My travels to Spain: From the Mountain to the Sea

We woke up on the 9th ready for our highly anticipated trip to Montserrat. Montserrat, about an hour train ride from Barcelona, houses the infamous "Black Madonna" or Shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat. Legend (or as the Catholics believe) has it that St. Luke carved the statue of the Madonna somewhere around 60 A.D. and brought it to Spain where it was eventually hidden from the Moors, but rediscovered in 880 A.D.. Shepherds stumbled upon the statue again in the 13th century when they supposedly beheld a bright light along with music that led them to where the statue had been hidden. The bishop at that time wanted the Madonna moved, but she weighed so much that it was not possible to do so and remained at Montserrat. Of the four original chapels at Montserrat in the 9th century only one remains to this day and by the 11th century a monastery was opened.

Here is where historians disagree with what the church states as true. Historians believe that the Madonna was carved in the 12th century. But, many individuals report that this Black Madonna has performed miracle after miracle in either case.

Towards the end of the 18th century, Napoleon destroyed most of the sanctuary atop Montserrat, but due to the popularity of the monastery it did not take long to restore the shrine and in 1881 the Black Madonna was named the patron saint of Catalonia (the region where Barcelona resides).

The view from our tram ride.

After our hour long train ride we then climbed aboard the sky trams to begin the descent up to the top of the mountain. This ride probably took about 5 minutes or so of breathtaking views of the mountainside and the surrounding foliage. Once we reached the top we seperated amongst smaller goups and hit the area to see the sights. We first headed to the basilica, but on the way we got side-tracked by one of the statues and had to stop for a photo shoot. We then continued on up and was astounded by the beauty of the basilica. We entered and admired the beauty of the interior and the intricate artwork within and then joined the 30 minute line to go see the Black Madonna. It was very fascinating to see such a relic that had survived over so much time, whether it was 60 A.D. or as late as the 12th century, this piece of iconic art is an amazing artifcat of history and I am so blessed to have been able to see this in my lifetime.

Once we were done with the basilica, we headed down to the cafeteria to grab a quick lunch and then we boarded the funicular and jetted up the mountainside to enjoy a light hike and inspiring views. The weather out was ideal and the atmosphere enjoyable with the many friends that I have made on this trip. As the time got later, we headed back down the mountain so that we could board our outgoing train and make the hour ride trip back in to Barcelona.

The main area of Montserrat upon departing the tram.

Once we returned to the main train station we decided it was time for dinner so we sought out a local restaurant where I had potatoes bravas and a bowl of ravioli. It was then decided that it had been a long day so we drug our weary bodies back to the metro and stumbled in to our beds for another night's rest.

Sources cited: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/spain/montserrat-shrine

The statue we stopped at for photos.

The "Black Madonna"

Once up the funicular, such a beautiful view.

The morning of Monday, January 10th meant a return to school and the true agenda of our trip so we met for breakfast and then a brisk walk to school. Our instructor for the day works at the port of Barcelona and her career background coupled with her degree in industrial engineering provided a very thoughtful and insightful lecture on Logistics within businesses. Once her lecture was over, we headed up the hill from the school to board a bus to tour the Port of Barcelona. We watched a quick overview video on the port's operations and then boarded a bus to begin a tour. We viewed the different types of activities that the port was involved in, such as cruises, cargo handling, etc. and after about an hour returned to the main hub. We were then released for the day to frolick around the city with a promise of meeting up for breakfast the next morning for another day of school.

From the port, we headed over to Barceloneta (a neighborhood of seafood restaurants just east of La Rambla) to find a quaint seafood restaurant to eat at. I enjoyed an oven-roasted chicken (yes, yes, I realize that this is not seafood) and a side of calamari (There!) and then headed over to the Mediterranean sea for a quick dip (trust me, just our feet, muy frio). We spent about 30 minutes hanging out near the water and using the time for a photo opportunity and then headed back west to La Rambla to hit the Boqueria before it closed. The Boqueria is the oldest open market in all of Europe and when we descended upon it we were tickled to find stall after stall of chocolates, candies, fruits, vegetables, and meats. The colors meshed together formed a potpourri of exquisite designs and the market was a rainbow of delight. After making our purchases we decided that tonight would be our laundry night.

When we got back to our rooms we threw all of our dirty items in to bags and descended on the front desk to find where the closest laundromat was situated. After about a 10-block haul of our suitcases down the city streets we finally found the local neighborhood laundry and made a night of comraderie over cheeses, bread, grapes, strawberries, cookies, and wine while we chit-chatted and waited for the clothes to be done.