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- Posted at 2:49 AM on 20/4/2008 by S P SPAIN Having visited Barcelona several times before, we went on a tour to Montserrat, the monastery high in the mountains outside Barcelona. The drive up the mountainside was steep and winding with many hairpin bends but unfortunately it was foggy and the views across the valleys were lost in the low cloud. We drove through Barcelona to start with and spent most of the time stuck in rush hour traffic. On the way up the mountain, an officious young policeman stopped us and spent fifteen minutes checking our driver’s papers. The other tour buses overtook us and eventually we were allowed on our way. It was not until we were almost at the steps leading to the Basilica that our guide mentioned that the Black Madonna (the main thing to see there) closed at 10.30am. We left her and ran but when we were within ten feet of the doors, a monk held up his hand to stop anyone else entering and closed the doors in front of us. We managed to get inside the Basilica and could see the Black Madonna in a recess high in the wall at the far end, behind the altar. It was very dark in there and impossible to take photos from such a distance as I didn’t want to use the flash. A service was obviously about to start and shortly after we left, a very long procession of choir boys, clergy and monks filed into the Basilica, followed by many monks in black pushing a plain pine coffin. Some of them wore Scout scarves but we were told it was a funeral for a monk. Barry and I wandered around on our own and found a delightful coffee shop where we enjoyed delicious cappuccinos and shared a long crusty bread roll filled with local ham and cheese. There was so much to see that we did not have time to visit - a whole day could easily be taken up seeing everything there. A cable car also goes to the top, and a funicular railway that runs on a central screw up and down the steep slopes. From the buildings to the top of the craggy rocks runs an almost vertical railway, with one carriage travelling up and one travelling down, passing in the middle like the Lynton and Lynmouth cliff railway for those who know! We drove back to the ship on the other side of the mountain and back along the freeway that was, once again, surrounded by many acres of fruit trees and market gardens. We sailed early that day and in the theatre beforehand we watched an excellent Folkloric Show put on by local dancers and musicians. The dancing was incredibly energetic, the girls’ dresses beautiful and the castanet playing outstanding. The music was lively and everyone in the audience was whistling and shouting Ole! My hands were sore from all the clapping. Most of the Folkloric shows have been good but this one was excellent. Leaving Barcelona, the ship backed for half a mile before turning and then heading out to sea. The following day, heading down the Spanish coast, we had Force 6 seas, worsening throughout the day. Post Comment
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