Mighty Montserrat
5:04 PM
The Montserrat mountains are located at around 1 hour from Barcelona city. It has a monastery and a spectacular view. It's a must-see if you’re nearby. One Sunday I decided to visit it and wow, the beauty of the place is astonishing.
Getting there was an adventure itself since I had to make several transfers from one train to another. First a ferrocarril, then Renfe and another train. When I finally arrived 2-3 hours later, I was welcomed with a long line to wait for the funicular. Oh, great. While I was getting used to the idea of waiting for over an hour to get in the funicular, I heard a familiar accent. Turns out the couple behind me were a Puerto Rican and a Cuban living in Miami. It was nice chatting with them about the Island since both lived there before moving to the US. Time flew by and at around 2 PM I was taking my 5-euro-ride on funicular to Montserrat.
Up in the mountain I headed to the monastery.
I had lunch at the buffet place but next time I’ll bring my own lunch. I can save 5-6 euros bringing a sandwich and a bottle of water from home. Then, I went for a walk to explore the area. The views are breathtaking.
Later, I decided to go to the top of the mountain. As an inexperienced hiker, I saw a path with stairs and began going up.
It was super challenging so, after an hour or more, I asked a couple that was coming down, how long would it be until I reached the top. They said about one more hour. Since it was around 5:15, one hour meant reaching the top at over 6 PM so it’d be too dark. They suggested me to come down because at 6 PM I wouldn’t see anything. So I did.
Later a friend who hikes and climbs mountains told me that there’s a trail with no stairs by which it's better to walk to the top of Montserrat, then come down by the stairs. I’ll make sure to bring her next time to guide me because, I will reach the top of the mountain someday. Coming down was less of a struggle. Waiting for the funicular to come down, I was exhausted but amazed at what I had seen. The beauty of nature is so humbling. Until next time, Montserrat.
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