Montserrat

Nestled in the hills some 30 miles from Barcelona is the monastery of Montserrat. Founded in 1025, the monastery is Catalonia's most important pilgrimage sites and is steeped in history. The church houses a statue of La Moreneta, one of the patron saints of Catalonia and the most revered religious symbols in the area. Pilgrims travel from all over to touch the statue for good luck. The monastery also features the oldest boys choir in Europe, who live in the monastery and give daily performances.

My last big event in Spain was a day trip out to Montserrat last Tuesday. But, as interesting and historic as the monastery is, it wasn't my main reason for my trip out there. In fact, I only spent about 20 minutes in the church. I made a quick trip past the La Moreneta, giving it a quick rub. And I missed the choir performance completely. Where was I? Exploring the surrounding terrain. Montserrat is located among some absolutely ridiculous rock formations and there is a lot to explore. And (possibly most importantly), my day in Montserrat was the first time in nearly a month that I wasn't surrounded by concrete; the first time that the only sounds I heard were birds chirping and the occasional voices of other hikers (usually German, of course...).

But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Getting to Montserrat is a bit of an adventure itself. A train gets you most of the way, but drops you off at the bottom of the rocky hills (I want to call them mountains, but they're really not that big. What they lack in height they make up for in sheer steepness, though). The train drops you off at a fun cable car, which carries you essentially straight up the rock face. It's a little steep, but it was a surprisingly smooth ride.

I arrived at Montserrat shortly after 10:30 and wasted no time at the monastery proper. Instead I looked for the near trail and started hiking. And what a great day of hiking it was! There are probably 10 kilometers of trails and I hiked on just about all of them. I didn't get back down to the trail head until nearly 4:00 in the afternoon. The trails closest to the monastery are especially picturesque. Small gardens and mysterious stairways litter the side of the trail, begging to be explored. I happily obliged. There are also great views back down towards the monastery. And, since this is a monastic area, there are small churches and crosses on every rocky peak. The main hiking trail goes past a bunch of them, which makes for a pretty rewarding hike.

Roughly 1000 feet above the monastery (which can also be reached by a funicular, but where's the fun in that?) are the ruins of some of the original settlements. I'm not exactly sure how (or why) the original monks decided dwell up here, but the remaining structures are worth the trek. There was also a small stairway at the very end of the ruins that led directly to the top of one of the bigger peaks. It was a somewhat intense half hike/half scramble up, but the resulting view was incredible.

Arriving back at the monastery in the afternoon I took a quick stroll around grounds. There are lots of statues, artifacts, and other structures to explore. The church is fairly impressive too. It's not anywhere near the largest or most gaudy church I've seen, but it's quite beautiful inside. Every wall, ceiling, and arch is covered in artwork. The church is still also still functioning, making it feel much more alive than the other churches and cathedrals I've seen so far. Below Montserrat is a (fairly short) hike down to Santa Cova, where La Moreneta was originally located. The hike is really interesting, it's lined with ornate statues depicting scenes from Jesus' life.

All in all it was a great day away from the big city. And a great way to whet my appetite for the outdoor adventures I'm about to get myself into in Morocco.