On the French-Spanish Frontier: The Pyrenees

With its labyrinthine alleys exhibiting signs of Arab and Jewish culture, no city is consid­ered more Catalo­nian than Girona (Spanish: Gerona). Orig­inally a Phoeni­cian stronghold, this city owes its exis­tence to its strategic loca­tion along an important road in the Pyre­nees. The Gothic cathedral, which boasts a huge room built on arches, is regarded as unique in Spain. The Parc Natural de la Garrotxa is also nearby, offering numerous hiking trails in a landscape formed by volcanic activity. Costa Brava is only 35 kilome­ters away.  

The forti­fied city of Carcassonne lies at the crossing of two major traffic routes in use since Antiq­uity: the north-south gap between the Pyre­nees and the Massif Central, and the east-west route from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. Carcassonne was founded by the Romans, and each succes­sive conqueror – Visigoths, Arabs, Franco­nians, Cathars – added to the immense fortifica­tion. Boasting a double ring of ramparts and 53 towers, Europe's greatest fortress was completed by Philip the Bold in 1280. We commend visiting the site in the early morning or in the evening in order to avoid the large numbers of tourists drawn there every day.

The “Ville Rose” combines the flair of southern France with the spirit of technology and science. Toulouse is the main center of the Euro­pean aerospace industry. Hub of the city is the atmo­spheric Place du Capitole, with its arcades and the magnif­i­cent town hall. Not far is the roma­nesque Cathedral of St. Sernin, which is one of the most important pilgrimage churches on the Way of St. James. 

The elegant thermal bath is surrounded by 3,000 meter high mountains. Already the Romans bathed in the hot springs. The sulphurous and radioac­tive springs reach temper­a­tures of up to 72° C. They are said to have a healing effect, partic­u­larly on those suffering from respi­ratory tract disease. A cable car runs from the village to the ski resort of Superbag­nères.

After leading a sleepy exis­tence for most of its history since the Middle Ages, Lourdes today regis­ters over 5 million visitors a year, second only to Paris. The city owes its importance as a major Chris­tian pilgrimage site to the appari­tions of Our Lady of Lourdes that appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. Bernadette was only 14 years old when she reported seeing a “lady” in the cave of Mass­a­bielle on 11 February 1858 while gathering firewood. The appari­tion appeared to the girl 17 more times in the course of the year, twice in the pres­ence of over 1,000 people and once in the pres­ence of around 8,000 people. After the 12th appear­ance on 1 March a woman reported regaining feeling in her paralyzed arm after bathing it in the spring that had myste­r­i­ously begun flowing in the cave after the 9th appear­ance. Since then many visitors have reported unusual occurrences after bathing in or drinking the spring water or attending one of the daily Eucharistic proces­sions at the site. Sixty-seven of the claims have been veri­fied as miracles by the Catholic Church.

Although only 30 kilome­ters long, it is full of wild beauty: the Côte Basque stretches all the way down to the Spanish border. With its steep cliffs and jagged rocks that defy the powerful surf, it is a delightful contrast to the endless sandy strips of its northern neighbor, the Cote d'Argent. Until the middle of the 17th century the Basque coastal popu­la­tion was living from whaling. Then the giant mammals moved away from the coast further and further, forcing the fish­ermen to switch to sardines, anchovies and tuna. At the same time, the fishing villages on the Côte Basque were discov­ered as seaside resorts – first and foremost Biarritz.

This tradi­tional fishing village has a harbor at the mouth of the Oiartzun river. The town's main thor­ough­fare leads from the Bizkaia quarter to the Bay of Alabortza. The historic town center features numerous medieval build­ings, as well as shops, cafés and good seafood restau­rants.

The ances­tral seat of the Loyola family (“Loiola” in the Basque language) is located between Azpeitia and Azkoitia in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa. Saint Ignatius de Loyola, the family's most famous member, was born in the resi­den­tial tower in the valley of Urola. As founder of the Jesuit order, Ignatius de Loyola is still one of the most famous Spaniards and was espe­cially noto­rious among Protestants.

This small town is surrounded by hills at a bend in the river Ega. The Way of St. James played an important role in the town's history. The king of Aragón invited immigrants from southwestern France to settle in this previ­ously uninhabited area. Accommo­d­a­tions for pilgrims were built in Estella and tradesmen and merchants settled here, making the town a bustling and popular station along the pilgrimage route. Its repu­ta­tion was enhanced by several legends surrounding the town. For example, a Greek bishop is said to have died here as an anony­mous pilgrim. His body was later mirac­u­lously discov­ered with a relic of the apostle Andrew, which the bishop had intended to donate once in Santiago. His remains were laid to rest in the cloister of the Church of San Pedro de la Rúa.

This mountain pass in the Spanish Pyre­nees reaches an eleva­tion of 1,057 meters and connects Valcarlos with Roncesvalles via the N 135 freeway. At the highest point in the pass stands the chapel of San Salvador, where three of the four French pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela meet. One of the routes starts in Puy and Conques, another in Paris and the third in Vezelay. The pass has been used since prehistoric times. The Romans built an outpost there, which was later joined by an abbey with accommo­d­a­tions for pilgrims. Charle­magne crossed the pass twice in the year 778 as part of his military campaign in Spain, during which his rear­guard was ambushed while retreating. This clash came to be known as the battle of Roncesvalles.

The “serrated mountain” rises like a giant stone castle over the hilly landscape of Catalonia. One of Spain's most important abbeys is perched precar­i­ously on a rocky promontory along the edge of a gap in the mountain. An image of the Madonna, which attracts Catholic pilgrims from around the world, hangs above the alter in the 16th-century basilica. The mountain can be reached via a cable railway and the upper station of Sant Joan is the starting point for a hiking trail that will lead you to the highest summit, Sant Jeroni (1237 m). Here you will be rewarded with a magnif­i­cent pano­ramic view.