About 850 km, over 45,000 meters of elevation, sun, rain, hail, storms, cold, heat, mountains, wild paths, and the odd adventure are some key data of the great crossing of the Pyrenees from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean - GR11 - Transpirenaica. For the Thuringians Marlis and Ralf Schwan, it was meant to be a new experience. Together through the solitude of the wild Pyrenees. The expedition turned into an adventure experience with everything that such an undertaking can include. Rough terrain, steep mountain paths, dreamlike untouched landscapes, lonely, romantic mountain villages, roaring waterfalls, and mountain streams dazzled the senses. And the weather? The Pyrenean weather is notorious and feared. The tour plan was set quite early for the Pyrenees (starting on 25.05.2023), so they had to prepare for whatever the weather might bring. Heat, rain, thunderstorm (always exciting in the mountains), snowfields, hail, flooding situations, nothing was spared, and a spirit of adventure was required. They laugh later about minor mishaps like getting lost and searching for paths; it’s just part of it, and you have to take it as it comes. What was important for them was to stay calm and keep the spirits high, even when a downpour was dampening the mood and cursing was in order. At some point, Ralf says, "it was around the 10th to 14th day when the sense of time and space was lost. What day of the week and what calendar day it was, how many kilometers were left to walk, became uninteresting, and there was no specific time for the return journey. We walked day by day, without rest days, daily stages ranging from 10 to 40 km. We were in what is called 'the flow'." After 44 days, they stood at Cap de Creus, the easternmost point of the Iberian Peninsula on the Mediterranean, and both agreed it was quite a strange moment. "The feeling of happiness and success, having accomplished it, was truly emotional, and then the question: Should it really be over now?" Time had not passed without a trace; backs and knees ached, the body was worn out, and several kilograms of body weight had disappeared. Nevertheless, for them, the pain goes away, but the pride remains. Experience in the report by Ralf Schwan, an exciting adventure through the fascinating mountainous world of the Pyrenees, with rugged peaks, roaring mountain streams and waterfalls, inviting rustic mountain huts. Let yourself be enchanted by small, lonely, romantic mountain villages and places, lush green pastures, and the animal and plant world, and be part of the great adventure, walking from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean through the wild Pyrenees.
Entry from 19:00.