After our terrible meal earlier in the trip, one of our travel companions on this climbing trip to Spain, Alisa talked a restaurant that’s usually closed on Mondays into opening up for a lunch serving especially for our group… seven hungry climbers in search of delectable Catalan cuisine. The restaurant, Lo Raco Del Pont, is in the next town over from our digs near Tremp, La Pobla del Segur.
We arrived at around 1 p.m., walking through the unassuming entryway that led us to our table, set up outside. The chef came out and translated the menu for us, describing each item to the best of his ability in English (which was much better than any of our Spanish), along with mimes (such as for duck, “quack, quack” along with an arm flutter) and saying “Bambi” for the venison dish. And that was the beginning of one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten in my life. We kicked it off with a couple of pitchers of sangria, and it was all uphill from there. The first plates were amazing, both beautiful to look at and divine to dig into:
By the time the second plates had arrived, all thoughts of taking individual photographs had flown away as silence prevailed. I’d thoroughly enjoyed my first plate (the carpaccio with truffle oil and parmesan shavings); Kevin and I each split our second plates, enjoying a duck leg served with a berry-infused sauce and chunks of venison stewed in a thick, rich sauce with a hint of cinnamon. Both were amazing, as was the bite of “pig cheeks” that Lawrence offered me, which tasted like the most divinely tender pot roast ever.
Desserts proved every bit as delectable as the main courses; again Kevin and I split ours – a molten chocolate cake and homemade truffles. The incredibly rich, dark chocolate sauce drizzled over both dishes made us lick our plates clean. Dessert was followed by espressos, and finally, some sort of cinnamon schnapps provided by the restaurant to “help with digestion.” (Mm-hmm, not so sure about that one).
Overall, it was an absolutely amazing culinary experience, one of the finest restaurant meals I’ve had in years. We were so impressed by the service (opening especially for us!) and the obvious delight the chef took in explaining and preparing each dish for us; it was well worth the price (36 euros per person, with a tip included, seemed like a steal, in the end, honestly).
So…the next time you’re in Catalunya, be sure to stop in for a meal at Lo Raco Del Pont. You will not be disappointed, I promise!
~Alli Rainey, prAna Ambassador
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It was so good to finally send First Round First Minute yesterday.. After almost 3 years effort and falling at the last move over 50 times, I thought I might never do this route. I never gave up, but after so much time on this climb with no success I was forced to let go and move on . I had done 99% of the route so many times and was just really over it. Last fall I dedicated a handful of days on the line but every try ended at the end of the rope. I actually made it past the crux once, only to fall above. I was getting stuck in a rut that I didn’t know how to get out of. Ive always been able to keep the faith and see my projects through to the end but it just wasn’t happening with First Round. After so many times on the same route, at the same area, and falling in the same place, it started to become really boring and frustrating. It became a big mental block. I would climb perfectly up to the last move and then blow it for one reason or another. It was really necessary to get some space, climb on other lines and connect again with just the pure joy of climbing without always looking at it in such goal oriented way. The desire to do the route can be the same thing that prevents us form succeeding. To do our best we have to let go of all expectations and just be totally in the moment. So this year Ive been trying lots of different projects that I have around the Catalunya region of Spain and just trying to reconnect with the pure fun of climbing. Whatever the results make sure that I’m enjoying it and in it for the right reasons (The incredible feeling of flow while moving on rock, not some competitive aim to be the best). Although I succeeded in forgetting about the route for a while, my confidence and belief in myself had been shaken . Its really hard to continue progressing on your personal path with such unfinished business left behind.
highpoint on Perfectomundo so I felt really satisfied with the day already and it seemed like a good time to go back and refresh the moves on first Round and at the very least get some good training in. I hadn’t been on it in over two months and it was just like”what the heck, Ill give it a burn and see what happens.” Maybe I caught the route off guard but probably it was the other way around. I had no expectations and wen I arrived at the loathsome reappoint crux, I didn’t think, just climbed and a few moments later I had the finishing jug in my hand. After so many times falling , I felt like I was in a dream. Its definitely one of my hardest routes, but the mental mountain I had to climb was really makes it stand out for me.
Seen in Dosage V, Neanderthal follows a long and sustained 40 meter line with a hard dyno near the top of the wall. After two years of work, Sharma was 
