I practiced at 11 today at Global Tennis Team and it was HOT, and humid as well…hard to breathe weather. But I survived, then returned to Inca for lunch and a short siesta!

I decided to do a short drive and hike later on, arriving in Pollenca around 5pm…(it was still in the 90s). The Puig de Maria (Puig means “hill” or “peak”in Catalan) is about 330 meters (1070 feet) above sea level and from the top there are views of Pollensa, the Port of Pollensa and the sea and the surrounding fields. It was a pretty hike of about 2 miles each way, but the last part was paved only by slippery rocks and I had the wrong type of shoes, so had to treat carefully. On Cloudmonsters are lousy hiking shoes! I would not recommend taking this hike wearing flip flops or sandals either.

I only met one person on the way up and one on the way down till the very last part of the walk…other than that I just saw some goats and a cat at the top of the hill.

Most of the walk was fortunately shady, with some scenic views. Google Maps did not do a good job of routing for this hike…it said I had reached my destination when I had 30 minutes to go. I ignored it and kept walking. I had missed the sign saying it was a 50 minute walk till the end of the hike! The walk was pretty steep at times, but nicely paved till the end.

At the top, there’s a dilapidated monastery and chapel, which were constructed in the mid 1300s. The nuns stayed there till 1576. There used to be a restaurant there but the only signs I saw of any food preparation were the picnic tables and benches outside the monastery.

The hike was worth it for the views…on such hot days, it probably makes sense to start after 6pm or early in the morning…just make sure to walk down before it gets dark.

On the way back I stopped in Sa Pobla, a farming town with a quaint central square, to get something to drink and eat at Lidl…lots of others had the same idea, the food is very good and the prices are great!

And on my return to Inca I had great parking Karma for a change…found a spot right in front of my apartment, which was a nice end to a nice day!