The Aran Valley (Occitan: Era Val d'Aran; Catalan: la Vall d'Aran; Spanish: El Valle de Arán) is a small valley (620.47 km²) in the Pyrenees mountains and a comarca (county) in the northwestern part of Catalonia, Spain. Most of the valley constitutes the only part of Catalonia on the north face of the Pyrenees, hence the only part of Catalonia whose waters drain into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is characterized by an Atlantic climate, due to its peculiar orientation, which is different from other valleys in the area.

Introduction

The Aran Valley (Occitan: Era Val d'Aran; Catalan: la Vall d'Aran; Spanish: El Valle de Arán) is a small valley (620.47 km²) in the Pyrenees mountains and a comarca (county) in the northwestern part of Catalonia, Spain. Most of the valley constitutes the only part of Catalonia on the north face of the Pyrenees, hence the only part of Catalonia whose waters drain into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is characterized by an Atlantic climate, due to its peculiar orientation, which is different from other valleys in the area.

TERRITORY

The Aran Valley is a small valley (620.47 km²) in the Pyrenees mountains and a comarca (county) in the northwestern part of Catalonia, Spain. Most of the valley constitutes the only part of Catalonia on the north face of the Pyrenees, hence the only part of Catalonia whose waters drain into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is characterized by an Atlantic climate, due to its peculiar orientation, which is different from other valleys in the area.

The Aran Valley borders France on the north, Aragón to the west and the Catalan comarques of Alta Ribagorça to the south and Pallars Sobirà to the east. The capital of the comarca is Vielha, with 3,692 inhabitants (1996). The entire population of the valley is about 7,130 (1996). The Garonne river passes through the Aran Valley after rising on the slopes of nearby Pic Aneto and passing underground at the Trou de Toro. It then reappears in the Val dera Artiga as a resurgence and flows into the Aran Valley which is one of the highest valleys of the Pyrenees. The Noguera Pallaresa, with its head only a hundred meters from that of the Garona, flows the other way, toward the Mediterranean.

The Aran Valley used to be without direct communication with the south side of the mountains during winter, until the construction of the Vielha tunnel, opened in 1948. Spanish Republican guerrillas controlled the area from the end of World War II until the opening of the tunnel.

SPORTS

A important sport in the Aran Vall is the rafting. An other important sport is the climbing because there are a big and high mountains.
In this place the most important sports are the risk: rafting, climbing, callac, parachuting…

Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet (or indeed any other part of the body) to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation (to reach an inaccessible place, or for its own enjoyment) and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations.

Climbing activities include:



Ice climbing: Ascending ice or hard snow formations using special equipment designed for the purpose, usually ice axes and crampons. Protective equipment is similar to rock climbing, although protective devices are different.

Mountain climbing: Ascending mountains for sport or recreation. It often involves rock and/or ice climbing.

Rock climbing: Ascending rock formations, often using climbing shoes and a chalk bag. Equipment such as ropes, bolts, nuts, hexes and camming devices are normally employed, either as a safeguard or for artificial aid.

Tree climbing: Ascending trees without the intention of harming them, using ropes and other equipment. This is a less competitive activity than rock climbing.

Skiing
Skiing is a group of sports using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding.

Early history

A Sami skier as seen by Olaus MagnusPre-historic Nordic people and Samis invented skiing to assist hunting, military maneuvers, and as a practical transportation for themselves. The oldest and most accurately documented evidence of skiing origins is found in modern day Norway and Sweden. The earliest primitive carvings circa 5000 B.C. depict a skier with one pole, located in Rødøy in the Nordland region of Norway. Joel Berglund reported in 2004 the discovery of a primitive ski, or "85cm long piece of wood", carbon tested by researchers in 1997 while excavating a Norse settlement near Nanortalik, Greenland. The primitive ski dated back to 1010, and is thought to be Greenland's oldest ski brought by Norsemen circa 980 A.D

Alpine skiing

Alpine skiing is also called downhill skiing. Typically downhill skiing takes place at a ski resort with specified ski pistes or ski runs. Ski resorts that offer downhill skiing exist all over the world in cold climate areas. Non-competitive alpine skiing is recreational skiing. Also in the category of Alpine skiing are the Alpine competitions known as slalom, giant-slalom, and down-hill. Recently a new category, called super-giant-slalom.

Freestyle skiing

Aerial freestyleAlpine Freestyle: This kind of skiing employs the use of aerial acrobatics and balance, balance being necessary for rails.Freestyle/Newschool: Freestyle skiing is the type of skiing with which tricks are usually associated. The skis used are generally of a twin tip design, made to land switch tricks (backwards) as easily as forwards. Tricks are generally spins and flips, that can be conjoined with a grabbing of the ski to improve the image of the trick. Freestyle skiing generally takes place in terrain parks at ski resorts, with a wide variety of jumps, rails, jibs and other features to session. Mogul skiing is also considered as freestyle skiing.

Nordic skiing

Nordic skiing may be the most popular form of skiing since it does not require a specialty ski area.

Military skiing

Military Skiing: In addition to its role in recreation and sport, skiing is also used as a means of transport by the military, and many armies train troops for ski warfare.

Skiing competition

Skiing competition is organized by the International Ski Federation, which is responsible for development of rules and scheduling of competitions worldwide in alpine skiing, cross country skiing, freestyle skiing.

Stations in Aran Val

http://baqueira.costasur.com/en/index.html

Art (Romanesque in Val d'Aran)

In the section devoted to Romanesque in the Val d'Aran will take care of Santa Maria de Arties, Assumption of Mary Bossost and Sant Miquel de Vielha.

Santa Maria de Arties

Santa Maria de Arties is one of the most interesting Romanesque churches of the Val d'Aran. Catalan belongs to the Lombard style.

He was a three-nave building topped by a semicircular apse triple header, but the central square was replaced by another that serves as the vestry.

As usual, the most appreciated is the bell tower, located here at the foot of the temple. Stands out for its large size and futile game of each floor that increases in number as it ascends.

Assumption of Mary Bossost

The Church of the Assumption of Mary is an extraordinary Bossost Romanesque church of the Val d'Aran, probably the best in the whole region, thanks to the balance of its architecture and especially the rich iconographic features.

The Assumption of Mary Bossost has three naves and three apses with arcs and Lombard lesen. Besides a beautiful Romanesque bell tower tops the overall picture of the building.

The covers are very interesting and complete. The southern blanket under her large pointed archivolts Trinity Crismon in your eardrum, while the northern, more complete and interesting, offering another set of lintel and tympanum with other Crismon a ruthless and expressive and Tetramorph Pantocrator surrounded, in turn, by the moon and sun.


Sant Miquel de Vielha

Sant Miquel de Vielha Church is a very late one nave is dominated by two factors: your home and Mijaran Crist.

The cover is large and complex, with pointed archivolts full of sculptures that allude to Doomsday, and a kind of eardrum with statues embedded. There is a capital of great interest because it shows three faces that share the eyes in pairs, taking a total of only four. Their eyes are certainly disturbing.

The Mijaran Crist is a piece of wood a Romanesque Christ, which is preserved only the bust.

Your picture is exquisite and imposing.

Gastronomy

The Aran Valley is world renowned for its exquisite cuisine. Restaurants in Baqueira Beret are excellent value for money. There are numerous gourmet restaurant to be found here, spread out through the villages in the valley. The main focus here is on Baqueira. It has top quality restaurants that could rival anything found at the top French resorts. The difference is, even the top restaurants in Baqueira are very affordable. Styles vary, and something can be found to suit every palette. Traditional dishes range from a typical Aranese casserole to succulent desserts, all bursting with traditional homemade flavour.

Baqueira Beret has a wide range of restaurants and cafes. They offer everything, from chic international cuisine, to traditional Spanish cooking. A great range of bar-restaurants: el bar Era Cabana,the cafeteria 1800, the cafeteria 2200 Eth Audéth, the cafeteria Beret, the cafeteria Bonaigua, Escorncabres, Heidelberg, la Granja... The restaurants closest to the ski lifts are Ticolet and La Borda de Lobato. Ticolet is located right next to the Montarto hotel and serves various international cuisines. La Borda de Lobato offers more traditional dishes with a strong emphasis on meat and fish. Meals are prepared on an open grill in a barn type atmosphere. Another popular choice is the Cap del Port. This is a large castle type structure on the Port dera Bonaigua pass. This restaurant is one of a kind and attracts many curious visitors. Food served includes goat, deer and mountain mushrooms.

The hymn of Aran Valley

The anthem

Aqueres montanhes
que tant nautes son,
m'empèishen de véder
mèns amors a o son.

Nautes se son nautes
ja s'abaisharàn
es mies amoretes
que s'aproparàn.

Montanhes araneses

a on es pastors
es hònts regalades
tròben, e jordons.

Se cantes perqué cantes
cantes pas per jo
cantes per ma hilha
que non ei près de jo

Montanhes coronades
tot er an de nhèu,
tan nautes e bères
que vos pune eth cèu.

Montanhes araneses
pientades de rius,
de totes grandeses
vos adorne Diu.

Nòsti amors veiguéretz
com rosèr florir,
volem com es pares,
guardant-vos morir.

Festa de les falles d'Erill la Vall

The closing of the failures has been a tradition since ancient times deeply rooted in the villages of Aran Val.

The failures are resionsos trunks that are prepared several days in advance to be ready on the day of descent. We have also completed the "lighthouse", which involves planting a pine tree in a high place and visible from the village, where bonfires are lit before the fall.
In the Boi Valley there are two types of faults: the "rantiners" are of one piece! And "failures" are the most common pieces of pine Teia and stick to a stick of ash.

The descent starts from a high place on the mountain, guided by more or Fadri any of the gang, the guide line of fire down the mountain until you reach the village square where music is received with the sound of bells. With the failure is consumed half a bonfire and the party begins.