What a palava of a day!!

Well it probably started yesterday when we realised that our credit card had been compromised … thankfully we could alert the bank through their app.  However we have to contact them personally and don’t have Skype or mobile coveraage … we will work it out.

By 8.49am we were on the train to Barcelona … the train was even early. It goes through the coastal towns we rode last week. Be careful of early trains … at Arenys Mar there’s an announcement … not in English … people sigh … what I can gather is there is a 1 hour delay … we are lucky to have seats, our bikes are surrounded by young German girls in the bike area sitting between our bikes as the train is quite full. Just short of an hour and we are off. I did suggest just taking the bikes and riding for the next 40km … John was far from keen, it would have been nice.

We get to the Barcelona station and ride a short distance to Espanya station where we can catch the train to Montserrat; in the mean time we get some lunch at a place where we were last week at the Magica Fountains… the lady recognised us, the WiFi remembered me … am I a local?

On our way, accommodation is booked in Montserrat only 100m from the station. Ummm … which station … there are a few ‘Montserrat’ stations (I had previously asked John is there is anything i should to map on Komoot?) anyway we get out at the station at the start of the chairlift … no hotel in sight … up the road we ask someone ,,, he shows us on google maps a very windy road indicative of lots of climbing … shit … we are not going there!! We have to find somewhere with wifI. A small bar is nearby and we talk to some Scottish couples … we have never been so pleased when they said we could get the chairlift to the monastery and they have seen the hostel we were staying. John says he’s a life saver (more than that!!). So off we go on the chairlift with bikes …. only to find at the top . the train station … we should have gone to the next station.

We hit the road running …. went to the Basilica, caught the funicular railway went walking around and found the only place to eat was a fine dining restaurant aka pay heaps eats little …

The end of the story … John is taken back with our surrounds and having ‘a pinch yourself moment’. Haha he is gutted that his citibank card is not working or his bankwest so I am the finance officer as all my cards are working. Can he be responsible for the door key for the hotel??