Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona is a vibrant city. Truly a delight and much to offer, 14 days went quickly.

Easy to navigate either by walking or Metro. I took the Hop On, Hop Off tour for one day,    which is a great way to see everything the city has to offer and helps in planning an itinerary.

Just a few scenes from Barcelona

View of Barcelona

                                                                Hospital St. Pau

Walk along Ramblas

Fiesta Catalunya

http://www.santpaubarcelona.org/en

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hospital_de_Sant_Pau

Montserrat, Catalonia, Spain

Thanks to my hosts in Barcelona, I arrived at Montserrat before the tour buses. It was deserted except for a few people like myself who took the early train from Barcelona. I was drawn by the beautiful vistas and started with a walk along one of the paths. By the time I had finished my walk the tour buses had arrived and all headed to the Black Madonna and Monastery. Because of the detour, I did not avoid the line to see the Black Madonna. I spent a full 8 hrs on the Mountain, I took 2 walks, heard the boys choir, saw the Monastery and Black Madonna. I had time to go in a few shops. There are other walks besides the ones I took. It was a wonderful day and I would love to return one day and spend a night to best enjoy the area.

Santa Maria de Montserrat is a Benedictine Abbey located on the mountain of Montserrat in Catalonia, Spain. The Virgin of Montserrat is housed here. It is an important site for religious pilgrimage in the world.

The famous boys choir sing in the basilica every day.  There are a few walks around Montserrat Mountain which are well worth a trip in itself. There are unforgettable memories.

Montserrat can be seen in a day trip from Barcelona and easily accessible by train.

It would have been better to go directly to the monastery however I was drawn by the view and walking path with the Ceramic Icons of the Virgin Mary.

                                                 Breathtaking Vistas

Photos of the Monastery 

Interior of the Monastery

"Statue-Madonna-von-Montserrat" by Misburg3014 - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Statue-Madonna-von-Montserrat.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Statue-Madonna-von-Montserrat.JPG

Walk with views of the Mountain and the wall with Ceramic Icons all along the walk

It is an easy walk and peaceful as there were only a few people

The path of the Santa Cova leads to the chapel of the cave where, according to legend, the image of the Virgin Mary appeared. The funicular leads to easy access to this path however it is a hike albeit a short one but expect an incline round trip.

This is the Santa Cova

Information to tour Montserrat

http://www.montserrat-tourist-guide.com

http://www.montserrat-tourist-guide.com/en/transport/barcelona-to-montserrat-train.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montserrat_(mountain)

TRAVEL WITH FAITH: Basilica of Ls Sagrada Familia-Barcelona Spain

TRAVEL WITH FAITH: Basilica of Ls Sagrada Familia-Barcelona Spain: "A church is the only thing worthy of representing the feelings of a people, for religion is the highest thing in people", Antoni...

Basilica of La Sagrada Familia-Barcelona Spain

"A church is the only thing worthy of representing the feelings of a people, for religion is the highest thing in people", Antonio

Barcelona is a wonderful city. There is much to see and do. I spent a wonderful 2 weeks there. Amazing architecture, museums, parks. In the Center is La Sagrada Familia visited by over 1,000,000 yearly.  There is so much to take in and it is only when you are able to get close that it is appreciated more.that there is so much to take in. The detail of the architecture is phenomenal. 

La Sagrada Familia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and occupied the life of Antonio Gaudi. He received the commission in 1883 and died before completion of the Basilica.

The facades are: Glory Facade will be entrance to the Church when finished and will represent order of man within the general order of creation; Passion Facade represents pain, sacrifice and the death; Nativity celebrates birth and is considered the Facade of Life, of Joy and Christmas; Apse Facade is consecrated to Our Lady for who Gaudi felt a particular devotion.

                                                           

÷≥,

Tickets can be bought on line and I recommend doing so to avoid the lines. To appreciate the architecture an audio tour is available. Information for tickets and for additional details about the architecture:

http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/?lang=0