Читать книгу The GR11 Trail. The Traverse of the Spanish Pyrenees - La Senda Pirenaica онлайн

22 страница из 51

 It is recommended that you use two walking poles to aid climbing, protect the knees on steep descents, to provide stability when crossing rough terrain, snowfields or mountain streams and for protection from dogs! If you are not carrying walking poles you may need an ice-axe to cope with snow on the high passes. Crampons may be needed in early season in a high snow year.

Culture and language

Catalan flag, Molló

Spanish holidays

The main Spanish holiday season is from about 15 July–20 August. During this period all facilities will be open, but accommodation could be fully booked, especially at weekends.

Spanish siesta

You can expect shops to be open in the morning, closed during the afternoon and open again in the evening. Typically, shops may be closed from 12 noon to 4 or 5pm. In larger towns they are more likely to be open all day.

Languages

Although you may think you are walking through the ‘Spanish’ Pyrenees, the locals won’t think of themselves primarily as Spanish.

You are passing through Euskadi (Basque Country), Navarra (Navarre), Aragón, Andorra and Cataluña (Catalonia). In the Basque Country and the north of Navarre the main language is Euskera (Basque) and in Catalonia it is Catalán. It is less likely that you will encounter Aragonés and Aranés, but you will see the legacy of these languages in the confusion of place names. Spanish (Castilian) will be an official language in these provinces and you can expect all the locals to speak Spanish as a second language. English is now spoken much more widely than it was in the 20th century, especially by younger people, and is gradually taking over from French as a third language.