Coll@ge is playing at my house (MY HOUSE)

Recently, Elisabet has started two new musical projects. In both cases the groups already had existed before, so that it can be said they are not actually her projects. She rather was invited to join them.

Coll@ge playing at my house

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La Miranda de Can Jorba

After two intents that unfortunately had to be scrubbed due to adverse meteorologic conditions, on Sunday Xavi and me finally were out for a climb on Montserrat's sunbathed southside. The previous days had been bitterly cold, on Saturday we even had some snow, and although the tempereature wasn't what I'd call warm, the sun made the climbing enjoyable.

Xavi on top La Miranda de Can Jorba

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Happy New 2013 (same procedure as last year)

The same procedure as every year...
...hence just a little bit of history repeating
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Canal del Ninet / Ot el Bruixot at La Filigrana

El Ninet looking down upon the canyon

El Ninet is a rather small crag in Montserrat, but due to its location at the verge of the mountain's north face it's widely visible and because of its overhanging appearance it's a quite famous feat. El Ninet also gives name to a sort of canyon / chimney, which allows even non-climbers to conquer the otherwise prohibitively steep rock wall, that can be seen when looking at Montserrat from the North. This canyon leads straight to the upper part of the Agulles sector, where numerous spires formed of conglomerate rock offer countless climbing routes. Today, Xavi and me tried us at "La Canal Del Ninet" and since we wanted to make the most of our day, our plan also foresaw to climb a very special rock column we had made out during a previous trip - La Filigrana.

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Om Mani Padme Hum at Agulla de l'Arbret

The weather forecast was far from encouraging, reason why Xavi and me scratched a trip to the Pyrenees in favor of a climb in Montserrat. During our last climb there, we had made out a promising rock called "L'Agulla de l'Arbret" which translates to "Little Tree's Needle" and since then a suitable route was found in the very recommendable blog "Escalatroncs".

Line description from escalatroncs

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Miranda de les Boïgues

On top the Miranda de les Boïgues

Today, after a two months lasting abstinence, Xavi and me finally have found the time to do some climbing. Our initial idea was to do "La Agulla de Can Jorba" on the far side of Montserrat, but since I didn't buy a 60m alpine rope the day before, we had to change plans in favour of a route possible to climb with our shorter rope measuring 47m only. A glance in my climbing book which focusses on the area called "Agulles" revealed that "La Miranda de les Boïgues" would do as a proper alternative.
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Portella Petita and Pelada

Portella Gran as seen from Portella Petita

 Long time no climb, that's what Xavi and me thought when we went to Montserrat last Saturday. Originally we had planned to climb the Elephant, but since we were out of practice, we spontaneously decided to make some lighter routes in the Agulles sector. We first tried ourselves at the GAM line of la Portella Petita.

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Short holidays at Cap Roig

Elisabet is member of the Tr3s C Club, a Catalan club for cultural activities which gives important discounts to its members and once per year offers them a present as for example free access to a rather expensive concert. By means of those presents we twice attended the Festival at Castell de Peralada during the last years and two weeks ago saw Kiri Te Kanawa at the Cap Roig Gardens. In order to get the most out of our trip there, we took our tent with us and spend two nights on a campsite.

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Clarabides - Gias

Panoramic view from the summit

My second excursion with the local mountain club aimed at two 3000m peaks in the Pyrenees: Clarabide and Gias. An incredible number of 20 hikers, mostly of an age of about 50 years participated in the excursion and Saturday at 9 am we initiated our trip to Benasc. After lunch we parked the cars on a near parking and about 2 to 3 hours later arrived at the mountain hut of Estós.

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Herräng 2012 Week 3 Lindy Hop Intermediate 1

The second part of our holidays, we spent at a dance camp in the beautiful Swedish village of Herräng, again, but since our flight from London didn't arrive in Arlanda until half past 10 in the evening, we didn't go there directly. Instead, we went to Johannes' flat. Johannes being the German guy living in Stockholm, who saved our Herräng vacations in 2011 and who by now is a friend of us. Johannes even paid us a visit last September and this year's trip to Stockholm should have meant to meet again. Unfortunately things didn't turn out according to plans, given that Johannes had to go to Germany without further ado a day earlier. He kindly left us his flat for a night, however, which was the first of a series of aids he's offered us this year.

Herräng (top), Uppsala and Stockholm

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Rainy London

River Thames

During the second week of July, Elisabet participated in a course aimed at singers who want to learn more about their throat's physiology, that was offered by the Royal Academy of Music in London. For me, too, a good opportunity to visit the UK.
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Vallibierna - 3067m

Panoramic view from the dam of Escales

The last weekend of June, Xavi and me had planned to do some mountaineering in the Balaitús area, but unfortunately he suffered a minor injury, only two days before we had planned to go there. Since I already had made up my mind, I at least wanted to do a less demanding mountain tour and decided to climb two of the most easily accessible 3000m peaks of the Pyrenees - Tuca de Vallibierna and Tuca de les Culebres.

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Aaaaaandorra

Andorra has bugs

Whenever I go to Andorra, I inevitably think about Max Frisch's play of the same name. In one scene, the protagonist visits a doctor, who, to make sure his patient would open up his mouth well wide, makes him say: 

Patient: Aaaaaaandorra. 

Doctor: And again! 

Patient Aaaaaandorra. 

Doctor: Louder!

Patient AAAAAAndorra!

Doctor: Hold the A a little longer and say it as loud as you can!

Patient AAAAAAAAAAAAANDORRAAA!!
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Riera de Mata-rodona

Frida, a dog

Long time no see, I've been working long hours lately and even had to work some Saturdays. As a result, there was little time for hikes and whenever there was some precious spare time, I was too exhausted or simply too lazy to motivate myself for anything physically demanding. The infernal heat doesn't help neither ..... truly some lame excuses, I'm the first to admit.

But, about a week ago, I actually had a whole day off. Since Elisabet and me were unwilling to let pass by such an uncommon opportunity, we prepared some sandwiches and together with Frida (the dog) set off to Mata-rodona.
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Pont Cabradís

Pre-Pyrenean landscape

Ernst and Ulli are friends of mine. They are, by the way, the persons most responsible for me living in Catalonia, and besides own a beautiful finca in the Solsona district, in a village called Guixers. When they bought the estate, more than 10 years ago, it wasn't more than some flee-infected ruins full of goat feces, but during the years, the two of them have made a tremendous effort which transformed the finca into what it is today. There they live on about 1300m above sea level, in the middle of nowhere, and I believe to remember, that once their nearest neighbour was mentioned to live several kilometres distant. Surrounding their place, there are mountains, too, for Guixers lies in the heart of the Pre-Pyrenees. You cannot find the really high mountains there, but it's still a quite mountainous landscape. Last weekend, Lisa and me visited Ernst and we didn't let slip away the opportunity to go on a hike there...
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