The class is titled Montserrat because this is the site where St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, decided to put away his bad boy behavior and dedicate his life to the church.
To my embarrassment, I had no idea that Montserrat was near Barcelona, let alone accessible, until Caitlin mentioned it briefly on Tuesday night when we were discussing possibilities for our trip. Upon hearing this, we immediately looked into it because the idea of going to visit Montserrat, after the name had been so prominent in our lives for so long, was appealing to six Crusaders.
The trip ended up being only an hour away by train with easy on and off access points and so it was a no brainer, we were going to Montserrat.
Immediately upon arriving you are walk up to this edge and peer upon one of the most massive mountain ranges I have ever seen. There is a relatively thin cable that runs from above your head to nearly the tip of that mountain, and then you realize that that is how you are getting up to the top.
Seton and Me in front of Montserrat
The ride in the cable car up the mountain
The view along the way
Matt and Me at the top
It is astonishing to me that anyone could get up this mountain before the days of technology, but not only did people do it, and frequently, but they built a small village at the top. There were numerous buildings, and statues, and the most beautiful cathedral I have ever seen, called the Santa Maria de Montserrat.
The Statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Facade of the Santa Maria de Montserrat
Inside the Chapel
If you look closely at the dome there is a statue on a higher level. There is a staircase on the side of the church that takes you up to the second story of the Chapel. From here, you can go behind the dome to a second, smaller chapel, or through the opening to rub the statue and make a wish.
The statue is in the center above the hanging Jesus
Chapel on the second level
Matt rubbing the statue
This picture was taken when I was standing where Matt was above ^ but facing the chapel instead of the statue
We spent a few hours at the top of Montserrat, exploring both the Cathedral and the small town. After awhile we had to head back down so that we could catch the last train back to Barcelona. This was the most unexpected part of our trip, but definitely my favorite. It was breathtakingly beautiful and an added bonus that Montserrat had previously been such a big part of my life.
Upon arriving back in Barcelona we immediately went in search of food. Caitlin's older sister Carolyn had recommended a restaurant she went to when she had visited that was a great hit with everyone. It is a restaurant run by chef's in training so you are getting high quality food at low prices. This is where I decided to try Spain's signature dish, seafood paella.
Seton and I shared this dish
After dinner we headed out to our last destination of the day. We went to the Dow Jones Bar where all of the drink prices are based off of their popularity. So as one drink, such as Budweiser, is bought more frequently than the others the price rises, with the same happening in the opposite direction. It makes choosing and buying a drink seem strategic, especially when you factor in the "crashes" that happen a few times during the night when all of the drink prices fall at the same time until people rush back in and start buying to restart the process.
Dow Jones Barcelona Drink Price Board
We finally arrived home late that night and very exhausted from a wonderful day. We hit the pillow and all of us were out in minutes.
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