Our next port of call was Barcelona and rather than doing a tour of the city we chose to visit Montserrat!
Montserrat is a mountain about 50kms outside Barcelona and is very famous for its Benedictine monastery. To get there we travelled a very winding road by bus but you can also get there by train and cable car.
Those making a pilgrimage to Montserrat usually hike to the top of the mountain which is more than 1200 metres above sea level. We were told that every young Catalonian (which is the area around Barcelona) will hike to Montserrat at least once in their life and it will take them about a day to get there!
The monastery itself is very beautiful and the church contains the most exquisite Spanish lanterns.
The monastery is also famous for its Black Madonna which unfortunately is kept behind glass so this photo is not great.
There is a story that Ignatius of Loyola visited the monastery in the 1500's and laid down his sword in front of the Black Madonna. (I put this one in for Daniel!)
After Montserrat we were shown some iconic spots in Barcelona including these buildings designed by Gaudi and their groovy street lamps.
To finish off the day we wandered down Las Ramblas, the main shopping precinct in the city, and enjoyed a feast of tapas, paella and a fishbowl sized glass of sangria!
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