The Hike to Santa Magdalena

  

There are two routes to get to Santa Magdalena from the Hotel. The first is to walk there from Sant Llorenç, starting at the mouth of the Boadella reservoir, climbing up to the ridge of this pre-Pyrenee mountain range, and working your way across this ridge, with the beautiful views it affords, until your reach the chapel. At a brisk pace, this route should take about 2 hours.

The second route (the one we took) starts at the church of Nostra Senyora de la Salut, in Terrades. From the hotel, we drive until the turn-off on the left, before reaching Terrades, to Boadella, and then, after a few windy turns, we take another turn-off to the left, following signs to "Centre Socio-Sanitari La Salut".

We park the car at the large expanse above the church, and quickly find the foot path to the chapel. The first twenty minutes of the path is under a canopy of trees and tall bushes, and we trudge on soil, and over tree roots, and small pebbles. It's quite lush. Of course, we are still in April. By August, rains are but a distant memory. In any case, the more interesting part of the hike is the second half, when we leave behind all this lushness, and enter the arid, windswept area.

Greenery is now at a minimum, and we are walking on loose slate and large boulders, eroded from the strong forces of the Tramuntana wind and water. These bald rocks are infinitely more fascinating. They seem man-made. Some have cavities in them, from which desert-like plants grow. I spot what is either a large green gecko or the common chameleon scampering into one of these cavities as it hears me approaching with the camera. Too bad! I find a rather large piece of loose quartz. This is a gold mine!

When we finally make it to the top, I'm feeling less tired than I did in the first five minutes of the hike. I know part of it is well-warmed muscles, but the views are exhilarating. The peak greets us with a panoramic view of the area, from the snowy peaks of the Pyrenees to the hazy glimmer of the Mediterranean. Closer, we see the rows of leafy cherry trees in Terrades, or the dinosaur-looking ridges of the Roca de la Penya. On the other side, we can see the Boadella reservoir in its entirety, Sant Llorenç de la Muga, and the isolated and abandoned "masias" that dot the up and down mountains. Minding our step, we look down the hair-raising cliff to the north.

The chapel itself is small, and in much disrepair. A small enclosed garden leads to the metal doors, filled with graffiti and scratches, which surprisingly do not offend, most of them are just names. The inside of the chapel is plastered in white lime, but otherwise bare. Instead of an altar, a shrine to Mary Magdalene. In any case, she stands under the round apsis, surrounded with flowers and other offerings. A visitor's book lies open, with a pen by it, inviting you to write a thought.

This chapel was built in the XIVth century. A priest from the Terrades parish presided over this hermitage until the early XVth century, when the chapel was destroyed. No documents survive, but it is likely that it was the result of the strong earthquakes that devastated the region between 1428 and 1438. The chapel was originally dedicated to the Virgin of Codó. It was then rebuilt (the date is uncertain), but it was consecrated and dedicated to St. Magdalene in 1681. The sisters of St. Anne (from the nearby sanctuary of La Salut) were put in charge of its care, and they still are.

Back at the church and sanctuary of La Salut, Stephan and I go into a little bar and buy some refreshment. The bar owners are fixing up their kitchen and dining room. "We're opening in May," says the owner, with a bucket of paint in one hand, as we pay for our drinks.

I snap a few pictures of the church from outside. It is a site of pilgrimage, and the Virgin is known for her curative powers, in particular to those with sports injuries.

The gardens below, and the statue of a VIRGO CLEMENS, standing on an obelisk, at then end of a daisy carpeted aisle, lined with lilacs. Stephan is waiting for me at the steps by the Church.

Click here for more pix.

On the trail of the elusive Caula river lagoon.

Stephan and I are on a mission to find every single swimming hole in the Muga Valley!

After our hike to Santa Magdalena (since we weren't tired enough), I convinced Stephan that we should find this elusive natural pool: the thermal pool of La Caula (La Caula is a stream that feeds the Muga River). I had read about it, and seen some beautiful pictures of the site. I had even located it on Google Earth, but I had not been able to find it on my own two feet. So, as we we drove down from La Salut to Boadella, we stopped and asked a local gentleman about it. First mistake: the Google Earth marker is wrong. The "gorga" as they call the swimming hole here was in fact in Les Escaules. I tell the gentleman that I had been to Les Escaules the week before and had been unable to find it. He continued with his directions, and after asking him many questions, I finally figured out where I went wrong. I felt confident that we would find it today.

So, with what we thought were definitive directions, we drove to Les Escaules. We parked at the entrance to this miniature town (smaller than Sant Llorenç) and climbed up a paved road that took us to a strip of houses built on the cliff. As soon as we hit the last house, and before reaching the top of the hill (about a 5 minute uphill), we went down a small footpath that leads to the neighbors' vegetables gardens. Soon, we noticed that the footpath joined a small stream, and we walked along it, with ferns and tall reeds whipping past our legs.

And sure enough, a few minutes later, after crossing the small stream through a high-tech bridge consisting of a 2x4 plank, we were there. First, we saw nothing, and then we saw the fall, the lagoon. I had a moment of almost religious ecstasy.

Getting down to the water was not so easy. We had to go down a short but steep slippery strip of wet rock and soil. Stephan jumped down. I scurried down in a sitting position (that is, on my ass). At the bottom, we did not find much place to spread a towel in. Possibly, in the summer, when the water level goes down, there is more dry space.

Next, Stephan went to a possible water source, and put his hand in to see if the water was in fact warm. It was not. But, it was definitely warmer than the water at the Muga River. We reached the conclusion that there must be a thermal water source, but it is clearly not the only one. We will probably go back another day, with more time, and explore at length, and see if we cannot reach the true source, over the waterfall.

Next, we went to the Salt de La Caula, a very short drive away. The water from the natural pool we just visited falls down this escarpment, before reaching the Muga River. We had been here last year, but I couldn't find the pictures. First, though, you have to get over the disappointment that this waterfall is by the road, facing a drab restaurant with somewhat odd management.

I think that when we first came to see the Salt de La Caula (as it is referred to here), there was either more water, and was more impressive; or there was less water, and the exposed rock was what struck me. (I remember the waterfall being very colorful, and I have a feeling that it was the rock, with all of the different mineral deposits.) Anyway, I took a couple of pictures, which I know are not as good as the ones we took last year (que será, será...)

But, we did climb the stairs that go around the waterfall, and into the caves. Those were fun. I took some pictures with Stephan in them to see the scale.

You can view more pics here.