| The colors whizzing by
outside the train were very vivid, and the air seemed unusually
crisp and clear. We were on the way to Montserrat, a mountain covered
with strangely shaped rock pillars about 20 miles northwest of Barcelona.
A thousand-year-old Benedictine monastery called the Monestir de
Montserrat is tucked in among these odd rock formations.
We got off at the Montserrat Aeri station. After the humid and
sticky weather in Barcelona, the cool breeze that greeted us was
refreshing. We took the bright yellow Aeri up to the monastery.
This was a hair raising ride; the cable car was slightly rickety
and quite wobbly—eep!
Our first stop up was lunch at the cafeteria, which had windows
looking out over the scenery. The condiment dispenser contains ketchup,
maionesa (mayonnaise), mostassa (mustard) and,
much to Dan's delight, all i oli (aioli). Much more civilized
than American fast food joints! We had a perfectly reasonable ham
sandwich and a cheese & salami plate, but I am most impressed
by the "music" plate. This consisted of hazelnuts, almonds,
walnuts, figs, and plump raisins (with seeds), arranged around a
small cruet of sweet sherry. Yum! We weren't sure if we were meant
to drink the sherry or pour it over the fruit and nuts. We decided
to sip it, which seemed to work just fine.
After lunch we headed up to the basilica to hear the boys' choir
sing. The church was very beautiful, and I sketched several potential
quilt patterns from the stone floors and wall ornamentation. The
music was just lovely, and very moving. I am always struck by how
much I connect with religious spaces, music and art even though
I am not at all religious.
After the concert, we wandered around the Plaça de Santa
Maria. Dan took photos and I tried to befriend some of the feral
cats. I didn't have too much luck with the kitties—not too
surprising, considering I had no food to offer as a bribe. |
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This is the Aeri (cable
car) we rode up the mountain at Montserrat
Detail
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