Oosterdam European Adventure, Barcelona, Spain

Today, was a turnaround day in Barcelona and we did a day trip to Montserrat. I was very concerned about the weather since rain was in the forecast.  Our guide Florenta picked us up at the ship and we drove to Montserrat. Montserrat is Catalonia’s most iconic landmark. The word Montserrat literally translates to serrated mountain and the rock formations certainly do look like the blade of a serrated knife. The Benedictine Monastery called Santa Maria de Montserrat is nearly 1000 years old and it is perched halfway up the mountains around 2000 feet. The community of monks also runs a boy’s school devoted to the study of music. We arrived with the mountain shrouded in clouds, wasn’t looking good! We toured the lovely Basilica with the statue of the Black Madonna known as La Moreneta above the high altar looking out for everyone. When we came out of the Basilica, the clouds had started to clear so we decided to go up the mountain.  We took the St. Joan Funicular up to the 4000-foot level…the views going up the mountain of the monastery and valley below were absolutely spectacular. We really lucked out with the weather clearing and being ahead of the crowds. Our drive down the mountain was great with the clear skies…Monserrat is an area of astounding natural beauty. Once back on the ship, we enjoyed the sunshine and met up with our friends Corina and Fred who boarded the ship for the upcoming cruise.