Montserrat

Hola!

After trying to make our way to Montserrat for a few weeks now, Lainie, Bridget and I finally made it there! It could have been one the best days here in Barcelona.  Although it takes a while to get there and takes up an entire day, it was so worth it and I would highly recommend to anyone who comes to Barcelona.

After staying in last night to get up early today, we left the house around 10:45 to make it to a 11:30 train.  The train was 2 metro trains away (which is usually normal for us to go anywhere).  Luckily, when we got to the actual train, our metro cards worked so we didn't have to pay for another train ride. The train was an hour long and we knew we were starting to get close when we saw all the mountains and countryside out our windows.  Since we had to wake up early, we were sort of tired but so excited to see the mountain and the views we had heard so much about.

When we got there, we had to take a cable car (they call it a funicular) to the top.  It was cute and yellow and kind of scary since it was rocking! It was only 5 minutes to the top and it had amazing views from there.  When we got to the top, there was a little town up there, probably where the monastery used to be.  There were cute shops, restaurants and a hotel up there.  This was something I wasn't expecting - I thought it was going to be all mountains and hiking trails but there ended up being a lot more than that!  We decided that after our hike we would walk around and explore the town.

Cable car going up

View from the cable car

On the cable car

View from the top

Town

We debated which hike to do since there were so many and finally decided to hike to the top of the other funicular and maybe do the hike that started there.  It was such a beautiful day outside - there were no clouds in the sky and it was almost 70 degrees! We walked around in tank tops and yoga pants and were so comfortable.  It was an all upward hike on uneven grounds, almost like cobble stone. Sometimes the ground was so uneven that it was hard to walk on considering I didn't bring sneakers! (I wore my Toms, don't worry.)  

The views were absolutely amazing the entire way.  It is almost hard to describe the views that we saw; pictures don't do the mountain  and views justice.  Since it was a monastery, we saw so many religious monuments along the way which were beautiful and old.  From the top, we all we could see were mountains and grass below us and the entire world above us.  We literally felt like we were on top of the world.  We have this thing we like to do called the "Timothy Green."  In that movie, he spins around in circles when he feels so happy.  We like to do that too when we experience something amazing.  Walking up the hill, we had so many Timothy Green moments and spun around in circles taking it all in.

Bridget and Laine's "Timothy Green" moment

View of the monastery 

Some building we came across

We walked along the path and came across different points off the path we wanted to explore.  Near the big cross, we walked to the edge and took a lot of pictures.  As we walked more upwards on the path, we decided to become one with nature.  When no one was looking and there was absolutely no one around, we put Bridget's camera on self timer and took a picture shirtless (our backs facing the camera of course).  We felt so free and on top of the world, nothing could stop us.  It was probably a once in a lifetime experience we all shared.

After our spontaneous adventure, we kept walking and climbed on top of a huge rock that was far away from the path.  We were so far away from everyone else that it felt like our own little mountain on top of the world.  We took so many pictures, listened to our theme song of the day (click here) and laid out in the sun for a while just enjoying the views.  We also had another "Timothy Green" moment - we had so many that day! We got a marker and on a rock signed our names to remember our amazing day.

View on our rock

On top of the world

Timothy Green moment

Our names

It got to be later in the day and with such a long train ride and metro ride back, we headed back to the town, got some ice cream and explored the town.  There were cute little tents where people were selling cheese, chocolates and soaps.  After sitting in the sun and finishing our ice cream, we took the cable car back down and waited for the train to take us home.  Not surprisingly, we all fell asleep on the train after such a long day.

Little tents

Today was absolutely amazing.  Even though I'm totally not into hiking, this was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.  I have never felt to high off the ground and actually felt like I was the highest in all the world with everything below me.  I had so much fun with Bridget and Lainie exploring a new place where we were literally in awe the entire day.  Today was one of those days that is so hard to describe in words.  It will stand out as one of my favorite days in Barcelona where I really felt like I knew what being abroad was about.

Muchos besos!

PS.  I have waaaay too many pictures to post on here so instead look at my Facebook for all the pictures!