May 28 - Montserrat & Barcelona

 

It was an early morning bus that took us up to the train station at Monistrol so we can enjoy the climb to the abbey.   Montserrat means 'serrated mountain' and it does look like the back of a dinosaur or the edges of a sawtooth blade in a wood saw or in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho.

Up and up and up we climbed.

We came out at the abbey square 4,100 feet above the valley floor with the mountain's interesting peaks surrounding us.   In 1025 this building was the start of the abbey on the mountain.

Then, in the 16th century the basilica and complex of buildings for the monks were started.

On the way to the basilica.

A newer statue of .. Saint George.

Napoleon invaded Spain in 1811 and his troops burned and sacked the complex.   Restoration work started in 1844.    Currently 50-80 monks reside in the abbey, of the order of Saint Benedict.    The abbey is also the home of the Escolania, the Montserrat Boy's Choir, one of the oldest in Europe!   Here's a pic of the monks' daily prayer schedule.

Montserrat was another pilgrimage destination.   The following pic is of a group that had just finished walking 55km and climbing up the steep trail to the abbey.   They (and us) were cheering the last ones to make it.

Here's a view of the valley below from the abbey.

The trip down the mountain back to Barcelona was to be via our bus.  Here are some dramatic views heading down including one of the convent a little further down the mountain.

On the drive back to Barcelona we stopped at a pharmacy.   Heloise,  our cruise director, had arranged for 7 of us to be tested prior to boarding our planes in the morning.   Thankfully we all tested negative.

After a brief stop at the hotel for a break Jan & I headed back out to explore more of the city.   We stopped and bought and ate a couple of different kinds of empanadas.   We walked down to the port.  Built in 1888 this was the Monument to Columbus.

We saw several cruise ships docked and a variety of boats.

We walked back to the hotel and rested a bit before going out for dinner.   We didn't venture very far.

Outdoor restaurants populate the center islands up and down the very long 'La Rambla' street/boulevard.    Street musicians play for the restaurant crowd, and we get to watch the large procession of walkers enjoying this beautiful weather, and occasionally ... we see a bachelorette group partying by.

It was time to get back to the hotel and finish this post, and pack, and shower, and sleep a bit before we get up at 2am for the 3:30am taxi to the airport!   It will be a long day on Sunday.

What a trip!  .. of a lifetime (so far!) 

History, food, small town France, farmer's markets, many many churches and cathedrals, castles, cafes and restaurants, and many friendly people.  We were sooo lucky with the weather!   It's time to return to our families and friends.  Pablo, get us some tee times, please.  I think I'll be sleeping for a week!   Thanks for following our adventures!   Looking forward to visiting with you soon.  Take care.

Joe & Jan

May 27 - Friday in BARCELONA !

 

1.6 million in city proper, 4.5 million in surrounding area, I think most of them were in town on this beautiful day to visit all of the sites we wanted to see!   Since the 1800's, Barcelona has worked on infrastructure to encourage tourists to visit, .. it has worked !!

These next pics are from Montjuic hill, where several museums and the Olympic facilities from 1992 still stand.

Do you see the tall object to the left of the statue?   It's probably the most visited place, the Sagrada Familia, designed by famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926).   Construction started in 1882 and is still under construction!   Enjoy some pics :

It's a pretty 'wild' design, unlike any other church you'll visit, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau designs.  There were thousands upon thousands of tourists circling this one-of-a-kind church!  They estimate construction completion after 2026.

Just behind the many, many taking pictures, I noticed some old men (wait- I'M old!) playing a Catalan bowling game, setting up 6-pins and throwing 3 'billets'.  The game originated in 1376.

We continued the city tour in the old town, where the Romans' stone walls were incorporated by the 1500-1600-1700's construction of homes and churches.

It seems everywhere Jan and I visit there's a demonstration!   Maybe- it's us!   They know we're radicals!?

Are you hankering for another pic of a church?  Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia.

Here's a neat store window near the church.

After lunch we started exploring on our own.   Here's Place Catalunya, a nice space to relax and enjoy your empanadas.

We found the covered market, Place de la Boqueria.

The smells, the sights, .. the rush of humanity ... yikes!

On the way back to the hotel we found an umbrella museum!

Very interesting buildings and architecture throughout the city!

What a day!   After 22-days of smaller towns and lots of countryside, this crush of humanity was a bit overwhelming!   It was similar to our trip last Sept-Oct when we finished up in Paris, after spending time on the Rhine, in Lake Como-Italy, and Switzerland.   Tomorrow we visit the Abbey of Montserrat in the mountains.    See you there!