Last Day in Monda

We’ve been in Monda for seven days now, and amazingly, we’ve been able to walk a different route every single day. This village has a remarkable number of trails leading out from it.

Ned has been having great fun using the app Merlin to identify the birds we are hearing as we walk along. Today we not only heard a Eurasian blackbird’s song, but he also sat nicely on a branch right in front of us as he sang. (Ned joked that what we need next is an app that identifies dog breeds by their bark so we can have more information about the endless number of vigorous growls, yelps, and yips that come from behind the fences we are passing by.)

The final steep ascent on the PR-A 277 was covered with loose stones that I estimated I could go up, but probably could not come down safely. So only Ned climbed up to see the wide-ranging view from the top, including an active limestone quarry (which I had mistakenly told him was a marble quarry). Meanwhile, the activity at the bee boxes kept me entertained while I waited.

Our casa rural here proved to be in a very handy location for all the trailheads, as well as the village food shop. The house has a number of things that remind us of what it would have been like to live here several generations ago: three-foot thick walls; beamed ceilings; an old hand pump; and a collection of artifacts lovingly displayed. It feels good to have this history around us.Read more