April 13, 2023 – Barcelona, Spain

We arrived at the port in Barcelona at 7 am.  We docked in a commercial area where you could see port cranes loading and unloading shipping containers from big ships.  We could see something interesting on the other side of the port, but we were not sure what it was.  We got out the binoculars and realized it was an old cemetery that went straight up the steep hill.  Cementiri de Montjuic, the cemetery on the hill of Barcelona is a very special park.  This park of about 57 acres lies between the cargo port and the Castell.  The very morbid atmosphere has its own charm.  Here you can experience 150 years of art history.  The park is a unique place of silence in Barcelona.

We booked a tour this morning to the famous monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat (a Benedictine monastery located in the Catalonia region of Spain).  We took a bus from the port into Barcelona.  I remember walking from the port into Barcelona last time we were here.  We saw the Olympic Rings from 1992 Summer Games and not far from that, a very tall monument (almost 200’ column) with a 23’ statue of Christopher Columbus at the very top.  He seemed to almost be in the clouds.  The monument was built for the World’s Fair (1888) in Barcelona.  The monument recalls that it was Barcelona that Columbus reported to Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand after his most famous voyage and is said to be pointing to the New World (do you recall as kids the teacher would say ‘In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue’).  

We’re heading north out of Barcelona into the Catalonia region.  Catalonia is in northeastern Spain and is known for lively beach resorts of Costa Brava as well as the Pyrenees Mountains.  The monastery is considered Catalonia’s most important religious retreat and is hidden high in the craggy Montserrat Mountains.  The world’s oldest publishing house, established in 1499, is also located here.  The complex also contains a library that includes cookbooks of monks dating back 1,000 years.  The Black Virgin of Montserrat is located inside the basilica.  Many pilgrims visit here because they say the statue of the Virgin Mary and her infant son have healing powers.  The Holy Cave of Montserrat once housed the statue.  Three hundred years ago a chapel was built on the side of the mountain.  You can take the funicular higher on the mountain, hike a winding trail along the mountain cliffs and find the chapel.  The Abbey that now houses the statue dates back to the 9th century and legend has it that it was once the home to the Holy Grail.  

As we traveled, we again saw some nice agricultural areas and then off in a distance, a very strange looking jagged rock.  It’s famous for its unusual appearance and known to the Romans as ‘saw-toothed mountain’.  It’s elevation is 4,055’.  As we got closer, this mountain rose in front of us.  We started driving up the twisty, windy road.  The view is incredible.  We could see the Pyrenees Mountains in one direction and the Mediterranean Sea in another.  Hikers come here to watch the sunrise, which I’m sure is spectacular. There is also an option to take a cable car to the top.  Looked like a great ride too.

The sky is a fabulous blue today and seems you could see forever.  We finally came to the area where we exited the bus and started our walking tour.  Below we could see a road with so many twists and turns that I was dreaming of driving the Miata.  Have I mentioned that I miss driving?  We walked further up the hill and entered the monastery complex. A church service was in process so we quietly walked a hallway to the side and our guide lead us to the area where we entered the alter of the Black Madonna.

In researching the origins of the status, I read that it was found in literature that the original status dates back to 50 AD and was carved by St Luke while he lived in Jerusalem.  Through unexplained events, the status moved from Jerusalem to Egypt, almost mirroring the escape of the Holy Family to safety as they fled persecution from King Herod’s troops.  In 718 AD, to escape destruction by the Moorist invaders, the statue was taken to Barcelona where it fell from sight until 880 AD.

The basilica also has an enormous pipe organ (replaced in 2010). Would have loved to have heard it. Also, famous for having one of the oldest boy’s choirs in Europe dating back to the 14th century. They perform 365 days a year (also travel around the world). I’m listening to the boy’s choir on a YouTube video as I write this story.

After exploring the complex, we walked a short distance and visited some vendors selling honey and cheeses.  We’ve sampled some cheeses throughout our trip and seems each one is a bit different than the next but I will say, all delicious.  There is a kind I would like to find when we get home that we heard about in France (French Alpine Cheeses).  There are many kinds of Alpine cheese but specifically, Beaufort cheese.  There are places in France where their dairy cows are lead high into the Alpine mountains in the summer where they graze on wild flowers and herbs that flourish briefly among the grasses where the cows graze.  Most highly prized of all is ‘Beaufort Chalet d’ Alpage’, produced in often remote settings above 5,000 feet.  Ok, enough about France, we’re in Spain!  I got sidetracked because we were hungry.  We did not have breakfast this morning so we decided to go to a small restaurant and grab a quick snack to eat outside and enjoy the sun and breathtaking views before we had to leave. 

We walked around to get a few more pictures before boarding the bus and heading back to Barcelona.  It was a picturesque day, for sure.  We enjoyed watching the scenery as we headed back.  We did see a high speed train fly by and thought, o, if we only had more time.  The possibilities…..lol. 

About 90 minutes later, we were back at the port.  We boarded the ship and relaxed on our balcony to reminisce about our day.  The sunset was a perfect ending to our day.