“The Gate to Heaven”

The translation of the La Porta del Cel circular hike sounds promising. How heavenly it must be to wander through the high Pyrenees for four days during the heatwave? Despite the pleasantly Mediterranean temperatures, I'm excited for the hike, especially because Laura wants to accompany me! Hopefully, this time we will be spared from hail. 

The landscape is diverse: from green valleys, along crystal-clear lakes, red rocks to gray granite fields. Every day we hike 1300 hm (height meters) or more, I don't feel the altitude anymore, but the steepness is brutal. The refuges are especially interesting to me, they have nothing of our Alpine luxury! The first night, I cuddled with my Dutch neighbor, with a mattress width of 30 cm, every centimeter is fought for. One night we were on the French side, and there they showed us again their proximity to the border unfriendliness, like we know it from Kehl :D. But you don't go to the mountains to get a private room with your own washbasin and customer service like at vkw.

On the way, we met Carles, a very pleasant companion. Here he is raising his thumb again, so you know that he's having fun 😁.

Back in civilization, I enjoy the last few days with my host family:

In my defense: Dimitri always gave me the most dangerous and intimidating place and always turned the boat in a way that I got the most water. Of course, I was never afraid, you can see that...

Well, as the saying goes, you should leave when it's most beautiful. Grateful for so much hospitality, I can continue strengthened. Strong with all the affection and joy of life that I saw in Dimitri and Laura. Impressive people and their ideas about life, those are the memories that remain without pictures.