Walking at last: from Montserrat, May 2

Tuesday we took the train to Montserrat, then the cable car from the train station up to the Monastery and Basilica site at Montserrat.  A very cool 5 minute ride; note the yellow gondolas in the first picture.  We spent the afternoon walking around, and checked into the pilgrim accommodation right adjacent to the hotel.  Not many pilgrims, so we had a room to ourselves. Sharing our common sitting area were two couples from Poland, who are about to start their pilgrimmage by bicycle.  They'll be biking from Montserrat to Lourdes, then back into Spain and on to Santiago.

Wednesday morning there was a dense cloud layer hanging over the valleys below Montserrat: a beautiful sight.  As we began walking the clouds gradually burned off.  About a mile below the monastery we picked up our trail, which turned out to be a real adventure.  We spent more than two hours on a very rugged trail up and down through the wooded areas below the rock outcrops.  In several places we had to use both hands as we scrambled up and down.  But what scenery, with the rock outcrops above and expansive vistas of forest and farmland below.

By midafternoon we dropped out of the rugged terrain and began walking through villages, mostly on dirt paths and unpaved roads.  We stopped for a meal at a bar in Castelloli, then continued another 7 km to the town of Igualada.  We had no information about a pilgrim accommodation there, so we walked into the Basilica and asked around.  We were directed to the Residencia of Padre Villaseca, a couple of km through the town.  Had to ask for directions a couple more times, but eventually we found it.  The Residencia is a church-affiliated old folks home and nursing facility, but they had a separate pilgrim accommodation a couple of blocks away.  We were the only pilgrims in the little house: old stone on the outside but totally modern and clean on the inside.  They even gave us bottom sheets and pillows to use: true luxury for an albergue.  Had a great dinner and a couple of beers at the bar on the corner, then to bed.