Travellive 11-2018

TRAVEL BLOGGER NHI DANG: VAL
D’ARAN, A SPANISH WINTER
Bordered by France to the north, Val
d’Aran valley, with a population of 5,000,
is an autonomous region of Catalonia,
Spain that is covered in majestic nature
and blanketed by the soft snow of winter.
After 4 hours from Barcelona, the car stopped
in front of the Hotel La Pleta at 10pm (4am in
Vietnam). The extreme cold began to hit my face
as I stepped out of the car. Just like in a dream, the
next morning, us three Vietnamese ladies eagerly
went skiing at the Beret Ski Resort. The first basic
lesson was learning how to keep our balance and
ski down a gentle slope of about 100 m. I felt very
confident as this was my second time skiing after
my trip to Iran.
We continued to experience the speed of the
huskies pulling our sleighs. Each sleigh loads a
maximum of 3 people; I sat in the front to capture
every moment with my camera. There were about
a dozen huskies, all of which were so adorable and
way too excited that whenever they heard the long
whistle of the driver they exploded with energy;
when they tired, they laid on the snowy ground and
played like little kids.
The next day, we went snowmobiling to Banhs de
Tredos, a spa located at the highest altitude in the
Pyrenees region where people can soak in spring
water in winter.
I looked forward to the last day, forecasted to
snow, but even if the snow never came, the highend
(and super expensive) Le Caviar Imperial
Hotel would relax me once more that night. On the
last day, we were equipped with specialized shoes
that looked like tennis rackets called “snowshoes”
for walking on the snow (the large area of the
racket creates more surface contact, helping to
distribute weight and keep you on top of the snow).
We kept walking, taking photos and falling. The
camera blurred like a cold glass of beer due to the
humidity but still worked ceaselessly. Much like
myself, the camera was also seeing with its own
eyes to discover the majesty of Val d’Aran.
Finally, the snow fell once we stopped at a bend to
take a panoramic shot of the town. The snowflakes
were flying into my face; the moment was so
beautiful that our whole group lay silent, taking in
this natural wonder without a care in the world.
TOUR: Enjoy skiing in Val d’Aran or celebrate
Christmas in Western Europe on a tour of Spain –
Southern France (8 days) operated by Hanoitourist,
departing from Hanoi. Priced from 58,900,000 VND.
Website: www.hanoitourist.vn
58
TRAVELLIVE