Montserrat

 Barcelona

12 Feb 2026

Today was an early start, as we needed to be at the pickup point for our tour by 7.55AM – and it was over near La Predera (as above).  But we are in a good location for Metro Travel, and the 96h Barcelona (Travel) Card that we bought on arrival on Monday has served us well – along with a really excellent underground railway system. So, it was 500m to Placa de Sants, then the L5 line to Diagonal followed by another 700m walk to the pickup location. On the previous evening we had received a Cell Phone Emergency Warning for today – high winds (at the highest level of risk) expected, stay indoors if possible etc. Obviously we didn’t… but this is a continuing story, the winds on Wednesday mean that the Tower visit at Sagreda Familia was no longer available (part of our Tour itinerary), and today – neither would we be able to visit the higher parts of the Montserrat Mountain – as neither the Cable car nor the Funicular de Santa Cova were operating (which were part of our tour… oh well, not a problem really). The winds had managed to spread a lot rubbish (mainly cardboard left outside for collection, and tree branches)  around the streets though.

Back to the Tour – our guide, Allan, was multi-lingual… originally from France, but has spent 18 years in Barcelona, as well as 10 years previously in the UK – and studied languages to Master’s level… He was very interesting. We discussed how important “language” was to gaining a better understanding of culture and identity. For example, did you know that the Irish have 99 words to describe rain, but only one for sun – says a lot doesn’t it!

Montserrat is essentially just West of Barcelona (around 60km by car)… but along the way I kept seeing signs for Manresa – which is on the way to McRent “Barcelona”. We thought that we would be able to avoid paying McRent €135 for the transfer by travelling by train to Manresa, then via Taxi onto Sallient – but the hotel advised against that plan – as the trains in Spain are not currently running to a regular timetable – while the tracks are being re-examined following the recent crash south of Madrid.  So tomorrow – we will pay €132 and get picked up from our hotel. 

Back to Montserrat. With no cable car – we were driven up the mountain. When we alighted… it was both very windy (like Wellington on a particularly windy day)… and very cold – and we weren’t quite dressed for that. We both froze as we listened to Allan taking us through the various aspects of the Black Madonna / Montserrat story.  A brief history… the Santa Maria de Montserrat was founded in 1025 (so 1001 years ago), and has experienced many changes over the years – from the early beginnings. The basilica was completely destroyed in 1811 by Napolean during the Peninsular War… The current buildings really only date back to the late 19^th / early 20^th centuries… and are constructed from sedimentary rock, similar to that of the Montserrat Mountain itself (which has something like 6000 different climbing routes over the various “needles” of the mountain.  We were still cold!

The wind gusts dropped as time went by which meant that we were at least able to walk up to the Cross of St Michael – which blew out some of the cobwebs – while providing some internal heating! Warmer, at last!

We finished our time on the mountain with a visit to the Museum – which was mostly about Spanish Art – as you will see below. One of the multimedia experiences also clearly explained the Biblical story, from Creation to the Flood, the Birth of Jesus and why He came, and ultimately the opportunity for salvation and heaven. All built around verses from the Bible (with many from John!).

On our return journey – we discussed the question of the social fabric of Spain. Seventy percent of Spaniards live in Apartments (either rented or owned – but owning is now much more difficult, as prices have risen rapidly over the last few years – driving ownership beyond the means of many). But more importantly – people tend to stay in the same community all their lives. For example, students will generally choose to go to the University closet to their home, and return to their home towns/villages once they have completed their education. So the local Café “knows” you – and will likely deliver you your coffee with out he need to order… since they know what you like… and if you forgot to bring your wallet – that is fine, pay tomorrow.  Accordingly the “village” and even city economy is driven by many small “local” businesses – which in turn build and support community. The focus on maximising profit at all costs does not (in general) seem to be operating here. Of course change is occurring to – largely driven my mobile phone technology and social networking Apps – but perhaps less so than in other countries (like France, and the UK – at least that is what Allan thought).

Upon returning to our departure point – we took one of Allan’s Catalan restaurant recommendations and had a Tapas “lunch” at 3.30PM… the Restaurant was full of diners at that time! It was a delightful experience. As our time in Barcelona was coming to an end (and our travel card benefits!) – we decided to go “home” the long way – via the Arc del Triomf, the Palau de Justica, and the very old streets and buildings around the Cathedral – an altogether different world of micro shops and restaurants. Then it was just a case of buying some bread for “dinner”… and catching a couple of Metro lines back to the Apartment.

Another 19,000 steps – to add to that from the previous days. So all told 69,000 steps toward our Camino training since leaving home. And the state of our health and muscles? For Karilyn – no changes, everything is OK! For Michael, some loss of skin, a soar heel, a small blister and a little muscle discomfort – I am not accustomed to being on my feet all day!  On the really important plus side (from my point of view!) – almost no muscle cramping episodes at night! Hallelujah!