Moments of serenity on Montserrat

“You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!" ― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Foodie moment

Excited by the fact that we found a great restaurant on a day other than our last, we headed back to Gilda by Belgious to try their main course menu. Once again, free Cava and a tapas (Pan Con Tomate), yum! Then Mark decided to have a full size portion of the Beef Flemish stew made with Leffe beer from yesterday, while I had the Duck (which unfortunately I can't remember what it was with). Once again, both presented beautifully and tasted delicious!

Cultural moment

Whilst at Montserrat we decided we may as well go and see the black Madonna which is one of the special artifacts housed there. Little did we know how many people pilgramaged to see her, and how long they were willing to stand in line. It wasn't until you were inside the doors, and past the point of a tactical retreat, that you realised the line wound all the way to the back of the church and up the stairs! I was ready to give up but Mark is stubborn and thought that it must be worth it! Nope, after over an hour in line (that's way longer than any we waited in in Disneyland!) we had 5 seconds each to stand in front of a frankly scary model of Madonna and baby which was about 50cm tall. Not overly impressed! I think we'll leave the patience to the properly religious from now on!

Wow moment

Montserrat is situated about an hour by train outside Barcelona. It is a monestry and small village set on the top of a mountain. To get up there you can catch a cable car or funicular, obviously we went the cable car as its much more fun!! Although the Basilica and market stalls are nice to visit, the highlights are the views. Sitting in the sun, drinking a beer with stunning vistas across white mountains below us. Feeling on top of the world! A beautiful escape from the city!

Today we also visited the famous La Boqueria Market. Full of muticultural treats, as always I wanted to eat everything! Cheeses, meats, seafood, olives,lollies and fruits! The size of the oysters were particularly impressive! And i found my favourite treat from when my Aunt Barbara lived in Spain and used to bring us presents...Turron!! (More on that later)