Day 06: Matorell to Monestir de Montserrat

Date	May 28 ( Sunday )

Today's Distance:	15 miles / 24 km
Matorell to Monestir de Montserrat Stats	Route Video
Total This Camino:	39 miles.
Total 2023 Caminos:	39 miles
Total All Caminos:	1774 miles
Lodging:	$ 30 @ Alberg Abat Oliba
Total Lodging:	$ 425
Planes:	$ 1350
Total Planes:	$ 1350
Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$
Total Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 0 / 30 / 32 = 47
Food:	$ 40
Total Food:	$ 205

Meaningful Moment

Without a doubt it's making the assent of Montserrat. A completely unexpected experience.

I'm not sure of the exact elevation of the climb, but it's somewhere just under 2,000 ft in 4 miles.

The afternoon sun and temperatures in the mid '80s significantly increased the challenge.

The only reason we even ended up on the mountain is because we could only find a room a couple of miles off trail on the outskirts of Matorell.

And not wanting to walk backwards a couple of miles to get back on the trail, we used Google maps and found an alternate path to get us to Monastir de Monserrat.

We could have stuck with the original plan but that would have been a lot of road work, but at shallower grades that would not have involved dealing with mountain hiking.

However, the blessing behind changing the plans meant that we walked through much more picturesque scenery with lots of green space and certainly much much less traffic than if we were on a side road.

And we climbed Montserrat!

...

So as I write this the next morning after a good night's sleep, I have to say it was worth the effort. But it's not something Deb and I would want to do on a regular basis.

In fact our plan for today is to stay much more to roads with shallower grades in order to get off the mountain.

Over dinner last night we talked about going back down the mountain the way we came, and we both ended up in agreement that it would be slow going with great care to avoid slipping. So we decided to follow the roads to Castellolí.

Random Thought of the Day

Still comparing the weather on this Camino with the weather last year from Madrid.

This year the temperatures in the afternoons are reaching the mid-80s .

Last year the temperatures in the mid-afternoons were reaching the mid-100s.

It makes me wonder how we even did it last year.

On the Road / Notable memories

In Sant Esteve we had a stop for coffee and juice and water, with a very nice bar owner.

	Montserrat in the distance. Today's goal.
	Was supposed to be on road, but decided on country paths instead
	Ended up in a creek bed
	Riera de Claret creek bed
	Given the names on the sign, it's hard to believe that we are in Spain
	Approaching the summit of Montserrat
	View from on high
	Dinner after an exhausting day. The restaurant decor was amazing. The food was absolutely delicious.
	Sweet red peppers in a red sauce Grilled sausage and white beans Catalan custard
	Fresh salad with endives Grilled sea bass with sweet and white potatoes Cold fruit salad
	Abbey of Montserrat at night