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Travelogue: Spain and Portugal
Montserrat
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!
The Aeri (cable car) we rode up the mountain at Montserrat
The Aeri station at the top of the hill
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.
Nearly fluorescent geraniums on the Plaça de Santa Maria
A row of hearts
The courtyard of the Monestir de Montserrat
Once the concert ended, 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. After exploring the basilica and plaça, we decided to ride the "funicular" a little further up the mountain.
