Montserrat

We purchased tickets to go to Montserrat on Sunday so that we could get an early start on Monday, and not have to wait in any lines. We got up early and were able to get on all the right trains, thanks to Kevin. The train was long and we were lucky enough to get a 4-pack of seats together so Laurel and I had time to knit and I even dozed off a bit. The sights are varied once you get out of Barcelona. There are cool fields and houses and there are also slums and industrial areas. There were a lot of people on the train but most of them got off before Montserrat.

You could see the 'serrated' mountains as we approached the train station. We then transferred to the train that took us up the mountain. The train used a cog rail to get up the hill. The track was only one line except for the short passing lane. It was slow getting up and fast getting down.

We arrived at the top and had just enough time to look around and check out a quick slideshow set to recorded music about the monastery, the history, the culture, and the people.

We grabbed a quick snack, croissants, and then headed into the basilica to hear the boys choir. The guy we bought the tickets from said they started at 1:00. We read in the guide book that it is very popular and the place fills to standing room only. It said it gets so busy that you might only hear them and not see them. We must have timed it just right because we were able to get seats in the main section. There was a traveling group, German I think, that started singing first. They were sort of a warm up band. They had the crowd clapping and some even sang along.

They cleared the stage and the young men came out. I would guess they were 10-14 years old and they were very good. They only sang two songs and then they left. Brief but so beautiful. You can tell they train them well. The other group did not even compare.

We decided after the choir to get some things for a picnic at the top. We grabbed some sandwiches and rode the funicular up an even steeper track. We were lucky enough to be at the front of the line and thought we were clever by running to the lower car to get the better view going up. The lower car was unfortunately blocked by the train so we had to crouch on the ground to see the views. We recommend getting the very top car for the best non-crouching views. :)

At the top there was a calico cat. She is definitely well fed. The views were amazing and the weather was pleasant. We walked a brief bit to the top and then proceeded to walk back down to the monastery. We ran out of time to walk down to the cave were the 'Black Virgin' was found, the statue that is one of the reasons why people pilgrimage here. It is just a statue with an orb that has darkened over the years.

We hurried back to catch the cog rail down. We wanted to make sure we caught the last train to Barcelona. The train stopped at the parking garage stop and we were so busy chatting that we didn't notice that everyone got off. See, on the way up, the train just went up. We didn't have to switch at the middle stop. Well, when the rail started up again, we knew instantly we were going the wrong way! It was really funny. I think we got our money's worth on riding it up and back again. This time, the train did continue on to the train station. Go figure.

We managed to catch a train to Barcelona. We were all a little worn out from the jam packed days of touring so we decided to grab a bite to eat out at a Lebanese place that K&L like. We all ordered duren kebob. I had falafel and cheese, a really good one and I forget the name, and then they put on a bunch of fresh veggies. It was so good and quick. The place was beautiful too, mosaic mirrors and friendly staff. Definitely a keeper!