European Adventure 2013

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August 21st 2013

Published: August 21st 2013

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Montserrat

View from the cable car

As true "mountain people" in search of some cooler weather, we journeyed to Montserrat, about an hour and a half's train and cable car ride from our current abode. At a bit less than 1000m above sea level, it's about the same altitude as our home in Katoomba. It was in fact marginally cooler than the city of Barcelona but it became oppressively humid as the day progressed. In spite of this, we managed to take in some magnificent scenery, have a couple of funicular rides & check out the Basilica of Montserrat. This houses the Black Madonna of Montserrat, a probably Romanic Madonna dating back to the 12th Century. The face was originally white but became blackened as a result of the soot from devotees' candles...it's now maintained in its black state. A 3 hour queue of current devotees waiting to view the Madonna close-up deterred us from pursuing this activity but we spent quite a bit of time in the Basilica admiring its beauty.

This evening we took in a Gospel Concert at the Palau de La Musica Catalana. This is a beautiful World Heritage listed building..we viewed the exterior yesterday as part of our Bike Tour but

Montserrat

Looking back towards Monastery

had not seen the inside. A group of young performers kept us entertained and involved in spite of our exhaustion after a long day of sightseeing. Tomorrow is our last day in Barcelona so we are hoping to make the most of it with visits to Sagrada Familia, Park Guell & Casa Batlio.

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