Montserrat
Derek, Danielle and Nico wanted to do one day out of Barcelona, and we chose Montserrat. We rented cars and a kooky AirBnB above a bar in the village of Rellinars. The house was a riot of tile and stonework, a bit busy for my taste but clearly built with love and patience, maybe by a tile and stone contractor. It had lovely views of the town and the surrounding hills, and a huge wall of motorcycle racing trophies. We took the cog railway up to the dramatic monastery of Montserrat, arriving near sunset and missing the customary crowds. The abbey church is famous for its black Madonna, and it’s adorned with rich mosaics and dramatic hanging lamps. The next day we hiked partway up to the abbey from the town of Monistrol – if we had planned things more deliberately, we would have done the whole 1.5 hour climb.
The setting sun silhouettes the mountain.
Montserrat with the cremallera (cog railway) in the foreground.
The main plaza of the abbey at nightfall.
The view from our rental house.
An example of the quirky stone detailing found throughout the rental house.
Views from the hike up to the abbey from Monistrol.
The town of Monistrol with the mountain beyond.
