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Map based on GPS track for this day.

Elevation profile based on GPS track for this day.

We awoke and went down for breakfast in the hotel, convinced from our walk of the night before that we would find little else nearby. The only high point was that they had an automatic juice machine so the orange juice was fresh and very tasty. We lingered a bit too long, perhaps. Just as we were ready to go to the cashier and pay our bill a bus load of British tourists unloaded and entered for breakfast. We had to wait about 20 minutes longer for the crowd to clear so we could pay.

Retrieving our bikes from the garage was a bit tricky; they were pouring the fresh cement drive so I had to take the elevator down and bring the bikes up one at a time. The elevator was too short, front to back, for the bikes so the bikes had to be stood on the rear wheel in the elevator car for the trip. After checkout Sarah went to the corner 'Forn de Pa' for some bread and pastries while I worked on getting the bikes ready for the day.

The route for this day took us south, then southeast towards Barcelona. The first half of the day was on relatively quiet roads through agricultural fields, the smell of manure still with us most of the morning. Near noon we approached C25, and it was obvious from the amount of truck traffic that we did not want to ride that road. Fortunately, bikes were prohibited on C25 and we were diverted onto N141[bg] paralleling C25 all the way to Manresa. Our first crossing of C25 took us into Calaf, where we found a small cafe and had the standard ham sandwich lunch. In this case they had added some interest through the use of some sort of tomato spread on the breadt.

From Calaf to Manresa we wound back and forth, travelling on one side of C25 and then the other, on N141[bg] which follows the Ribeira de Rajadell. The road was pleasant, there was little traffic, and much of the time we were in the shade of trees lining the road. In the warm air the volatile organics from the trees were providing a pleasant perfume, much nicer than the manure smell of the previous day and a half. We took it easy and enjoyed the scenery, the air, and each other's company. Just before starting a descent into Manresa we started to see the sawtooth backbone of Montserrat to the south. The mountain looked interesting and it was easy to see how it got its name.

We started to ride into the heart of Manresa when, in front of us, loomed the 6-story Hotel Pere III. It was right at the junction of the road we wanted to take south Montserrat the next day! A lucky break. We rode to the front of the building whereupon Sarah entered to inquire about a room. She came out a few minutes later, arrangements made, and we moved the bikes to the receiving area in back of the hotel for safe keeping.

Cleaned up and with laundry chores out of the way we went for a walk around town to find a store, buy some food and supplies, and stretch the legs. We found a supermarket we had ridden by on the way into town, but had not noticed. We sat outside in the shade of a covered parking area for a while as Sarah talked to her parents on the phone. We then entered into what was sort of a Pay 'n Pak style store, set up more for someone buying a case of something than for some itinerant cyclists looking for a snack. We bought some yogurt, bananas, and drinks and went outside into the shade to consume some of it. It was a bit warm, high 80's Fahrenheit or so, and shade was now our friend.

We ate dinner in the hotel, again. I was amused watching Sarah and the couple across from us during the meal. There was a large screen TV behind me and the Oprah show with Tom Cruise as the guest was playing. Sarah and the couple would lean and watch in unison whenever something was happening on the show. I must be easily amused. Dinner was interesting; we had salads (with tuna and hard-boiled eggs, which seems to be standard in this region) and I gambled and ordered Sépia a la plancha, which turned out to be grilled cuttlefish. Sarah selected lamb chops, and was happy with her choice.

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