Barcelona - Day 2

---

Today was much different than yesterday. Most of our interactions were with other tourists and there was no guide for any part of the trip. We went to the monastery at Monserrat today which is a beautiful and historic place.

Museo de Monserrat

The group today had the option to go on a hike or to walk around the complex once we got up to the monastery. We were also encouraged to attend the short mass held at the cathedral there to hear the boys choir sing. I was dressed for any of these activities, but I decided that I wanted to go to the museum and the mass. This was a great decision. There was incredible art in the museum and the choir was unlike anything I’ve seen before. These beautiful sights remind me that there are much bigger things out there to see and experience; it makes me want to travel more.

Catalan

The one time we did interact with the locals was during lunch. The interesting part about this region of Spain is that a lot people speak Catalan as their primary language, not Spanish. This makes understanding them much harder because although the languages are similar, they are not the same (I have been assured of this by my spanish-speaking friends). Even though I do not know this language, I have to say that I was again greeted with kindness and warm smiles from everyone, even when I was unable to communicate verbally. Again, very encouraging.

Who are All These Tourists?

Throughout today, I couldn’t help but think about all the other tourists at Monserrat and their purpose for being there and the reaction to Spanish locals to these people. I heard more languages today in the same place than I think I have ever heard before. There were people from all over the world at this monastery today. I kept thinking about what they were hoping to glean from a visit to this place and then about what the people who live in this area hope that visitors will glean from it. I can‘t really say, but it seems like we are just meant to experience the rich history of Spain, which I can say I did for sure and I hope others did too.



Words: 381

---