Wednesday, September 16th
The WiFi didn't improve during the night, and the water got colder, if that's possible. All in all, not a particularly nice experience in the Gran Sol.
Leaving town we got a (telephoto) view of the castle overlooking Solsona.
And finally left the Pyrenees behind.
Not far along the road we arrived at the Miracle Abbey - the miracle being some children of the 15th century having the Virgin Mary appear before them...most people don't believe what children say, unless it's about the Virgin Mary.
While we visited the monastery, the bikes waited outside - no chance of theft here, we expect...
The road says 8% down, but we cam up and it was definitely greater than 10%.
The Lord vacuums in mysterious ways...a robot cleans the floor in a church next to our first coffee stop of the day.
And one of the villages "giants" waits for her appearance at the next annual festival, complete with giant chicken!
The country is now dryer than anything we've seen since Bordeaux.
Great minds? We all ended up in the same square via different approaches! Three of us spent half an hour in a nearby shop while a local woman did her weekly shopping, and then put the lot on credit - time goes slowly in Spanish country towns.
After a climb to the top of a (windy) ridge we came across one of several wind turbine "farms" in the area. We also got our first view of Montserrat in the distance.
Here's a picture for Joe - funny, we didn't hear anything, or even feel sick.
On a 10 kilometer dirt road, we started to get closer to our destination. Perhaps we should have bought our MTB's as well!
You can't tell, but these windmills are turning quite quickly!
We're not worried by a bit of dirt - well, maybe some of us with nice new carbon bikes might be...
Still looks as good as new. That's the €28 jersey I bought in Solsona the day before.
The final push started a long way out. - we still have a 20km anti-clockwise loop to do as we climb.
Half way up we see tomorrow's descent an feel glad we didn't have to come up this way today.
Finally in the square outside the monastery and hotel.
The weather is glorious, and while there are still a lot of people around, the place is clearly beginning to shut down for the day. The day tripper already queuing to get on the funicular railway down to their buses and/or train home.
The setting is quite spectacular.
My room has a (wasted) copy of the Bible in Catalan.
Montserrat is dedicated to the Moraneta - the black Virgin and Child. She is the patron saint of Catalunya. There were no queues, so I paid her a visit.
Outside, the sun is beginning to set, and you can see where one of the many walks ends.
And in the distance, our final destination - Barcelona!
The crowds have now gone, but a few of us go the evening Vespers to hear the monks and the boys choir sing.
Before the celebratory dinner which "officially" ends this ride.
After formalities, John does his Rindercella performance...I saw this on Lands End to John O'Groats 5 years ago.
It's an ode to Spoonerisms, and it goes like this...
Once upon a time, in a coreign fountry, there lived a very geautiful birl; her name was Rindercella. Now, Rindercella lived with her mugly other and her two sad bisters. And in that same coreign fountry, there lived a very prandsom hince.
One day, the prandsom hince decided to have a bancy fall. He invited people from riles amound, especially the pich reople. But Rindercella could not go because all she had to wear were some old rirty dags. So she just cat fsdown and scried. She was a kitten there a scrien, when all of a sudden her gairy fodmother appeared. And she waived her wagic mand...and all of a sudden there appeared before her, a cig boach and hix white sorces to take her to the bancy fall. But now she said to Rindercella, "Rindercella, you must be home before nidmight, or I'll purn you into a tumpkin!"
So Rindercella went to the bancy fall, where she met the very prandsom hince, who she had been watchin through a widden hindow. She and the prandsom hince nanced all dight till nidmight...and they lell in fove. Suddenly, the mid clock struck night; Rindercella staced down the rairs, and just as she beached the rottom, she slopped her dripper!
The next day, the prandsom hince went all over the coreign fountry looking for the geautiful birl who had slopped her dripper. He came to Rindercella's house. He tried it on Rendercella's mugly other...and it fidn't dit. He tried it on her two sigly usters...and it fidn't dit. He tried it on Rindercella...and it fid dit, it was exactly the sight rize!
The next day, Rindercella and the prandsom hince were married and they lived everly hafter happward.
Now, the moral of the story is this: If you ever loll in fove with a prandsom hince, be sure and slop your dripper!
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