The trail is not located in a nature park, but in a wooded area. Even the drive to our starting point is pleasant and quiet. We are on the main road, then on a wide country road until we stop at the town hall in the village of Castellfollit del Boix.

While we are changing, a couple comes out of their house, both wearing hiking gear. We greet each other and they take the same road that we will be taking in a few minutes. The sun is shining and the sky above us is bright blue. A perfect day for a hike. We leave the village via a gravel road and walk along wide paths past vast fields. Absolute peace and quiet around us and the wide sky above us. After a few kilometers, we enter the coniferous forest, which smells fresh of needles and damp earth.

It goes uphill for a while, then even a little steeply uphill, between dry branches, over rocky stones up to a viewpoint from where you have a breathtakingly beautiful view of the landscape. The snow-covered peaks of the Pyrenees. The peaks of Montserrat. The sea of hills stretching to the horizon, which is so clear that it seems to have no end. At this point at the latest, I am flooded with feelings of happiness. Here I feel the reward for everything we take on and for everything we do. This kind of hike is the reason why we live the way we do.

It goes on like this the whole time. The path becomes narrower, then wider again. We pass fields and walk past rocks on narrow paths. The sun shines the whole time and my heart is filled with so much joy that I can hardly believe it. Spain hasn’t won me over yet. Even though we had a few nice hikes, none of them made me feel completely happy. Until today.