BARCELONA - Just got back from a week of driving through Catalonia’s Pyrenees Mountains and I must say this is one of the most beautiful areas of the world.
My mission was to visit churches and castles from the 11th century and designed in the Romanesque-style of architecture - I’ll be reporting on that in upcoming issues of TraveLife magazine. That meant I had to visit some very remote areas of this amazing land.
After arriving in Barcelona, where I picked up a rental, I drove over 800 kilometres on some zigzag highways to reach places that have not changed much since the Middle Ages.

Above: Marc got to see a 50-million-year-old dinosaur footprint, fireworks in Barcelona and visited Catalonia's lovely national museum.

Many of the towns along my route were abandoned long ago and you need to travel on some hair-raising highways to reach them. Well worth the effort, though.
While the sights were overwhelming, the Catalan people and the regional food and hospitality they offered me was truly unexpected.
While all the regions offered their own special identity, the area around Tremp was especially rewarding - I even got to see a 50-million-year-old dinosaur footprint so perfect that it looked like it had been placed in a farmer’s field yesterday.
The fiercely proud and independent-minded people of Catalonia are fighting to separate from Spain and right now it’s just a war of words - let’s hope it stays that way.
Catalonia and its cities, towns and villages is one of the best-kept secrets in tourism and if you have not already visited this region, put it high on your bucket list - you’ll be glad you did.
Stay tuned for more on my incredible trip and the people and places I visited along the way!