Montserrat is a monastery (more precisely, Benedictine abbey) located in the mountains of Catalonia, out of the Barcelona city.
The scenery reminds me a little of Cinque Terre in Italy. Both located on a hilly landscape and beautiful in its own uniqueness.
Here, is also where you seek enlightenment, forgiveness and aspiration. Though I am not a Christian nor a Catholic, I enjoyed my visit to the Catalonia's religious home.
Similar to Cinque Terre, you could hike your way up or take the funicular, stopping by at the designated stations - Santa Joan and Santa Cova.
Needless to say, we took the latter option :p
We arrived at the base of Montserrat in a green train. It was new, modern and clean.
The natural shape of the Montserrat mountain is intriguing. It still stands out a midst the magnificent architecture of the abbey.
From above, we could see Catalonia right under our feet. The serenity and tranquility of the sight offered a sense of unspoken bliss and joy.
There are more mountains surrounding vicinity and humble streams of rivers.
The clear blue sky, additionally perked up the day.
The museum
The sacred place was even more captivating as twilight and night slowly making its entrance.
It is recommended to stay overnight should you want to watch sunset and sunrise from the mountains.
One of the highlights of Montserrat is its basilica.
Like any other cathedrals or churches, you may whisper your prayers and light some candles with tokens of donation.
The architecture of the building was impressive. Actually, I find most basilica and cathedrals in Europe have very extravagant architectural designs. With the technology back in those days, it is amazing how people could deliver such fine pieces of art.
We took a tour inside the basilica. Not a guided tour though. There was a mass going on but it was still opened for visitors, with the condition that we should remain silent at all times.
If memory serves me correctly, the entrance was free.
In each funicular station, there was a ticket counter, waiting place and washrooms. Taking visitors into consideration, there was also a monitor that displayed the departure and arrival time of the funicular. We noticed that the same staff was hoping on and off the funicular, servicing each station as the rail system transported passengers back and forth.
As always, find out the last departing and arrival funicular so that you do not end up stranded in any of the station.
Expect to spend at least a day in Montserrat. Two days, if you want to catch sunrise, as mentioned earlier.
Next to the museum, there was a souvenir shop that sold a variety of items, which I find rather interesting. Do check it out. If you are not a souvenir-shopping person, you may of course skip that.
If you are not a religious person, I would still recommend to go to Montserrat, at least for the surrounding scenery and perhaps, photography? Unless you are totally allergic to sacred places :p
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