Five days ago, Rachel and I arrived at El Pujol, a small, organic dairy farm ten miles uphill from the town of Ripoll, two hours outside of Barcelona.

It is a farm carved out of a forest on top of rolling mountains. The scenery is beautiful… just absurdly beautiful. A couple times each day I stop in my tracks, giggle and say “I can’t believe how pretty this is.” It is as picturesque of a place as I have ever seen.

The farm is run by one man, Josep, who lives here alone. He was born in the farmhouse, which was renovated in 1896 but was here “for a couple hundred years” before that. By himself Josep tends the 150 hectares, most of which is forest, and the thirty dairy cows, which he treats like family. He truly loves his work.

The closest neighbor is 2km away, and it’s a long drive up a dirt path to get to the farm from the main road. During the day we hear nothing but the farm — no traffic, no trains, no neighbors — just animals, cowbells and occasionally Josep’s tractor. At night there are infinite stars, but it’s cold enough that we don’t stay out long to enjoy them — the only heat in the house comes from a fireplace in the kitchen, so we try to conserve our warmth.

In later posts we’ll go into more detail about the farm operation, and what it’s been like working here, but for now, enjoy the pictures.