Montserrat: July 1, 2017

This morning we packed up and took the car out of the city.  As we did not have to go downtown, driving was not a problem.  We headed first to Montserrat which is a range of unusually shaped mountains.  At the top of the mountain is an old monastery and an old city.  The idea was to hike to the top.  We hiked for several hours, but some of the signs were faded and we weren't sure that we were on the correct trail. 

975 meters is 3,198 feet above sea level !!!   We did find a trail to the top of the mountain, hiked up most of the way, but at the very last part, we decided we couldn't proceed without the proper gear, so we didn't go all the way to the top.  

 Towards the end it was climbing, not hiking !

Here, right before you reach the top, you have to hold on to the chain and pull yourself on to the rocks.  I tried to do it, but it cut my hands.  We decided that we needed gloves and long pants to do this safely.  Since we didn't have those, we decided that it was better to go back and live to hike another day.  If we'd slipped, the trip, and our lives, would be over.

We climbed down, and after another 2 hours were back at the car.  We then headed to Olot to see our friends Macarena and Dani (Daniel).  When we arrived, they prepared a wonderful meal for us.