Weather: 20º C (18 at Montserrat) and sunny


A hearty breakfast and off to the station for local trains for today we are off to Montserrat and the home of the "The little dark-skinned one" or “La Morenata” or “The Virgin of Montserrat” or “The Black Madonna” etc. Having researched (thanks Lesley) the ticket options that can be purchased at the station, we picked the one to Monistrol which connects with the Mountain Train (Rack Railway) up to the monastery. The total trip from Barcelona is about an hour and a half.

The trip was uneventful except that we had one stop on the Rack Railway at a carpark where most of the tourist buses stop. The people who got on our car were very annoyed when they realised there was no seating available. They were Polish and you didn’t need to understand the language to guess what they were saying. It was very comfortable going up the mountain – no need to hang on as there was no room to fall over. David and Bruce were standing and Anne and Lesley were sitting. Based on the body parts that were stuck into or near the girl’s faces they would have preferred to be standing!

We burst out of the train at the top and stopped in at the information office for a map before heading for the Basilica. We had a quick look at the outside of it and found the line for us pilgrims to go in to view La Morenata. The queue was quite long as access had been closed for the previous hour or so, but was soon to reopen. Once open the queue slowly progressed and we found ourselves going along one side of the Basilica separated from it by metal bars. At 1 pm there is a bit of religious activity which takes place in the Basilica (we think it was a mass) and it includes singing by a boys choir. Established in the 14th century it is one of the oldest boys choir in Europe. We were very lucky to be there when this took place – it was marvellous. The Basilica was packed and quite honestly we pilgrims were probably in one of the best places to hear and, for some, see the choir.

La Morenata is in a glass case with one of her hands which is holding an orb protruding through the glass. Pilgrims are supposed to touch/hold the orb then move on. Unfortunately this request is not adhered to by quite a number of the people, perhaps the majority, who instead say a prayer while touching the orb. The outcome was that it took us 2½ hours to get there. La Morenata is quite high up in the Basilica and from that vantage point there is a great view of its interior, something we would also not normally get to see.

Once we descended we had a good look around the interior of the Basilica before going out for a quick (not) bite to eat. Then it was off to the Museum in which there is a collection of paintings and artefacts, most of which had been donated. There were paintings by Caravaggio, Monet, Dali, Picasso and others along with artefacts dating back over 2,000 years.

There is a lot that can be done up at Montserrat. There is at least one hotel up there and there are many walks. We saw a number of people who were wearing serious mountain climbing equipment so that must also be an activity. We were surprised that buses and cars were allowed up. With our height phobias the track train was definitely the best option.

The return trip was by Rack Rail and local train followed by a taxi back to the hotel then out for dinner. Much easier to find a restaurant on Monday night.