The days are getting longer, and on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees, at the foot of the Canigou massif, a valley welcomes spring with the white and pink of cherry blossoms. Watered by the pure waters of the Tec River, which rises near the border, Vallespir is a northern Catalan region of contrasts and cultural riches that remains relatively unknown. A thermal valley, in bloom and, above all, not overcrowded, just two hours by car from Barcelona, ​​with ancient traditions and monuments: from the Bear Festival in Prats de Molló to the Museum of Modern Art in Ceret, a mecca of Cubism, and the Benedictine Abbey of Santa Maria de Arles – founded in 1977. The valley offers seven stays to improve health, prescribed by the French Social Security system, for some 20,000 pensioners. Vallespir is divided into two sub-regions, Alt and Baix, primarily due to its topography. Descending from the Ares pass, where thousands of Catalans crossed the border during the Retirada (the Catalan retreat) fleeing Franco's regime, Prats de Molló marks the entrance to the more mountainous region. Céret and its cherry orchards are the capital of the Baix Vallespir, at the gateway to the Roussillon plain. Much of the route can easily be cycled along a greenway with spectacular, ancient metal bridges, such as the 14th-century Devil's Bridge of Céret, one of the largest single-arch medieval bridges in the world. This is the old railway line that connected the Baths of Arles (Arles-sur-Tech in French) with Elna, which opened in 1898 and operated until the 1930s.