Otherworldly climb to the castle in the clouds

At the end of Star Wars Episode 7, The Force Awakens, Rey finds Luke Skywalker on an island of the lost world Ahch-To. In a scene from the following movie, The Last Jedi, Rey asks Luke to join the Resistance to fight against the evil First Order: the sky is overcast, the wind is blowing, and old stone buildings tower over the horizon.

Day 6: El Port de la Selva to Palau Saverdera. Total Accumulated Ascent: 723 meters. Maximum Elevation: 680 meters. Distance: 14.8 km.

We left El Port de la Selva after a nice breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant. The sun was peeking out, the sea was clam, the path was flat. We made our way around the bay and, after a couple of kilometers, we turned inland and started our ascent. The path was narrow, the rocks were loose, the climb was challenging. Clouds were coming, temperature was dropping, the wind was picking up.

We had to stop a few times to catch our breath and to look behind. At some point, I slipped on a rock and almost fell to the ground. I looked to my left and saw the ravine. Slipping was not a good option.

We finally reached the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes. We were cold and hungry. After a quick tour (its existence was first documented in 878 and it was deserted in 1793), a snack, a tea for Andrea and a café con leche for me, we continued our ascent. Steeper still. Walking in the clouds. After a few minutes, we could hardly see the monastery behind us. We could see nothing in front of us but the path.

And suddenly, on the very summit of Verdera Mountain at an altitude of 680 m, the ruins at Castell de Verdera appeared. The steep and almost inaccessible terrain provided a defence system that made the 9th century castle impregnable. While the invincibility of the castle declined with the development of new weapons, it was still in use in the 16th century as a look-out post.

And so, we continued our climb. I stopped at the top of the mountain, beside an old stone tower, perched on a rock, in the clouds, resisting the wind pushing me. I looked around. I was there, at the lost world Ahch-To.

I was in awe at the experience I was living in that moment. After a few minutes of teetering, Andrea and I looked at each other: it was time to go down on another rocky path that would bring us to another historical site, the old church of Santa Helena. And the adventure continues …