Fiesta Major

The last two weeks of August are usually the warmest of the year in Montsant. We decided to go to the mountains for a few days for a change of weather. The Pyrenees are about three and a half hours away. It feels like springtime there with grass growing and wildflowers blooming. The air is like breathing pure refrigerated oxygen. We spent three days hiking mountain trails. The air was so full of green aromas that I could almost feel myself turning into a plant.
Because these mountain valleys were so isolated until relatively recently, they were spared the war,wear and tear most of Spain has experienced over the centuries. The are some truly exquisite old churches that have survived without molestation or remodelling. This area is a ski resort in winter but the tourist presence this time of year is low and slow. We were probably the rowdiest people in the campground.

Hiking in the Pyrenees

We've been traveling around checking out wine areas that are close to us. Gandesa is the principal town in D.O. Terra Alta and is about 30 minutes away. There are several spectacular wine cooperatives around here that were built early last century. We also went to Penedes which is the largest D.O. in Catalunya. Torres and a few huge cava producers dominate the area. It's really pretty and planted wall-to-wall with grapevines.
As you can see, our vineyard is progressing. I've been fighting the birds with some success. They like Finca Vieja because it's close to their roosting area in town. I've been going to the vineyard every evening to chase them around for a few hours.

Wine travels

Camping and berry picking

Almost every town around here, regardless of size, has an annual summer festival. This usually involves a parade. My favorite part is "Los Gigantes" (or giants). Many villages have gigantes made in traditional costumes and themes. Most villages have just one male and female figure. Kings and queens are the most popular but you can see a wide variety here. The gigantes are carried by teams from each village who take turns dancing the figures down the street. You can tell who's on the team by the cumberbunds they wear and how much they're smoking and sweating. The gigantes are also accompanied by a band playing the traditional song of the village. In recent years, however, other songs have crept in as you will hear in the video. Please go to the Youtube video to get the full effect. If you watch closely, you will see Catalunya in microcosm through faces and activities of the people in the parade. We were impressed by the number of young people and their obvious enthusiasm.