SPAIN 2026
Wednesday
Montserrat
In the morning we are picked up by a van for our excursion to Montserrat with Mateus our guide.
You don't have to get far out of Barcelona for the scenery to change.
An hour later and we are unloading into the centre of Montserrat. It is much more than just a monastery. Montserrat (serrated mountain) is not just the name of the mountain, It’s what a Caribbean Island is named after. It’s also the name of a Black Madonna that has been worshipped by the Catalans for over 1000 years. After being discovered in a cave by shepards in the year 880, a century later monks created a monastery there when they heard of so many people making pilgramages to the site.
It’s a natural park that has been visited by religious leaders such as Pope Jean Paul II, in fact the new Pope Leo will be there in June. It’s a historical enclosure that has been destroyed by Napoleon in the 1800's and rebuilt by Antoni Gaudi and his peers. It’s the second most visited pilgrimage center in Spain after Santiago de Compostela in the Northwest of Spain.
There is a huge line to go up the stairs and see the Black Madonna, but we just don't have the time.
We had enough time to do the museum, or a hike up to St. Michael's cross, an overlook with amazing views of the Monserrat Monastery and the valley below. We chose the 1 hour hike with the views, even though it got a little cloudy, it was such a nice day!
We had enough time to do a little shopping for an ornament to go on the infamous travel tree, grab some snacks, and load back up for our drive back into Barcelona.
Mateus dropped us off near Casa Vicens, considered to be Gaudi's first major project. It was built between 1883 and 1885.
The rooms are so uniquely detailed, but the ceilings are just spectacular.
From one masterpiece to another, we grabbed a taxi to take us way up the hill to Tibidabo. Tibidabo is a 512-meter (1,680 ft) hill in Barcelona, known as the "Magic Mountain". It offers unparalleled panoramic views of the city and coastline, and is home to the historic Tibidabo Amusement Park that opened in 1899, the neo-Gothic Temple of the Sacred Heart, and the Collserola communications tower that was built for the Olympics.
The construction of the church, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, lasted from 1902 to 1961. The idea of building a Catholic church on the summit of Tibidabo emerged in the late 19th century amidst rumours about the construction of a Protestant church and a hotel-casino at that location. The basilica has a distinctive design consisting of two churches, one in the crypt and another above it
From the lower crypt church, a small elevator takes us up to the roof, and the views from up here over the city are amazing.
Then it's back down the stairs into the upper church, where a man is singing opera alone in an alcove. The acoustics were spine-tingling.
After taking a taxi up here, we had to find a different way of getting back down, because there's no taxi's anywhere. After figuring out all the rules of transit, we took a bus. Tapping our credit card and being charged 20 cents. We got off at a funicular,and got back down to level land.
A unique aspect of the Uber system in Barcelona, is that it is tied in to their taxi system, so we were able to get a much cheaper taxi in a shorter time, and headed to the Barcelona Cathedral. The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, also known as Barcelona Cathedral, was constructed from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries
A surprise to us, was the free access to the rooftop viewing area.
Back out into the streets of the Gothic quarter.
Tonight's dinner would be at a place highly recommended to us, Murivecchi Ristorante. We made a reservation, and it's a good thing we did, as there was a long line waiting to get in. Their specialty is Tagliatelle alla carbonara, brought hot to the table inside a pecorino cheese wheel. Tossed inside the wheel and served for two. Deeeellliiicciiooouuusss! Probably the best meal of the trip.
Our stomachs very full, we wandered back through the gothic district to our hotel.
A tile that you often see in the sidewalk is the round and red-colored tile with the flower of Barcelona in the middle. This tile symbolizes the Ruta del Modernisme and was introduced in 1995. If you follow this route, you will come across buildings that have been important to Catalan Modernism. We walked the last stretch along the famous La Rambla street, it's just a giant construction mess, due to be finished in 2027.
It was a day of ups and downs in Barcelona, up to Montserrat. Down to another Gaudi house. Up to Tibidabo and the Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Down to Barcelona’s Cathedral, and up to its rooftop… and then we downed a big bowl of linguini baked in a cheese wheel. A pretty damn good day all around I would say.
The next morning, it was time to move on from Barcelona, and explore more of the Spanish countryside.