Montserrat

Another bloody hill to drive up with sheer cliff faces!  The monastery at Montserrat is synonymous with the name of the town and boy, does it attract visitors, mainly Spaniards.  We made the mistake of going there on a Sunday which I am sure added to the crowds and the general popularity of the place.  We drove up the vertiginous 7 km road only to find about 1.5 km from the end, a queue of cars which was caused by the car parks being full at the top.  We stayed in this queue inching forward in small bits for close on one and a half hours.

I have forgotten to mention that on almost all mountains, as well as looking to avoid driving over the edge, we also have to look out for the blessed Spanish cyclists who all seem to be out there practising for the Tour de France,

Driving up towards the jagged hilltop.

Once we got to the top, the views were undoubtedly magnificent.

Montserrat mountain is instantly recognisable for its rock formations, sculpted over millenia by wind and frost.  The turrets of rock, a conglomerate of limestone and eroded fragments, extend like gnarled fingers from its 1236m high bulk.

  

The Monastery of Montserrat, Catalonia's most renowned monastery and said to be the heart of Catalonia's identity, was founded in 1025 and it lies more then halfway up the mountain.  The town is 50 kms north of Barcelona and people come for the day for a visit.  The name Montserrat is often used interchangeably to mean the monastery and the mountain.

Monastery entrance.

Inside the monastery courtyard.

 

Inside the chapel.

The cliffs are breathtaking.  Really, no photograph can do justice to them.

As we were up there and the car safely parked, we decided to have lunch at the hotel which is also a hostel.  The restaurant is not cheap but very nice and we had the degustacion menu.  

The head waiter was really snooty but we managed to put him in his place and enjoyed our meal.

Andrew's dessert of truffled chocolates.