The GPS road tracklog
From Collioure to La Seu d'Urgell
From 2014/07 to 2014/08/03
In the night when the rain ceased, a
violent storm rose. My truck was
animated of an unchained pitching, I
would have been believed in a drunk
boat in the storm. In the small hour
calms it had not returned but the sky
was purged of its black clouds.
Madeloc Tower
Fort Garnison 1885
Enter Spain
The border was crossed without
difficulty, it is one of the
advantages of Europe. The progression
is done with an alternation of tracks
and bituminized roads. The track at
the waypoint 036, difficult to find,
is very narrow for my truck, it is
limiting with branches and slopes. My truck received several
scratches. It was its baptism of the
track after that of the Castle of
Lastours. The roadbook proposes a
detour by Requesens which leads in a
farmyard where I had the break lunch.
My impressions after this first day:
The roadbook is very well documented,
but difficult to exploit fully while
driving, fortunately I have a digital
map of Spain at 1/25k mentioning
the waypoints given by Vibraction.
Mercedes G Professionnal proves very
comfortable, it is a confirmation
after the training course on the
tracks of the Castle of Lastours. The
first diversion of the tour will
lead me tomorrow to Figueres where I
wish to visit Teatre Museu Dali and
others. The Green Guide advises to
reserve as a preliminary. On the way I
telephoned, the person answered me
that there was no reservation for individual
people. Damage, consequently
I found a bivouac at the edge of water
at a dozen kilometers from the city,
where I will make a queue in the early
morning while hoping to find a
close.
Landscape at border
Rabos
Menhir of Santa Fe, waypoint 060
Requesens Castle
Sta Maria Requesens
Bivouac at the edge of water
Figueres
However thus I left last 7 hours a.m.
to arrive at Figueres around 7:30. I
had hoped for car parks close to the
museum, yes but they are either
underground or out of silo with a
maximum height of 2 meters. By
traversing Jonquera street I
found in Rec Arnau street a large car
park in surface with free places and
moreover there is a supermarket, a
true happiness. The museums in season
open at 9 a.m., I had time for
strolling in neighborhood. The
downtown area is without particular
charm alternating old and recent
houses. Back to the square Gala I S.
Dali around 8:30 a.m tourists started
to be bound in front of the entrance.
I will not do the bibliography of S.
Dali, I return readers to Wikipedia.
The only thing that I can say of the
bottom of my memory is that his Muse
Gala was previously that one of Paul
Éluard with whom he has her picked up.
I put more than two hours to traverse
the 22 rooms of the museum devoted
almost exclusively to Dali with some
paints of his personal collection.
Impossible to memorize all things,
fortunately photography is authorized,
I stored approximately 80 of them.
Salvador Dali is loved or hated. But
he was an engaged painter, he should
be recognized as colorist inspired and
as a draftsman with the air feature.
Admittedly he handled the buffoonery
with masterliness; his writings are as
much of beating of mouth of the
intellectuals or considered as such;
here is an example among so much of
others. Me, I adore. In my world
peregrinations I many times met him in
museums.
Teatre Museu Dalí
Teatre Museu Dali
Entrance
Gala i S. Dali square
Courtyard
Soft self portrait with
roasted bacon
Portrait of Pablo Picasso in
XXI siècle
The spectrum of the sex appeal
Atomic Leda
Phantom cart
Portrait of laughing Gala
Portrait of S. Dali
Mae West
Composition by S. Dali
Dali of back
painting Gala of back perpetuated
by six virtual corneas temporarily
considered in six true mirrors,
(on the left and detail on the
right)
Torre Galatea
Torre Galatea joined with the museum
accommodates an exphibit of jewels
create by S. Dali.
Church of Sant Pere
The church built in the 14th century
is representative of the Catalan
Gothic art.
In the early afternoon I returned to
the bivouac at the edge of water to
write and put pictures on this page
From waypoint VIB128 to waypoint WIB195
The GI 502 going through Darnius is
bituminized but narrow. From VIB140 up tp
St Llorenç the track becomes stony, very
narrow for my vehicle and with low trees,
it curves in rowling mountains. Driving
requires a constant attention, I am not
Sebastian Loeb!
Fortunately I am alone, I did not pass any
vehicle. I repeat once again, the roadbook
is very precise. It was a long morning of
more than four hours of driving. I was
very happy with the vehicle and the pilot.
From the video camera:
Roadeyescams
St Andreu at WIB178
Olot
At the VIB195 I made the second diversion
to go to visit the volcanoes at Olot.
Great disappointment, the city is not very
tourist, the parking is seldom for motor
homes. Despite everything I climbed one of
the volcanoes dominating the city, Volca
del Montsacopa, with an unused hermitage.
At the beginning of afternoon I wanted to
see the museum devoted to the volcanoes of
the area, it was closed.
Santa Pau
Lonely Planet recommends the visit of
Santa Pau of which the medieval city
was built on a volcano, extinguished.
The second part of the day was not a
success. I found a bad bivouac on the
car park at Pla Magre
Du waypoint VIB195 au waypoint WIB253
Anticipating difficult tracks I left
around 6:40. From WIB208 to the WIB218
the track was very difficult, very
narrow with many trees; but what it
was beautiful, crossing sumptuous and
very dark forests. From WIB238 to the
VIB246 the track rising with the pass
is wide and released; but the rain
fell intermittently. At the WIB253 I
left the tour for a diversion towards
Ripoll and St Joan of Abadesses.
En route, low angle light in
the early morning
Pass 1983 m high , at VIB242
improbable meetings
Video of the track at wib210
Ripoll
From the old monastery Santa Maria there
remains only the Romanesque church with
its five naves and its seven apses. The
gate dating from the 12th century is
protected by a recent construction. It
describes the glorification of God and his
victorious people. The cloister was built
in four century of 12th at the 14th
centuries. It is of trapezoidal shape.
Gate in 12e siècle
Nave in 10e siècle
The two other
naves
cloister in 12e siècle
Sant Joan de les Abadesses
The monastery is Benedictine, the
church was devoted in 1150. Two
sculptures are remarkable, the
Deposition of Jesus surrounded by
Joseph d' Arimathie and Nicomède then
by saint Jean and Virgin. The retable
of holy Marie the White, 14th century,
is of Gothic style whose registers
describe the childhood of Jesus.
Deposition of Jesus, 1251
Retable of holy Marie the White
Monastery museum
The museum of the monastery exposes a
hundred objects coming from the monastery
as well as surrounding churches.
Saint Jean in the desert by Antoni Peitavi ,
16th century
Christ by Joan Gasco, 16th
century
From waypoint VIB253 to waypoint VIB375
I could have much road including more
than 80% of track. Indeed I wished to
visit on Sunday morning La Seu
d'Urgell starting from the WIB375. I
left thus at the forefront of day at
6:50. I arrived at 16:50 at the
bivouac close to a bridge at the edge
of water north of Organya on C 1313. I
had traversed 195 km in 9:30 pauses
lunch deduced! The landscapes are
dramatic. The Spanish or French
Pyrenees are very different from the
Alps. The asphalted connections
between the tracks are without much
interest. The first track began in a
fir plantation whose branches
maliciously scratched the body of my
vehicle… It was the price to be paid
for this tour. During the day I met
only one motorcyclist on a trial and
two mountain bikers. No meeting of the
third type. I was the only one in this
Saturday. The rain appeared as from
14:30 falling intermittently. A storm
burst violently disturbing the GPS
which was mislaid in the mountains to
return on the track after the
manifestation of the wrathful gods.
La Seu d'Urgell
At La Seu d' Urgell I easily found the
large free carpark announced by the
Green Guide. For the external pictures
I profited from a good luminosity as
well with the tele of 200 as with the
great angle of 14 which for lack of
retreat gives pictures in skew. After
the ousting of the Muslims at the 9th
century the Catalans created La Seu,
the bishopric and the capital of the
county of Urgell. It is one of the
hundred Romanesque churches of Ruta
Romanica from Perpignan to Urgell.
Nowadays the bishop of Urgell and the
president of the French Republic
assume the honorary load of co-prinz
of the principality of Andorra. The
cathedral of the 12th century is of
Lombard style. The frontage is in
three parts corresponding to the
basilical plan with three vessels.
Cathedral Santa Maria
Cloister
The cloister dates from the 13th
century whose capitals of the columns
are decorated with the humans, and
fantastic animals.
Eglésia de Sant Miguel
The church Sant Miguel dates from the
11th century with a nave and three
apses.
"Beatus"
Museu Diocesa exposes objects coming
from the cathedral and other churches
of the area. The showpiece is “Beatus”
comments of the Apocalypse written in
the 8th century.
