The location of Montserrat is about an hour out of Barcelona. The tour guide was again Jordi (George) and he was excellent. This time I think there might have been 5 languages. Full bus load although a few got off at the base of Montserrat to go up by train rather than on the bus. There was also a chair lift to the site from the small town at the base. The drive up the mountain was exceptional. The vista extraordinary. On a clear day you can view the Pyrenees (the natural border between France and Spain) but on this occasion they were difficult to see until the return journey. The scenery was stark, rocky with small bushes. The rock face was phenomenal. The history tells of this developing 10 million years ago. The area is a National Park with a variety of wild animals including, boar, cats, goats etc. We did not see any but the shuddery would certainly provide considerable protection. Once we reached the site it was an easy walk with glorious views. There was also another train system from the site going vertically (nearly) up the rock face to the highest point for a view of the area that would be amazing. I did not do this. On the walk to the Monastery there were a number of stalls selling cheeses, honey and other local produce. The honey is reportedly so good that a spoonful daily will ensure you maintain good health.
The church and the surrounds were beautiful, I am sure my photography would not do it justice so I have purchased a book to better show and provide some history of the location. This site has about 27 religious buildings on the mountain. The choir was not present on my visit due to school holidays but I did get to visit the cathedral after the local service had been completed. Visitor entry during services is not allowed. Like the other religious buildings I have visited in Spain this too, was just amazing. What has to strike you on the visit to these churches is the commitment and love the people have for their religion and faith. It is historical with a history over hundreds, and in many cases, thousands of years. Montserrat was no exception. Again I have purchased a book to help me recall the experience.
One of the notable statues in the cathedral is the black madonna. Some people believe this was carved in Jerusalem in the early days of the church, it is a Romanesque sculpture in wood from the late 12th century and really very beautiful. The monestry has been rebuilt but the portal of the old Romanesque church (12 century) remains within the building.
It is easy to simply accept the grandure and beauty of these buildings when you visit so many, however, the location of this monestry and the starkness of the surroundings really highlight the artistry of this location.
Many visitors also come to walk and rock climb. This is apparently very dangerous apart from the obvious reasons, much of the area has not been charted due to the density of the bush and the isolation of the location.
After a visit to the Museum and a look in several shops, I lunched at the cafeteria. Would not write home about the food as it seemed to be the only shop available. I ended up having water, ham and cheese roll (not unlike something I could buy at home) and a pastry. I was having a lovely wander back to the bus only to find everyone was waiting for me. I thought I was early.
The trip back followed the other side of the mountain so we were able to get a full appreciation of the location and the beauty.
On my return I made my way to the Temple of the Sagrada Familia. This is perhaps the most famous of Gaudi’s work. The building however commenced with a parish architect Francisco de Villar but after ongoing arguments with the Bocabella (who was the President of the Association of Devotees of Saint Joseph) de Villars resigned and Gaudi was brought in to take on the architectural responsibility in 1883. Gaudi dedicated his life to the building of this temple. He died leaving the Temple after being hit by a tram. He has dedicated 43 years working at the building.
He reportedly had a very strong personality and with an incomparable imagination for forms, was also a first class constructor, capable of introducing innovations into traditional styles and finding other solutions that met the needs of his time and, indeed, those of the future. This building is a must to see – absolutely exceptional.
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| One of the magnificent lead light windows in the building |
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| The central dome of the Cathedral |
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| Christ on the Cross in the Central Dome |
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| The recent sculptures on one facade of the building |
Barcelona is a lovely city and is the most cosmopolitan of the Spanish cities, and the capital of Cataluna. The city is very open and welcoming, mixing tradition and the modern. It is a Mediterranean metropolis with a major port and a centre of modern art. The area is known for its love of food with its typically Mediterranean cuisine. Food is a major part of local life with lunch often starting around 2pm and dinners closer to 10pm. Eating is a leisure activity, and we have had considerable leisure.
The streets are well planned. They are developed in a grid and each cross road is eight sided allegedly to let in more light when these were first designed from 1860 onwards. The result is a large clear area at each intersection. Another part of the planning has considered bicycles with just about every street has a designated and safe area for bicycles. Many of the larger roads have walkways up the middle which are like promenades. There are bicycle stops throughout the city for residents to access a bicycle to ride in the city area. To utilise this option residents pay a fee of 30 Euro (not sure how often but assume annually) and swipe the meter and release a bike. The bikes are maintained daily by service trucks and the resident has use of the bike for 2 hours. All this is to encourage use of cycles and reduction of motor vehicles. Additionally many residents or commuters use motor cycles, the small models. These are everywhere and are parked easily on the kerb of the path. Again on many of the big streets they cater to pedestrians and children with small playgrounds and seating. The overall result is a very vibrant and beautiful city.
The B's did do some more discovery than I did and I have included some of the beautiful photos taken during this exploration. Again these are examples of Gaudi's work. Barcelona is rightly proud of Gaudi's influence on their city and evidence of it is everywhere.
The breakfasts in our hotel are lovely. Cereal, fruit, milk, pastries, meat, salad, vegetables, croissants, chocolate croissants, orange juice, toast, jams eggs and to top it off a red rose on each table. Service is friendly and fast.
This evening (Wednesday 5th - our last in Barcelona) we went to a restaurant call L'Olive (the Olive Restaurant) at 9pm. http://www.rte-olive.com/ It was very good and had been recommended by the hotel and was only a block or two from the hotel. We had a starter from the restaurant of Olive Tapenade and toast. This was followed by entree of wild boar crochettes, lentils and chorilzo and asparagus. We shared these dishes and I would recommend them to anyone interested.
For the main I had garlic prawns. These were sizzling and very tasty. BJK had grilled Tuna whilst BJL had roast shoulder of kid. Not meaning to put anyone off but they also had on the menu "battered Kids Brains". We did not go for that. We also observed that any meat dish tends to look like what it is so if you ask for a shoulder, you can see it is exactly that, same with the suckling pig, lamb shoulder etc. At times they can resemble road kill but taste exquisite.
I will add that since hearing from Robyn she has created a monster with me now carrying a notebook to ensure I get Restaurant and menu details. The B's are extremely helpful with this requirement when we eat out (which is all the time) by repeating what we ordered and often spelling the name for me.
A further comment about the meal at The Olive, the boar was lovely and was served with a type of strawberry jam; they also served us a complimentary pan con tomate which appears to be a tomato on toast dish but better. Many of the Cafes and Restaurants have served this and it is delicious and I have since found out that this is a traditional Catalunya dish and may also have garlic and olive oil included. The Asparagus was served with a capsicum sauce and the lentils were very tasty.
The restaurant itself was large with several levels on the ground floor. The decor was in cream and olive green with a small glassed in area at one end with ivy growing which really set off the whole area. The lighting was soft and the sweet menu was 2 pages long.
BJK had fresh pineapple. Throughout Spain we often found pineapple on the menu and it was served thin and chilled, thin slices with no skin and beautifully sweet. BJL had a Moet Sorbet and I had fresh orange juice and profiterole with chocolate sauce. The profiteroles were small and tasty.
At the restaurant there were also three priests enjoying Champagne. It would seem that the church is thriving despite the difficulties the country is facing financially!!!
Thursday 6th January is our last morning in Barcelona. After packing the B's went out for some pastry and coffee and I ate at the hotel. I was not finished packing and a taxi had been booked for 9am.
Last evening was the Festival of the three Kings. Apparently this is when presents are given leaving Christmas to be a day for family and religious contemplation. The Festival of Three Kings starts at the harbor around 5pm with children carrying candles that they have made and there is a 5km procession to the middle of the city. During this time presents are given to the children by the Kings and they are encouraged to return home and have an early night to wake the next morning and open their presents. In honour of this the B's returned with a Tortellae Reis. This is a sweet cake with fruit and surprises. BJK got a broad bean (plastic) and I got a small king. We ate this at the Barcelona airport with coffee, before wandering around the airport looking at shops etc.
The other interesting observation is that most signs, particularly at the airport are written in Catallan (the regional dialect), English then Spanish. Note that Madrid is Castille - a different dialect. This is a whole other story. In the schools across Spain the children learn their regional dialect, Spanish and English. Because the 3 Kings day fell on Thursday (which is a public holiday) many workers take the Friday off to make a long week-end. They call this a "bridge".
Now we fly to Venice. There are no loud speaker calls for flights. You simply have to be alert and arrive at the gate on time. The gates are about a 15minute walk from the shopping area. Consequently when the B's could not see me they were concerned. Text messages were flying but I was not that far behind and all was well but at the time I did cause the group just a little consternation. All went well and we boarded for a 1 hour 20 minute flight to Venice. The flight was not unlike Jet Star where you purchase a drink or food etc.
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