Monsterrat, Spain
Tuesday, September 18, 2018, we took a short bus ride to see Santa Maria de Montserrat. It is a Benedictine abbey located on the mountain of Montserrat, in Montserrat, Catalonia, Spain. It is notable for enshrining the image of the Virgin of Montserrat.
Montserrat is 4,055 feet above the valley floor. There are walking and hiking paths surrounding the Royal Basilica; many people hike to the top of the mountain and cross and take in the view. There have always been 80 monks in residency.
The interior of the Basilica
Whether you are religious or not, visiting the Black Madonna at Montserrat is a spiritual and worthwhile experience. We joined the people in line and waited 35 minutes to touch the statue and say a prayer.
There are two funiculars: one connecting with Santa Cova (a shrine and chapel lower down the mountain) and the other connecting with the hill’s upper slopes. Plus a cable car and train!
Back in Barcelona, we stopped by La Flauta II for lunch. We were told to ask for the Menu of the Day. Customarily served between two and three in the afternoon by just about every restaurant in Spain, this is a great way to eat good food at a very reasonable price.
Shrimp, Calamari, fresh salad, and pasta
Visited the Picasso Museum this afternoon. No photos are allowed in the Museum, where 4,251 works are exhibited. The Museum has one of the complete permanent collections of Picasso’s works. Here are a few of the highlights.
Pablo Picasso (Photo provided by Wikipedia)
Portrait of Jaume Sabartes with ruff and cap (1939)
Photos provided by Picasso Museum Barcelona
La Rambla is a street in central Barcelona. A tree-lined pedestrian street stretches for 1.2 km connecting the Plaça de Catalunya in its center with the Christopher Columbus Monument at Port Vell. La Rambla forms the boundary between the quarters of the Barri Gòtic to the east and the El Raval to the west.
Tapas and Wine
CHEERS!
