5-9-10 La Seu d’Urgell

We started with breakfast with a gorgeous view from the dining room:

          In the am, we took a walk in town guided by Katja, the wife of the owner of the hotel.  The central area has quaint, narrow streets, old buildings with flower lined balconies, several bakeries, and a church.  The feature that put them on the map is the Olympic kayaking center that they built for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.  They rerouted part of the river that runs through town so it can be used for kayaking year round.  When there is more water than needed for kayaking, they use the water to generate power.  While we were there, a group of teenagers were going down the rapids. 

Kayaking down the Olympic Kayak course

Later, we saw elementary school kids getting ready to go through.  They have an escalator which allows the kayakers to ride back up to the start without having to get out of their kayak.  As we were leaving the center, Katja mentioned that they also rent mountain bikes there, and asked if I might be interested.  When we got back to the hotel, she agreed that someone from the hotel would drop me off at the bike rental later in the afternoon, then pick me up when I finished.

          Lunch was as follows:

veggie terrine (eggplant, roasted red peppers and hearts of romaine lettuce)

Paella

diced mixed fruit in a fruit sauce with a dollop of gelato

In the afternoon, I rented a mountain bike and rode on a bike path along the river.  The weather was perfect, and although I am not in shape, the spectacular scenery along the river made me forget my lack of conditioning.  The river runs past small farms which start at the town limits, and since they are all served by a system of small water canals, I could always hear rushing water no matter how hard I was pedaling.  I saw farms with buildings with stone walls, grain fields, sheep, cattle, red poppies, trees along the river, and mountains on all sides  I rode 12 scenic miles until I ran out of water and time.  Although I had ridden 1.5 hours, the attendant only charged me for 1 hour – 8.8 Euros.  The hotel was kind enough to drive me down to the rental shop, then pick me up when I was finished.

          Dinner was in the castle’s main dining room.    The owner’s grandfather had bought the castle from the Spanish government for 12,000 euros in the 1950s.  At the time he bought it, it was in ruins: many of the rooms had been used to raise farm animals, doorways had been boarded up, stone walls were crumbling, etc.  The main dining room is a great hall, with high ceilings supported by stone arches, tapestries on the walls, but with modern light fixtures and bathrooms.  Our group of 26 dined at a single long table set with candles.   It was such a magnificent setting that we all spent a while taking photos.     

    

Joe & Ann

                                            

             Here’s what we had:

Grilled prawn with greens and baby fava beans

Pan seared sea-bream (white fish) on wild rice with dried fruits

Filet mignon (very rare) with a very rich mushroom cream sauce

Selection of cheeses

A small glass of crushed ice with citrus juice

Puff pastry with chantilly + cream

Coffee + petite fours

White wine & a red 1973 Rioja Gran Reserva

The 1973 Rioja Gran Reserva is rare; the hotel has it because the owner’s father bought a lot of it when it came out, and at that time one had to buy it by the pallet, not by the case, so he bought a lot of it.

          I remember last year when we were in Tuscany that my right knee was in bad shape so that I had to use a cane to be able to walk more than half a mile.  This year my knee is fine and that has made a big difference in my enjoyment of the trip.  Last year I had to be mindful about what was planned for the day, and that limited what I could do.