Day 10: Cervera to Vilagrassa

Day 10: From Cervera to Vilagrassa

Date	Jun 1st ( Thursday )
Today's Distance:	10 miles /  16  km
Cervera to Vilagrassa Stats	Route Video
Total This Camino:	84 miles
Total 2023 Caminos:	84 miles
Total All Caminos:	1819 miles
Lodging:	$ 45 @ Hotel del Carme
Total Lodging:	$ 551
Planes:	$ 1350
Total Planes:	$ 1350
Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$
Total Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 0 / 30 / 32 = 47
Food:	$
Total Food:	$ 245

Meaningful Moment

Went down to the bar to get an Estrella beer for me and a Vino Verde for Deb.

Asked the bartender for a Vino Verde and she looked really odd at me as if I was pulling her chain.

She says they only have red wine, rosé wine and white wine.

She thought I was asking for a green wine ( "Verde" in Spanish ). I was asking for a type of Portuguese wine.

Deb laughed long and hard when I explained to her that the bartender looked at me like I was an idiot. Lol

Random Thought of the Day

Deb and I have passed two huge stone houses but the ceiling's were gone and some of the walls were gone. If they're not houses, I have no idea what their function is. But they're very old.

Open business hours in Catalunya seem to be very different for other provinces of Spain. For example it's not even 12:30 in Tárrega and yet everything is closed, especially the restaurants.

On the Road / Notable memories

Just had the realization that today is all hills and farm fields. What a difference from yesterday where we were still in the mountains.

Also so far we have gray cloud cover. It is very slightly sprinkling. But on any other day at this time, we would already be getting hot and sweating.

Another late afternoon rain shower but Deb and I are in the hotel room, looking out the windows, and this is much better than hiding underneath a tree lol.

Wine for Deb and beer for me in the hotel room.

Dinner for us was the Menú del Día.

Deb: tomato and tuna green salad, sausage and potatoes, mixed fruit in juice

Me: same salad, albondigas (meatballs) in gravy with potatoes and greens, Catalán custard

	Have left the mountains behind and now in the rolling hills
	Not sure if this is a house in ruin, or some kind of functional farm structure
	Roadside flowers
	Giving the four feets a well-deserved rest
	Eglesia Parroquial de Sant Pere rest stop
	Hostal del Carme: really nice room and dining experience

Day 09: Jorba to Cervera

Date	May 31 ( Wednesday )
Today's Distance:	12 miles /   18 km
Jorba to Cervera Stats	Route Video
Total This Camino:	74 miles
Total 2023 Caminos:	74 miles
Total All Caminos:	1809 miles
Lodging:	$ 70 @ Hostel La Savina
Total Lodging:	$ 506
Planes:	$ 1350
Total Planes:	$ 1350
Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$
Total Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 0 / 30 / 32 = 47
Food:	$ 20
Total Food:	$ 245

Meaningful Moment

From Deb: Unexpectedly tempestuous day. Started off with a lovely 9 mile walk. With about nine more to go, the sky became stormy. 

Rather than spend the night at something of a truck stop Hotel. We decided to go the next 9 miles. 

About a mile or so in, a thunderstorm rolled in with some rain so we hid in some bushes and took a selfie while we waited out the rain. 

When the rain stopped, we went on our way and soon encountered a downpour and impressive thunderstorm. 

We were not smiling quite as much then and tried to hide under some very low trees, but we were quickly soaked. 

In fact we went down a gully lower than the road and of course were covered with all kinds of stuff. And the second time we found two very low bush trees as well.

I knew we didn't want to be the highest point in a field and I knew we did not want to hide under trees.

We then made our way to an underpass. 

There, an incredibly nice woman stopped to help and drove us the rest of the way to our final destination, Cervera.  She was a real Camino Angel.

Well, we are now dry and fed and ready to rest, so what more can we ask for lol

--- Deb

Random Thought of the Day

Have spoken with several people who say the weather forecasts for the next several days are  for afternoon showers.

So much freaking road walk, pretty much the entire day. And the first half, 9 mi, was a slow constant upgrade. 

On the Road / Notable memories

The summit of the long incline up was La Panadella, the halfway point of today's hike. We stopped for a rest and a drink.

Shortly after we started walking again, we ran into the thunderstorm mentioned in the memorable moment above.

...

Was starving by the time we got into Cervera. 

We were walking around the city about 7:00 p.m., which in Spain is way too early to find a dinner. Kitchens and restaurants open up about 8:30 p.m. and I couldn't wait that long. 

I had forgotten the Spanish custom of late dinner. 

While walking around, we finally found a Chinese restaurant that was open in the University quarter.

I had a corn and crab meat soup and vegetable and shrimp dinner. I was afraid that I had ordered way too much, but that turned out to be absolutely not the case. It all disappeared.

...

Cervera is a city atop a hill and surrounded by stone walls going back I don't know how many hundreds of years.

So walking around the streets can easily get you into a dead end alley.

Deb and I ended up down such an alley. We asked a guy who was unloading stuff from his car for help.

He let us into his building to cut through in order to get to the Calle Principal. He had the cutest small dog with him who seemed to adore him.

Anyway the point is that this guy was a Camino angel, because he could have simply had us go all the way back down and double back.

	The west side of Cataluna is beautiful.
	Marcelo chatted with us. He had not seen another hiker in days
	Thunderstorm headed our way. No way around it. La Panadella was a trucker town and we did not want to spend our rest day there.
	Caught a ride to Cervera shortly after this. We were taking cover under short trees.
	Cervera sits on a hill. Much of the old walls remain.

Day 8: Castellolí to Jorba

Date	May 30 ( Tuesday )
Today's Distance:	11 miles /   17 km
Castellolí to Jorba Stats	Route Video
Total This Camino:	62 miles
Total 2023 Caminos:	62 miles
Total All Caminos:	1797 miles
Lodging:	$ 11 @ Albergue Sant Jaume
Total Lodging:	$ 436
Planes:	$ 1350
Total Planes:	$ 1350
Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$
Total Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 0 / 30 / 32 = 47
Food:	$ 10
Total Food:	$ 225

Meaningful Moment

Deb and I arrived at the Albergue of Jorba at 4 p.m. which was an hour before it opened.

There was a pilgrim already waiting 

We started talking. He was from Barcelona. He did in two days what Deb and I did in five days. He was our age. What a beast! His name is Ferrar.

Anyway we were in the courtyard in front still at 4:45 p.m. when the first thunder pealed. Lightening started soon after and then the rain. 

Fortunately the priest who runs the Albergue opened the door early. 

Shortly after we got inside, the full thunderstorm hit.

Random Thought of the Day

In Castelloli, I spoke by phone with the hospitalero in Jorba and he told us to take our time and enjoy our intermediate stop, the city of Igualada. The Albergue Sant Jaumé in Jorba is closed between 1:30 and 5:00 p.m. so there's no reason to be in a hurry to get there.

The municipal albergue in Castellolí was gratis. I offered to give the City Hall a donativo and they indicated it was not necessary.

On the Road / Notable memories

Walking into Igualada was kind of difficult because it was a very long commercial and industrial district with a string of big box stores and factories. I was so glad to be fnally finished with the industrial zone.

Because we are taking a slow day, we had a nice coffee shortly after we entered Igualada. Deb went into the pharmacy and replenished our supplies of Advil, Ibuprofen etc.

Saw far more cloud cover today than previous days. Really appreciated it. I've lost that strong New York desire to see the sun right now :-) In fact, I'm getting too much sun, even using sun block.

	After Montserrat, the trail has been really well marked.
	Walking through the industrial commercial district of Igualada
	Main square of Igualada
	A 12th century Church
	Amazing view from the hills into Jorba
	The Albergue Sant Jaumé is run by the local parish priest

Day 07: Monestir de Montserrat to Castellolí

Date	May 29 ( Monday )
Today's Distance:	12  miles /  13 km
Monestir de Montserrat to Castellolí Stats	Route Video
Total This Camino:	51 miles
Total 2023 Caminos:	51 miles
Total All Caminos:	1786 miles
Lodging:	$ 0 @ Municipal Albergue La Rectoría
Total Lodging:	$ 425
Planes:	$ 1350
Total Planes:	$ 1350
Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$
Total Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 0 / 30 / 32 = 47
Food:	$ 10
Total Food:	$ 215

Meaningful Moment

Castellolí is one of those Camino towns that is basically a one horse town. 

Being Monday night, everything was closed except for one bar. Although the bar was open for drinks, the kitchen was closed. 

So all Deb and I could do was order a wine and a beer. 

But they did have a drinks machine so we could stock up on stuff for tomorrow, like Aquarius which is kind of like a power drink.

So the long and short was that there was no place to eat supper. 

But Deb, always the problem solver, came across some chorizo and iberica ham and rice that a previous pilgrim had left for follow on Pilgrims to use.

The kitchen had a pot and a stove and some other rudimentary cooking implements. 

So Deb saw the opportunity and made us jambalaya.

So we went from eating emergency food that we had been carrying to a home-cooked meal. :-)

We sat outside in the courtyard on a bench under the evening sky and had our meal.

Random Thought of the Day

So last night when we checked into the albergue at Montserrat, we had completed the first part of this journey. That is to say the Camino Barcelona. 

Today we started the second part of this journey. We are on the first legs of the Camino Catalán. 

This part of the journey will take 4 days, at which point we will come to a split in the Camino. We could go north or south, but in planning this earlier, I had already chosen the southern route. 

That route will take us about 7 days to complete, at which point we will have completed the Camino Catalan.

It will then be time to decide what we are doing next.

On the Road / Notable memories

Was thinking that we would slowly come off the Montserrat mountain, but as it turned out we had to do a bunch of up and downs in s curves as we rounded more faces of the mountain. 

It really wasn't until about 2/3 of the way through the hike that we got off the mountain.

After yesterday's challenging climb of Montserrat, today's 12 mile hike was a bit of a breather. Tomorrow's hike is at about 10 mi and will be another chance to recoup a little bit.

This is important because two days from today we're setting out on an 18 mi hike, in order to preposition ourselves for a rest day in the city of Tarrega. 

The hike into Tarrega will only be 6 miles. So if we get in early enough, we'll have lots of downtime.

...

Today's albergue is a converted church. Deb and I have the church all to ourselves.

	Montserrat
	One last look
	We thought it would be a relatively short descent but it turned out to be 2/3 of the hike
	Unbelievable views
	Finally got off the road
	And back on the rocks
	Yes, that is the trail behind us 9:40
	Midday break of carbonated water and some snacks ... Espresso for Deb
	Main Street of Castellolí
	Municipal Albergue La Rectoría

Day 06: Matorell to Montserrat

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

Day 05: Molins de Rei to Matorell

Date	May 27 ( Saturday )
Today's Distance:	10 miles / 16 km
Molins de Rei to Matorell Stats	Route Video
Total This Camino:	24 miles.
Total 2023 Caminos:	24 miles
Total All Caminos:	1759 miles
Lodging:	$ Hostel Torres @ $75
Total Lodging:	$ 395
Planes:	$ 1350
Total Planes:	$ 1350
Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 15
Total Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 0 / 30 / 32 = 47
Food:	$ 25
Total Food:	$ 165

Meaningful Moment

Deb and I had the cutest experience today. 

While we were on the trail, having a small picnic, this beagle ran up out of nowhere and began checking out the backpacks. 

Shortly after that the owner came along, and we all had a good laugh.

Our lodging for the night is a hostel / hotel that is located outside of the nearby city of Matorell. Too far to walk to get food.

Being flexible is always good. When Deb and I got to the hotel this afternoon, we quickly discovered that the cafeteria is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. 

The lady at the reception desk gave us a menu for a restaurant nearby that offers a hamburgers and pizza and delivers. 

The upside was that we sat outside in the patio on the terrace and chatted and talked while we waited for our food to arrive. Otherwise our routine would have been walking around the town trying to find a place to eat.

Random Thought of the Day

Although the path was very pretty today, we were snuggled in between and expressway on one side and the high speed rail on the other side. So a lot of hum of traffic kept creping into the walk.

...

It pays to double check your plans. Deb and I were discussing our day tomorrow at the Abbey of Montserrat. 

However in discussing where we were spending the night, we were noticing discrepancies. 

Essentially, it came down to two towns about an hour and a half hiking distance apart with similar names.

We discovered that we had booked a hotel in the wrong town. 

To be accurate it wasn't so much that it was the wrong town, because there was a tram that could have got us over to the Abbey of Montserrat and that town. But it would have been inconvenient.

After hiking all day and the last part being a climb up a mountain, it's just so much easier to be lodging next to the Abbey instead of a tram ride away.

Anyway the incorrect booking was non-refundable, but we did get a reservation at the hostel in the area of the Abbey, and that was much more important because it was much more convenient.

On the Road / Notable memories

Very hot sunny day with temperatures up to 85°, plus a fair amount of road surface adding to the heat. Although a shorter distance than yesterday, we ended up feeling more tired today.

Made it into Matorell, but the combination of the above conditions, just made it worth taking a cab for the 2 mi to the hostel. 

It would have been essentially road walking on pavement to get to the room, that was not part of the Camino.

Matorell seemed like an uninteresting city, but that could be due to the route that we used into the city. It seemed more like an urbanization, rather than a quintessential place.

Got to the hostel, and found out the reason it was so hard to find a room in the area was due to a Coldplay concert in Barcelona.

According to the lady at the reception desk, given our location about 2 mi off the Camí de Sant Jaumé, there is an alternate route for us to get to the Abbey of Montserrat, that does not require us to walk 2 miles back into the city. Took a look on the map and it seems to make sense. According to the receptionist, it will be a much quieter route. Sounds like a plan.

	Today's path along the Rio Llobregat.
	Rio Llobregat
	Shade was a highly priced commodity this morning in the hot sun
	Hiking in a dry river bed
	The cute beagle that crashed our picnic
	Tonight's lodging. It's outside of the nearby city in what we would call an industrial park :-)