Pilgrimage to Montserrat

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Trip Start Apr 15, 2007 Previous
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  Montserrat, Spain
Friday, May 4, 2007

A beautiful morning! It has pretty much been one day nice - cloudy or rainy the next - then nice again - then cloudy/rainy - nice. So we could have guessed that it would be a nice day today. We called Jeanie and Monroe and planned to meet them at 10 a.m. by the Tourist Info sign. We got there and couldn't find them - I went up the stairs - down the stairs - criss-crossing between the two entrances while Jim looked outside. I had told them how to get there from their hotel and kept thinking that I must have screwed something up. Finally Monroe showed up - and they were waiting at the TI sign on the other side of the park. I didn't know that there were two - so they were in the right place after all - just that I didn't know about it. It is a rather large Plaza/park. Well we got our tickets - and we had to take the Metro to get to the train station as we were approaching the tracks the Metro was just leaving. Not to worry, we only had to wait about 3 ½ minutes for the next one. So we got on that - got off at the right stop - but it is a huge interchange and Train station - so we had to go quite a distance for the actual train station. Got there and missed the train by one minute - next one was in 59 minutes. Well - coffee and a Danish for breakfast it is with all of the train station employees. The coffee was great though. We quickly passed the time talking and then we headed down to the tracks. Thank you Sharon and Christoph for teaching me the right way to get on these things - we figured out the exact place to line up so that we could rush on the train and get four seats together - because as you can imagine - although we were at the very front waiting for 15 minutes - as the train started approaching people were trying to push us out of the way.

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All of us are good at that game though - especially Monroe being originally from the Bronx! But our training on the cruise ship also came in handy. So we get on and immediately go for the four seats together. $^*%! I look up and we are in the section for elderly passengers and those needing help. Well Jim figured he qualified and the rest of us justified it too - and fortunately no one got on that needed our seats. (Keep that in mind for the next boarding) We had an hour ride up to the station for the Rack Railway to Montserrat. The timing for that worked out well and we again scored four seats together for the 20 or 30 minute ride up the Rack Railway to the base of Montserrat. As we climbed higher the clouds kind of rolled in and it started to sprinkle a bit - but we didn't let that bother us. Due to missing the train in Barcelona that put our arrival close to 10 a.m. and that is the only time during the day that the famous Boys Choir sings in the Basilica for their 10 minute performance of the day. So we grabbed a map - ran up the huge flight of stairs and made our way to the Basilica for the final 5 minutes of the performance. We were crowded in the back of this very large Basilica - couldn't see much - but what we heard was beautiful. This tradition goes back as far as the 14th century and is to be the oldest or one of the oldest Boys Choirs in Europe. Here is an article that I found about it - if it doesn't open try Google and see what you can find if you are interested.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/09/arts/music/09boys.html?ex=1275969600&en=d8dbaeff18249d5f&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

After listening to the Boys Choir we stayed and took photos inside the Basilica and then the line for viewing "Our Lady" which they call La Moreneta (dark little one) was a lot shorter.

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We got in line and waited about 30 minutes or so to get to the statue where we could touch the orb that she holds in her hand. The statue is about 800 years old. Then we went and to light a candle and then wandered a bit around the Basilica grounds. Next we had funicular tickets and we went up to the top of the mountains where they have a nature center and many hiking trails. Unfortunately we really didn't have time to do the trails as we needed more than an hour and we were starting to run short on time due to the last train leaving Montserrat, etc. So we spent some time up there taking in the views - then we went back down and had lunch (4 p.m.) and then caught the second to the last train back. The Rack Railway started down and I knew that we didn't have much time to catch the train and that we should line up - so as soon as the railway stopped we got off and started going...then I thought - this doesn't look right - after we were down the stairs - etc and I asked an employee about the train to Barcelona - she said "Next stop" So we ran back up the stairs and got back on the Rack Railway which fortunately for us (me especially) it was still there. We got on laughing hard and very thankful that it hadn't left. We had gotten off at the parking lot stop for people that drive or come in tour groups. So then we made it to the train station and got in line, front and center, and when the train pulled up it was quite full so there weren't any seats together. We needed to plan that strategy better as Jim was the only one who could get a seat and Jeanie, Monroe and I had to stand until it was possible a few stops away to get seats - and then they were all together - so we got back to the Barcelona train station and then I had to take us across the city - three metro train lines/changes later to the Hospital San Creu.

Montserrat 03

They did not fire me as tour guide after my mistakes only because they probably figured that they might still need me. We walked around the hospital grounds for awhile and then walked back to our flat where we had some ham, olives, bread and drinks. Monroe checked his e-mail and other accounts and they had a chance to call their son. They were very impressed with our flat. (Photos will come in the next days - when I don't have much else to show you) We decided to walk up the restaurant that we had been to with the really nice staff - and actually we had walked by on our way back from the hospital and told them that we would be back. They said that they were open until 1 a.m. and they wrote my name down and said that when we got back we wouldn't have to wait as long then. There is always a wait here. By the time we made it back it was close to 11 p.m. and we probably had our dinner closer to midnight. We had a great pitcher of Sangria, the best I have ever tasted and they told us the ingredients too! We finished dinner, which was excellent and then Jeanie and Monroe had dessert (we did help eat a few bites of it!) I wanted another pitcher of Sangria for my dessert - and the waitress said she would bring it - but no - better save that for another day - so it was after 1 by the time we left. Then we walked a bit before finding them a taxi to take them back to their hotel and then we finished the walk home and were up until about 2:30. It was a great day - not too many glitches and we had a nice time with Jeanie and Monroe. I am sure that they are tired and they leave on their driving tour of Northern Spain for the next 11 days. They have the Garmin Nuvi 660 with them though - so they are all set. What a great little device! They could practically drive with their eyes shut. As you can see I am a little late with this posting - as I couldn't do it when we got in last night. I will work on photos now so you might actually get two today - this one and then whatever we do end up doing today - as it is a beautiful day. We are waiting for laundry to finish - I have lunch prepared here and by the time I finish this it will be time to head out.

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