El camino hacia la capella: Walk toward the chapel

It is said that a woman appeared on a few separate occasions at a cave in the side of the mountain below the monastery. We headed down the 2nd funicular and took the pilgrimage to the chapel which encloses that spot, stopping along the way to see sculptures by famous artists and architects.

Tom and Bob walking up the path

Awesome against the sky

The wooden rail and line in the path

OH NO! Bob got squished by a boulder!

The cave inside the chapel

Sagrado Corazon-thinking of my SHA girls

Christi and Professor Vidal

That's our Montserrat

Subir la montana: To climb the mountain

BRACE YOURSELVES

Gisela and Billy are clearly ready for the funicular ride uphill

Yeah--this little uphill trolley-car could go crashing down a long way... and we'd still be at the top of the mountain where the monastery is!

Welcome to paradise

There are "Bishop's Bellies" and "Elephants" and all sorts of wonderful things here.

Need we mention that ability to connect to nature at the top of strangely-shaped mountains in the noon sun with the wind blowing through you?

Pictures can never do it justice...theres just SO MUCH MORE

Bob, Tom, Ben, and Billy have found a peak that they can share

There's an entirely separate trail with more peaks and a hermitage to be discovered, if only we had all the time in the world...

...times like these make it almost feel like we do

Monestir de Montserrat: Monastery of Montserrat

Hard to imagine people coming up into these mountains, but easy to understand why they stayed, this is the church, service, and private tour by one of the monks of the Church, chapel, and the Black Madonna.

Church facade meets the building that encloses the entry courtyard

The entry-courtyard...very Michelangelo

A main hall on the upper floor of the monastery overlooking the courtyard

How gorgeous is this church?!!!!!! There is almost too much for the eyes to take in

This shot was taken from the side of the church looking through the arcade to the opposite arcade.

I believe this is an early Gaudi chapel. It is located at the rear of the Basilica and is named for the Moreneta, the Black Madonna sculpture (whose rear is above the arch in the photo). She is a point of pilgrimage to Montserrat, along with the Holy Grotto where Virgin Mary is said to have appeared.

Looking back into the chapel from the hall

Ridiculous detailing! The left part is the arch of a doorway carved out of stone, and the right is a painting.

World-Reknowned Montserrat Boys' Choir

(they were amazing!)

Ceiling detail of the Astrologic Signs in one of the main gathering halls of the monastery

The upper level of the monastery complex

CUArch + Christi...where was Bri?

Yea-it's incredible...AND...cue lunchtime at the top of the mountain!

Habia una vez...: Once upon a time...

There was a very early morning meeting time for the Barca kids at Placa Espanya...

Brian got sick and had to turn back, but the others forged onward, determined not to fall asleep on the hour-long train ride to Montserrat.

Finally the students arrived, though the hour of sleep could never have made up for the sleep lost this semester in studio, clubs, and apartment gatherings.

Suddenly, it was like the students were magically turned into paparazzi...what could have been the cause??

Montserrat, of course. A mountain in Catalunya which attracts tons of people each year on pilgrimages not only for religious purposes, but for the natural beauty that is this mountainous region.

While most students rejoiced, Gisela was not so sure about our next mode of transportation...hanging just isn't her thing.

Victoria on the other hand was able to flash a smile to take the students out of paparazzi-mode long enough to grab a snack and a gondola to the top.

Sean looked back over the 5-minute journey and wondered how he would ever make it back down.

It is easy to see why monks and hermits and the Virgin Mary would want to chill here.

Bob contemplates becoming a hermit

Until we get distracted from plans for the holy-life by some Catalan-pride, hanging regally on one of the rounded edges of the mountain.

This is a fairytale.

...At least that's the way we'll describe it so you aren't too jealous...