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Sant Llorenç del Munt, Serra de l'Obac, from Matadepera.
Photo by Marc Sellarès |
Every once in a while (not as often as I like, but things are what they are) I sit and watch videos on the TV3 website all day just to work on my Catalan and to learn about what's going on over in Catalunya. The other day, for some reason or other, I started looking at houses in the Terrassa area, out of curiosity. Turns out the really
really nice houses (i.e. freestanding, 2+ floors, pool and garden) are in a small town just north of Terrassa called Matadepera. And it turns out that most of those really
really nice houses cost under a million euros. Which, in the Spanish housing market and overall economic downturn in the country and throughout Europe, is
really good. And yes, I did check to make sure it was a Matadepera thing and not a housing bubble crash thing, because you can still get a smaller house in Barcelona for four million.
I'm also 90% sure that Xavi Hernández's family, and Xavi himself, lives in Matadepera but shhhhhhhhh because that information really makes me sound like a total creeper. Which I kind of am but in the best possible way.
So anyway. Just last night when I was on TV3 I discovered that on one of their daily "actuality" shows (a program that spends an hour or more discussing national and local issues, news, and other random topics of cultural interest) has a segment where they go to various towns throughout Catalunya and talk about colloquialisms inherent to the town. This week, well, Sunday, they went to Matadepera, which is also having their weekly
festes, and I'm fascinated. There was also a segment on the Sant Llorenç de Munt mountain, also called La Mola, which is part of the Serra de l'Obac, which borders on the Montseny, the mountain range which houses the monastery of Montserrat. Apparently the air on this mountain is unique in that the mountain range forms the border between the continental and Mediterranean climates, resulting in a perfect mix of humidity and dryness. And climbing La Mola itself is therapeutic, being used by footballers from all around the world (mostly Barça players, but there are other players who've used it) when recovering from knee surgery because while it's a rocky trail, it's gentle. Really, really cool.
I really can't explain what it is that I find so fascinating about this little corner of the world, but I do. And I am going to try my damndest to find a way to move out there and make a living. In fact, I may have some ideas....
hi alezabeth how long time
ResponEliminai read your blog ,normally i go to walk there , in mola i konw very much hidden ways in the forest and some of the mountains secrets . this mountain similar monserrat for goodlook on the moment in mola not tourist as monserrat i hope with your help they not discover this mountains corner .
in the top of the mountain is a monastery but normally is not using for that,in the ancient times was a pagan iber place for pray the sun or female fertility ,
and near there was town ibers too. in the roman age they use for similar too
the monastery had been construyed for border line of cristians muslin in century ix it have strategic view . in this time the muslim was ward with christians and some time attack , for that reason some people of the valley looked refuge on this mountains .
later it was a monastery of around 40 isolated priest century xii to xviii .and then was distroyed on napoleon ward because the catalonian gerrilla .
the bihind side monastery is a rustic restaurant for food and drinking hots , the workers restaurant must move up the store food by catalonian´s donkys,
this donkys is a own race of catalonia unique in europa , this race is a very resisten and little big than others and only have a few copies in catalonia the major part in this mountain . , this specie still are danger extinction but now are more than some years a go.
bye xavi
That is fascinating! Thank you so much for the information. Every time I see pictures and video I think it looks so beautiful and I would really love to explore it.
Elimina