Central Catalonia: Solsona & Cardona

The story goes a donkey was once sent up to eat the grass growing atop the bell tower of Solsona cathedral. However, the stairs were too narrow and so someone's idea was to haul it up the outside by its neck! Every year at Carnival a donkey - only recently fake - is still hung from the tower.

The Castillo de Cardona boasts commanding views of the surrounding area. Over a 1000 years old, its now a 'parador' - a government run luxury hotel.

If anyone's into painted paper-mache bear masks, this shop in Solsona is the place to go - they supply them made to fit and in any colour, as long as its yellow or brown!

Solsona is known for its Neoclassical architecture.

Both Cardona and Solsona offer a suprising amount to see for their size and population (5 + 9,000), every street you turn down offers something different. Although not a long way from Barcelona, this is rural Catalonia and you won't find many tourists around.