Over these past nine months, I have been to many different cities and countries, which has been an unbelievable experience. However, I have also seen some really breath-taking places right here in Catalonia. These are the places that are just day trips, but have really awesome scenery and fantastic backstories.

Siruana 

My second host family took me and another Northern Irish-American guy to Siruana in December. It’s located in the mountains of the Tarragona province. For a brief time, it was under Islamic rule. Unlike in the south of Spain, the northern part didn’t live under Moorish rule for very long, but there are still elements of the Arabic architecture that remain. According to legend, the Moorish princess was chased down by the Christians, and rather than surrender, jumped over the edge of the mountain with her horse. Poor horsey.

This was one of the most beautiful places I had been (but really, they are all very beautiful). The mountains are not like what we think of – they aren’t like the Alps or the Rockies, more like the Grand Canyon, almost. The Siruana Reservoir runs underneath the rocks, which makes for some stunning pictures. But don’t look down! I was too nervous to step too close to the edge of the rock, but one of the sons in the host family wasn’t afraid at all! He was sitting right on the very edge … a little too close for comfort.

Many people are known to hike up the mountain, but no one was really in the mood to hike it that day. We instead chose the lazy option and drove to the top. At the top, there are remnants of the castle and other things from both Islamic and Christian rule. There are also a few cute shops and restaurants that make it truly a unique place. There is even a hostel there that costs less then ten euros a night.

Tossa de Mar

I went to Tossa de Mar one weekend in April with one of my traveling friends. It’s located on the Costa Brava about an hour north of Barcelona. The city overlooks the sea and serves as popular tourist destinations for the English. Ava Gardner even filmed a movie called Pandora and the Flying Dutchman there. They immortalized her in the form of a statue at the top of the fortress.

My favorite part of Tossa de Mar is the castle. The castle sits right on the edge of the cliff that extends over the Mediterranean Sea. The weather was perfect: blue skies and a clear, blue sea. There are many little passages to follow up in the castle. There are some nice tourist shops and many areas to admire the scenery. We found a small little beach that looks fantastic.

I would say the negative thing about Tossa de Mar is that the beach is made of pebbles, rather than sand. However, the view of the sea was amazing. There is also a statue of Minerva (the goddess) which sits over the town and looks into the sea. Unfortunately, it started to storm and downpour rain on Sunday, so we didn’t get a chance to explore any more before heading back to Barcelona.

Montserrat

Montserrat is one of the most amazing places you will see. It’s a short drive from Barcelona and a great day trip. Montserrat is known for being a funny-looking mountain. There’s a very famous Benedictine monastery at the top. There’s also a famous bust of the Virgin of Montserrat, the black madonna. There is also a school for young boys that is partnered with the monastery and specializes in music. The two boys in my second host family went to that school for some time, but you can only go there as long as you still have a high-pitched voice. I got to visit the school one time in December, but it was at night, so I couldn’t see the spectacular views.

At the top of the mountain, there is the monastery with the cathedral, and the school that is attached to it. There is also a hotel, shops, and museums up there to keep the tourist entertained. I went into the cathedral, but stupid me didn’t go see “La Moreneta”, the statue of the Virgin. So I have to go back just to see that, too! There were thousands of people affiliated with the different La Salle schools, as well as some tourists that just wanted to see Montserrat. It’s a great place to visit if you ever get a spare day in Barcelona. And don’t worry … there are trains and “teleferics” that help you get to the top of the mountain, so you don’t have to walk!

La Pujada

In May, I had the opportunity to go to Montserrat again (this time in the daytime). Every May, the La Salle schools of Catalunya do a 25 km hike to the top of Montserrat (50 km for the older students). I, unfortunately, didn’t get to walk to the top of the mountain because I couldn’t get to the school early enough in the morning to depart for Montserrat, but I did get a ride there later in the day from the director of the school. If I have the opportunity to return next year, I’m definitely going to walk it! (2017 update: I did the 50+ km hike in May 2016 and it was amazing! It was tiring, but also so much fun!)

Bonus Fun Fact: The island of Montserrat in the Caribbean is named after the mountain because of Christopher Columbus!

Els Guiamets

Last weekend, I got the chance to go to this super-small town, or “village” in the inner part of Catalunya. The host family I currently lived with didn’t even know this place existed until recently. It is kind of like Siurana, with beautiful mountains and cliffs with a reservoir underneath. The reservoir was built by Francisco Franco, though, so there are some hard feelings toward it. We slowly walked to the top, where I got a great picture overlooking the landscape. At the end of the day, we also went out on a paddleboat and got to enjoy the nature!

Tortosa

Honestly, this was my least favorite place. I went this past weekend. It was hot, it was a Sunday (meaning nothing was open), and there wasn’t much to do. Tortosa is known for is the Castell de la Suda. The area used to belong to the Romans, but the castle wasn’t built until the 10th or 11th century. It was built under Muslim rule, but after the conquer of the area by Ramon Barranquer, it became part of the Catalonia region.

Also in Tortosa, there are fortresses, gardens, and a cathedral. Apparently the cathedral is pretty cool, but I only got to see it from the outside because I got there 15 minute before it closed and I wasn’t going to pay money to see it for five minutes. From the outside, it looks different from a lot of cathedrals, so I’m interested in what it looks like from the inside.

Like I said, there isn’t much to do in Tortosa. Erika’s advice: Don’t go to Tortosa.

Keep Exploring

So as you can see, there are plenty of things to do around Catalunya other than just go to Barcelona. Yes, Barcelona is my favorite city in the world and it’s super fun, but sometimes it’s really nice to step outside the madness of the city and appreciate all the beautiful history and nature of this wonderful Catalonia region.