a non-profit association dedicated to conserving the most unique forest heritage in Catalonia.

One of its founders, Monserrat Moya, is an expert in shinrin-yoku therapy,

"Forest baths have already been shown to significantly reduce cortisol, better known as the stress hormone," explains Moya.

In Japan they call it

.

Here, under centuries-old holm oaks and cork oaks, visitors eliminate stress through silence,

and guided exercises that help connect with nature and with oneself.

Because in Ampurdán there are many who have embraced this

and who help people to better connect with the environment and also with oneself.

A good example of this is Edgar Tarrés, who defines himself as a «

welfare

».

Meditation session in Rosas.

Tarrés, who is Professor of Well-being and Happiness at the UNED of Pontevedra and the University of Gerona, holds his sessions in small inland towns such as

simple places in that Ampurdán that is quieter and less traveled .

«I design programs and experiences based on mindfulness, forest baths and sounds, which lead to improving people's quality of life.

I help them reset their life so that they are happier.

LOST TRADES

To return to the roots in a more tangible and mundane way, this region also has corners - with many dedicated people in body and soul - where it is possible to learn those arts that our grandparents knew and that were forgotten at some point.

An old flour mill in

for example, has been converted into an

where, among other things, they teach how to make bread.

And in

, an old wine estate has been transformed into a

garden

with which infusions are made.

There are hundreds of other examples, such as those that refer to the art of

, wicker or clay crafts, the cultivation of rice or the improbable exercise of

... And if donkeys do not convince us, there are options: In Pals, without going any further, a family business has put esparto saddlebags on its rental electric bikes.

We could finish this route through Ampurdán in one of its honey-colored stone villages with an unusual name such as

, but we will end near the sea, in Cadaqués.

Why not?

Beyond its stony coves, its epic sunrises and the bars that Dalí frequented, this icon of the Costa Brava still has a lot of bohemianism, historical and human roots.

Because, after all, this report is about roots.

ARTISTIC TIDE IN CADAQUÉS

Cadaqués

, which always had that aura of

carefree

, has been attracting the most select of the

decades,

who here

in the luxury of strolling in

and simple cotton dresses.

Perhaps due to its isolated situation, perhaps due to its incontestable beauty, numerous writers and poets sought inspiration from it, from

or the Nobel Prize winner

to less media-oriented authors such as the poet Rosa Leveroni.

Interior of the veteran Marges-U art gallery, in Cadaqués.

This artistic tide that started in the 20th century was also nurtured by musicians, painters, sculptors and other figures with a creative mind that to this day continue to populate its alleys.

This explains why in a population of just 2,700 there are so many art galleries, such as the veteran

run by the Japanese artist Nobuko Kihira and her partner G. Carbó Berthold.

"I moved here in the winter of 1978," says Carbó, "and the influence of Cadaqués was psychic, transmitted by time, the north wind and the sea ...".

Practical Guide

HOW TO GET THERE

This route through the Girona region of Ampurdán is recommended to be done by car or motorcycle: all towns are well connected by road.

WHERE TO SLEEP

In wine hotels such as

(hotelperalada.com),

(saperafita.com).

Rural-chic and with healthy programs:

(arkhedepals.com);

(masfalgarona.com);

and

(casacanpico.com).

WHERE TO EAT

Seasonal product reinvented by the old El Bulli kitchen team at the

restaurant

(www.compartecadaques.com).

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

• Catalonia

• tourism

Four SeasonsThe most anticipated megalojo hotel of the year in Madrid opens its doors today

Controversy Massification in the High Pyrenees: they denounce the queues to take a selfie at 3,000 meters high

The longest bus trip in the world: 18 countries in 70 days from New Delhi to London

See links of interest

• News

• Translator

• Programming

• Films

• Topics

• Holidays Madrid 2021

• Madrid

• Coronavirus

• Eifel Grand Prix, live

• Final: Novak Djokovic - Rafa Nadal, live

• Leganés - Girona

• Malaga - Las Palmas

• Real Zaragoza - Albacete