MONTSERRAT

Montserrat means serrated mountain because it is so jagged.

We walked over to Plaza Catalunya to pick up a bus for our tour to Monserrat. Summer is upon us so you have to book everything in advance. The Monserrat Monestary is 4056 feet above the valley floor. The mountain is part of the Catalan pre coastal range. When we arrived in Monserrat we went to see a short movie about the history of Montserrat. It is a multimedia space with both images and sounds. It illustrates the daily life and activities of the monks as well as the history and spirituality of the Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey. We then saw and heard the most beautiful voices of the children's choir. About 50 boys live here during the week and go home on weekends. These kids sing all over the world. The choir At Monserrat dates back to 1223.

We then took the cog railroad, which is the funicular of Sant Joan, one way to the top of the mountain . This is straight up and has 5 separate brake systems. The cable is made of intertwining steel and capable of holding the weight of 10 cars. There is the Monastery of Joan at the top. We decided to walk down. It is a very steep trail that takes about 40 minutes. We just had time to go over to the Basilica where the Black Madonna resides. On our way back to the bus we stopped to sample some liquor and later cheese. The trip is about 5 hours with 3 hours at Monserrat. There is so much to see 3 hours is not enough. I would advise taking public transportation to have more time. We then walked back to Placa Espanya stopping on the way for a beer, some potato bravas and a chicken coquette.