Seu d’Urgell

From Basella, turn north, following the Segre River for the 50-kilometer drive to Seu d’Urgell. At this point, the Pyrenees begin to show their brooding presence in the distance ahead. Cross the Segre to reach the aquamarine Oliana reservoir. From the banks of the reservoir, you get splendid views of the lake surrounded by its gray-green sheer cliffs, which occasionally seem almost man-made, giant, stone edifices. At the other end of the reservoir is Coll de Nargo, a village stacked on the hillside like a layer cake. Beyond Organya, the cliffs become steeper and closer as you traverse the deep Organya gorge. The gray cliffs rise to 610 meters here and make an impressive backdrop before you come out into the fertile valley where Seu d’Urgell is located. Seu d’Urgell is handily located at the confluence of two rivers; one flows from France, the other from Andora. It has a small, historic center with a 12^th-century cathedral and a Museo Diocesa full of medieval manuscripts and works of art, located near the parador. Be sure to head for the Olympic park to enjoy canoeing and rafting. Another park contains a reconstruction of the ancient cloisters with a fun twist—all the gargoyles are heads of famous persons (we spotted Marilyn Monroe). The town makes an excellent base for walking in the summer, cross-country skiing in the winter, and visiting Pyrenean Mountain villages.If you want a daytrip that combines scenery with shopping, shopping, shopping, you can take a daytrip from Seu d’Urgell to Andorra, cross into France, and return to Seu. Just 9 kilometers north of Seu, you reach the border of the tiny principality of Andorra, which is under the joint administration of the Bishop of Urgell and the French government. Recognized throughout history for the fierce independence of its residents, Andorra is now known mostly as a duty free zone, and thus a shopper’s paradise. You see an infinite number of duty free stores selling goods lining the streets both in and around the capital, Andorra La Vella. Besides shopping, Andorra offers mountain scenery sans pareil. You ascend through pine forests crowned by the barren, blue-gray, snow-dotted peaks of the Pyrenees. It is truly a breathtaking drive. You see numerous ski areas as you cross the Envalira Pass and descend the mountainside to the French border. From here, it is a short drive through the French Pyrenees to Bourg Madame. Just outside of town, you cross back into Spain at Puigcerdá, a small, fortified border town. From here, head west through the pretty valley of the Segre River back to Seu.