Off the beaten track

Today started with a short sharp walk from the house (well, actually it started with a Wordle done in two lines and one sip of coffee). It was very hot even at 10 a.m. We walked up the hill behind the house to find a hanging valley with peacefully grazing horses. I sat and admired the view while S did a yomp up the next hill and back again. Me: 2 km, 160 m climbing, 45 minutes. The return was quicker.

Then S decided it would be a good idea to explore an abandoned village just a 15 km drive away. He did warn me that the 15 km would take an hour, and it probably would have done if we hadn’t taken a wrong turning and driven several kilometres in the wrong direction. It was by no means the worst road https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2110808732764997314 (sorry, can’t do links properly on iPad) we have ever driven on, but I had to get out a few times to remove fallen rocks from our path. Only one of them was so heavy that I had to roll it out of the way.

Anyway, the situation of Montsor, when we eventually found the right turning, is spectacular (blip). To our astonishment, in this completely remote spot someone had started to build a large modern house, before evidently thinking better of it. The views would have been amazing, but as S said, it’s for the type of person with their own helicopter, and satellite comms, and solar panels and a wind turbine.

The drive down was quicker, since we didn’t get lost and I’d already removed most of the problematic rocks. We decided to go to La Pobla de Segur for lunch. It was a little bit late, about 2:45, by the time we got there, and eating possibilities on the rather dismal main drag were non-existent. We were about to give up, but a notice in a butcher’s window sent us on a little detour to a back street and what looked like a garage but turned out to be quite a smart restaurant. We had a nice menu for 15 euros each, and S practised his basic Catalan. Since the waiter was evidently pleased he was trying, I felt this gave me licence to speak Spanish without offending him. But then he just kept replying to S in Spanish.

Back at the house, the neighbouring farmer was still cutting grass for silage. He was still working well after dark last night, and he’s only just gone home now (8 pm). A bird of prey was quartering the field as he worked, clearly looking for small creatures, so I spent ages taking hopelessly blurry photos. Then tapas and the remains of our lunchtime wine on the terrace. It’s such a lovely spot.

No extras, but I expect I’ll do an album when we get back.