Category: Mediterranean Cruise

  • Med Cruise Recap

    Med Cruise Recap

    Blogposts from our 2013 Mediterranean Cruise are finally complete. This post provides an outline of where we went, what we saw and links to posts associated with each stop.

    If you haven’t seen any of the posts, you may want to start at the beginning. Near the bottom of each post, there is a green link that will take you to what’s “Up next: Enjoy!”


    Our itinerary:

    Mediterranean Cruise
    This is an overview of the cruise (including our itinerary), how we decided on this cruise, and a little bit about our ship.

    Venice, Italy
    We opted for two extra nights in Venice pre-cruise so we could sightsee a bit while we’re here. Expecting to see a lot on the first day (on very little sleep), we wandered to a few close spots and had dinner under the Rialto Bridge. This post also includes photos of some great water views from our ship.

    St. Mark’s Square
    I don’t know how many movies were filmed in Venice, but St. Mark’s Square is in most of them. We were able to get into St. Mark’s Basilica for great views of the square and its Clocktower with a fabulous Astronomical Clock, and get inside a portion of the Doge’s Palace.

    Murano & Burano
    We took a Carnival excursion to two of the many colorful islands in the Venetian lagoon, so we wouldn’t literally miss the boat when it departed at 2pm. Murano is famous for its Venetian Glass and Burano for its intricate hand-made lace. Both made for a lovely morning.

    Dubrovnik, Croatia
    Our first overnight at sea brings us to Dubrovnik. As we leave the ship, the first thing that stands out are the beautiful red roofs and the wall that encircles most of the old city. We spent this very hot day walking the wall and the streets of this beautiful place.

    Sicily, Italy
    Messina was our next stop. An hour-long bus ride took us to Palazzo Corvaia and then to the Greek Theatre. The history was incredible and the birds-eye views of the Mediterranean were absolutely stunning. We took advantage of a little time to explore (and shop) in the quaint little town of Taormina, with its winding streets and tiny passages.

    Naples, Italy
    We had some time before our excursion to wander around Naples for a bit. We explored a New Castle, a fabulous Galleria, and had pizza and a beer at a street-side cafe.

    Herculaneum
    Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in the year 79. Although the same eruption devastated Herculaneum – instead of hot lava – the town was engulfed in a river of mud flowing down from its slopes, preserving it for centuries.

    Pisa, Italy
    At our port in Livorno, I couldn’t wait to see the Leaning Tower, but I had no idea that the Square of Miracles was also home to a spectacular Cathedral and a stunning Baptistry. After all that, a very scenic thirty-minute drive got us into wine country where we visited a beautiful estate – with samples!

    When in Rome
    We docked in Civitavecchia, Italy and spent twelve of our thirteen hours on one excursion. Lots of drive-bys and tours of the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica, made this a day to remember!

    Stone Pine Trees
    Still in Rome, this is a silly post about some trees. I don’t usually do a whole post about trees, but this seemed like a great time to start. The stone pine tree changes in shape and size as it matures, much like a lot of people!

    Walk-about in Rome
    As our stay in Rome continues, we’ll visit Piazza del Popolo to see an obelisk, the Spanish Steps, several fountains, lots of very old buildings and statues before lunch with our tour group – which included wine.

    The Vatican
    Our Med Cruise continues in Rome. Definitely a pinchable moment (and day) to see the grounds of the Vatican State, complete with Swiss Guards.

    Vatican Museums
    Still in Rome, after a walk around the Pinecone Courtyard, we viewed the Vatican Museum’s immense collection including classical sculptures and masterpieces of Renaissance art. And then… the Sistine Chapel!

    St. Peter’s Basilica
    As our stay in Rome continues we reach a pinnacle, with a stop at one of the holiest and greatest churches of all time. Also a spectacular example of Renaissance architecture, St. Peter’s Basilica will stay in our memory banks forever.

    Nice and Èze
    Today we woke up in Monaco. After a scenic drive along the lower Corniche, past famous Riviera resorts, along the tree-lined Promenade des Anglais, we arrive in a most lovely corner of France.

    Palma de Mallorca
    As our Med Cruise winds down, we docked in the Port of Palma in its capital city of Majorca. A lovely stroll thru its narrow streets, a tour of a fantastic cathedral, and a scenic drive to the country, gave us a fabulous a taste of Spain with wine, tapas and of course, flamenco dancers!

    Montserrat
    This was a fabulous excursion to transition us from our ship to Barcelona. Santa Maria de Montserrat is a Benedictine abbey on a mountain in Catalonia, Spain. The Cremallera (rack railway) is the only way to get to Montserrat. A 15-minute journey gives a privileged and spectacular view of the mountain. The abbey is absolutely amazing – and another stop I will never forget.

    Park Güell
    Our stay in Barcelona included the fantastic and whimsical Park Güell. Fabulous structures with gleaming, multi-color mosaics were surrounded by flowers and lush greenery. A lovely day indeed!

    Walk-about in Barcelona
    With a full day in Barcelona, we put on our walking shoes and enjoyed some of the works of art designed by some fabulous architects around the year 1900. La Padrera gave us a rooftop view of Barcelona along with more unique sculptures by the amazing Antoni Gaudí.

    La Sagrada Familia (the Grand Finale)
    While in Barcelona we spent lots of time being amazed by architecture from the brilliant and very religious Antoni Gaudi. La Sagrada Familia is the grand finale, and grand doesn’t even begin to cover it!

    A recap of our very first cruise is officially in the books!

    Happy trails,
    Barb

  • La Sagrada Família

    La Sagrada Família

    While in Barcelona we spent lots of time being amazed by architecture from the brilliant and very religious Antoni Gaudi. La Sagrada Familia is the grand finale, and grand doesn’t even begin to cover it!

    Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
    To start at the beginning of this series, visit Mediterranean Cruise.


    Our Fabulous Grand Finale

    For the grand finale of our fabulous Mediterranean Cruise, we saved the very BEST for last. The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família was a sight to behold. Everyone we knew who had been to Barcelona, and everything we read in preparation for the trip – all said it should not be missed – so we decided not to miss it.

    Since we had no idea of the timing of our days in Barcelona, we were afraid to get our tickets early and decided to be more spontaneous on this one. When you go, don’t be spontaneous on this one – get your tickets and avoid the lines because they are literally hours long. I had read that lines are longer earlier in the day and once we arrived and realized “they” were right, we took the bus up to Park Güell and came back in the middle of the afternoon. They weren’t short, but they were shorter and since we didn’t want to miss this, we waited it out… in the heat of the day… without even getting too crabby, because we knew the wait would be worth it.

    From a distance it was quite a sight. Massive and spectacular and in its 133rd (142nd) year of construction (since 1882), so scaffolding, netting and cranes clutter the views.

    The Holy Family

    Devoted to Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, the church was named Sagrada Familia (the Holy Family). The Nativity Facade (picture above center) was the only facade that was completed before Gaudi’s death in 1926. Said of the Nativity Facade: “It’s the Bible written in stone.”

    “Antoni Gaudi was profoundly devout and this was his way to make amends to God for the sins of the modern world… He wanted to write the history of the whole of the Catholic faith in one building.” Is it absolutely stunning and quite an undertaking! Since Gaudi knew it would never be finished in his lifetime, he spent years making plaster models to help future generations of architects follow his complicated designs.

    “Color is the Expression of Life”

    Our wait was finally over and in we went. The ceilings towered above us, the sunlight streaming through the stained glass filled the space with beautiful shades of color. I was expecting a more rough interior, but instead it was white and smooth and absolutely fabulous. We stood in awe. Looking up at its beauty, my eyes welled with tears.

    “Gaudí said that colour was the expression of life, which is why he decided to make its presence felt in the Sagrada Familia.” Countless people have dedicated their lives to bringing Gaudi’s vision to this point – and will see it through to completion. Visit this video for a time-lapse video of what La Sagrada Família will look like when complete. Shall we plan our next visit to Barcelona in 2026?

    “The Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Familia is a church with a central nave flanked by four aisles, and transepts with a central nave flanked by two aisles, forming a Latin cross. The top of the cross is closed by the semi-circular apse. The basilica also has three monumental facades, each one representing one of the three crucial events of Christ’s existence: his birth (C/Marina); his Passion, Death and Resurrection (C/Sardenya); and his present and future Glory (C/Mallorca).

    The design will be completed with four domed structures, some 40 metres high, sited at each corner: two sacristies on the northern side; and on the southern side the baptistery and the chapel of the Holy Sacrament and Penitence. These four constructions and the three facades will be linked by a wide, covered corridor, with a double wall, referred to as a cloister by Gaudí, which will insulate the central nave from noise from the street, and allow circulation from one building to another without the need to cross the main nave.

    18 Towers Represent the Apostles

    Gaudí’s plan was for a group of 18 towers: 12 shorter ones on the facades (bell towers which will be 100 metres high, representing the Apostles), and six taller ones in the centre in a pyramidal layout reflecting the hierarchy of their symbolism. Of these, the tallest will be the one above the central crossing, representing Jesus Christ, reaching 172.5 metres in height. It will be surrounded by four, slimmer, 135-metre-high towers representing the four Evangelists and their Gospels A further tower will cover the apse and will represent the Virgin Mary.

    Gaudí wanted to construct a building that would make an impact on the skyline, but also show his respect for the work of God, which in his opinion should never be superseded by man: at 172.5 metres tall, the Sagrada Familia is one of the tallest religious buildings in the world but remains a few metres below the height of Montjuïc – the highest point in the municipality of Barcelona.” – READ MORE

    More Sources of Information

    For a wonderful “virtual view” of the cathedral, please click here. Be sure to steer the arrow up and look at the ceiling. It really is breathtaking. I have visited almost every tab on the website above. The pictures and insight into the design and construction are incredible.

    There is also a wonderful 60 Minutes episode called “God’s Architect: Antoni Gaudi’s Glorious Vision” which tells more about the dedication of Gaudi and his successors, workers and sculptors. “The ceiling is a striking display of Gaudi’s engineering genius. He wanted the interior of his church to have the feel of a forest, because that’s where he believed man could feel closest to God. And when you look upwards, you can see Gaudi’s columns branching out like trees.”

    Great Doors at the Passion Facade

    Its great doors at the Passion Façade entrance (pictured above), are printed with words from the Bible in various languages. Several words, including “Jesus” were meant to stand out. Josep Maria Subirachs, a Spanish sculptor and painter, made a plaster model of the doors that would then be cast in bronze. He also created the bronze statue of Saint George (pictured above right).

    Will it be Complete in 2026?

    “Although the building is set to be complete by 2026, work on sculptures and decorative details and, above all, the controversial stairway leading to what will eventually be the main entrance, is expected to continue until 2034.” ~ READ MORE (updated in March of 2024)

    The grand finale of our grand finale is the absolutely stunning crucifix that is suspended above the altar and the organ pipes. The whole experience was breathtaking and worth the price of the entire cruise to witness this fabulous place first-hand. I was hoping there would be a chance to return in 2026, but 2034 may be a stretch. One day Antoni Gaudi may finally rest in peace knowing his Sagrada Familia – his fabulous gift to the world – is complete.

    Wow, Just WOW!

    Up next: Med Cruise Recap

    Happy trails,
    Barb

  • Walk-about in Barcelona

    Walk-about in Barcelona

    On a full day in Barcelona, we put on our walking shoes and enjoyed some of the works of art designed by some fabulous architects around the year 1900. La Padrera gave us a rooftop view of Barcelona along with more unique sculptures by Antoni Gaudí – a brilliant and extremely religious man and architect.

    Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
    To start at the beginning of this series, visit Mediterranean Cruise.


    Timeshare Points for our Hotel

    While in Barcelona, we stayed at the Eurostars Cristal Palace. We chose that hotel for its central location, it’s modern elegance and because we were able to use timeshare points for our two nights there. Since we paid cash for the cruise, we had a lot of unused points and not much vacation time left, and although the exchange was pretty hefty, it was nice that we didn’t have to dole out another couple hundred dollars for our stay while in Barcelona. Looking back we should have stayed three nights, but you just have to draw the line somewhere, right? Unfortunately. Barcelona is definitely another place I would love to return to. Some day.

    We Put on our Walking Shoes

    We had purchased our Barcelona Cards online, before we left and were thrilled that we would be such savvy travelers on our first trip abroad. Truth be told, we had a rough time with the bus system and ended up walking a LOT in order to see what we wanted to see. We were able to figure out how to get to Park Güell, with the help of a woman whose sister lived just a ways from there. I’m afraid living in the burbs all these years, driving everywhere we go, and using google maps, we haven’t had much occasion to use public transportation. Shame on us, I know.

    We both decided it was a good thing we brought good sturdy shoes and we set off on our walk-about in Barcelona. The buildings were beautiful and the city seemed very clean and safe, although we had been warned that pick-pockets are prevalent in Barcelona. We had no issues and although I was a little paranoid in the beginning, I lightened up and really had a blast in this fabulous city.

    Fitting in is Overrated!

    The “Block of Discord” refers to a city block of houses in Barcelona where four very famous and fabulous Modernista architects created wild and dissimilar designs for new or existing homes. Those homes sat amongst the “regular” houses, causing a mishmash of designs, upsetting neighbors because they didn’t “fit in”. In my opinion, fitting in is overrated. They are fabulous!

    The two photos above are of buildings located right next to each other – Casa Amatller (left) and Casa Batlló (right). Casa Lleó Morera is pictured below in the two photos and is absolutely beautiful with its pink columns and grand turret hanging over the sidewalk. We didn’t photograph the fourth building – Casa Mulleras, but click on any of the links for photos and more information about each one. We didn’t go inside any of the houses with our limited timeframe, but would love to on our next trip.

    As we continue our walk, beautiful buildings are all around us. The third photo below is of the Suites Avenue Hotel.

    “The façade consists of waving aluminum sheets, sprayed with a metallic paint containing a pink pearlescent tint. The façade acts like a sculptural mask hiding the real black elevation of the building, and allows the interior spaces be completely open to the outside looking to La Pedrera and at the same time, preserving their privacy.” – For some more fabulous pictures of this hotel and several other wonderful buildings in the area, click HERE.

    LaPedrera

    “Known as La Pedrera (the stone quarry) because of its rough outer appearance, reminiscent of an open quarry, Casa Milà was commissioned by the industrialist Pere Milà i Camps… from Antoni Gaudí in 1906…

    Casa Milà was built as two apartment blocks with independent entrances linked by two large inner courtyards and a sinuous common façade that conveys the rhythm of the interior. The structure of the house is made of pillars and contains an open plan floor with large openings on the façade. The building marked a break with the architectural language of Gaudí’s work in terms of innovation in both the functional aspects and the constructive and ornamental ones.

    Gaudí planned Casa Milà (1906–1912) at the age of fifty-three, when he was at the height of his powers and had found a style of his own independent of any established ones. It turned out to be his last civil work and one of the most innovatory in its functional, constructive and ornamental aspects. Indeed, thanks to his artistic and technical ideas, it has always been considered a breakthrough work, outside the concepts of the time, a rara avis in Modernisme itself and, especially, a work that anticipated the architecture of the 20th century.

    Casa Milà is the fourth and final work Gaudí did on Passeig de Gràcia, the main avenue of the city at the time.” – READ MORE

    The Rooftop Terrace

    We come into the courtyard (pictured above) and make our way up four more floors, where the tour starts on the rooftop terrace. This by far was my favorite part of the tour with great views of Barcelona and some pretty fabulous (and slightly strange) sculptures and decorations. In the distance we caught our first glimpse of Basílica de la Sagrada Família – where we’re going next!

    The Nuts and Bolts of Gaudi’s Work

    Next floor down was The Espai Gaudí, in the attic, which gave an overview of Gaudî’s work, showing “the most basic traits of his clearly visual and empirical way of understanding architecture through models, audiovisuals and objects.” The room was truly stunning and the information was fantastic.

    Living Space

    Next floors were the Pedrera Apartment, which recreates the home and life of a Barcelona bourgeois family of the first thirty years of the twentieth century. We were not able to see the private homes and offices that remain in the building, but what we did see was fascinating.

    What a Place!

    We ended in the gift shop after a great tour, very excited about having discovered Antoni Gaudí here in Barcelona!

    NOTE: This tour was taken in August of 2015, so some changes have most likely been made to the entire experience. Please check out the La Pedrera website to see what it’s like in 2024!

    There was still one more stupendous place to see in Barcelona, where we would be even MORE impressed by this brilliant and extremely religious man and architect!

    Next up: Basílica de la Sagrada Família – The Grand Finale!

    Happy trails,
    Barb

  • Park Güell

    Park Güell

    Our stay in Barcelona included the fantastic and whimsical Park Güell. Fabulous structures with gleaming, multi-color mosaics were surrounded by flowers and lush greenery. A lovely day indeed!

    Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
    To start at the beginning of this series, visit Mediterranean Cruise.


    So Long Carnival Sunshine

    We were officially on our own in Barcelona after our 12-day Mediterranean Cruise aboard the Carnival Sunshine. All in all, it was a fabulous trip – filled with so much history and beauty that we could hardly believe we had actually just experienced it. But we had one more fabulous place to explore before our flight back home to Wisconsin – Barcelona!

    Eusebi Güell enlisted Antoni Gaudí, a renowned architect in Catalan modernism, for the design of his park back in 1900. Park Güell is the reflection of Gaudí’s personal style with inspiration from organic shapes. He always added imaginative ornamentation to his geometric structures, always free of square corners and sharp edges. The rounded, almost “gingerbready” designs were both beautiful and fun!

    There is something about Antoni Gaudí that just fascinates me, and Park Güell (pronounced Gwell) is one of the most interesting parks I’ve ever been to. It sits high on Carmel Hill with great panoramic views of Barcelona and despite being packed with people, it was very calming and relaxing. Everywhere you look are beautiful, sometimes silly and always colorful embellishments – with mosaics and vegetation galore! All of my favorite things!

    Relief from the Sun

    In the photo below, Jim is standing beneath a terrace in a large area with many columns. In many of the indentations in the ceiling were mosaics – three are pictured below. They seem to shimmer even though the area is shaded. It was quite pleasant under there with the beautiful ceiling blocking the hot sun. We lingered for quite a while, since every single one of those mosaics were different, but equally as beautiful.

    Those beautiful columns support the terrace above. All along the terrace is a long bench in the form of a sea serpent. The curves of the serpent bench help to provide more intimate seating as well as a railing system to keep you on the roof and not off the edge. Gaudí included many elements from Catalan religious mysticism and ancient poetry into the mosaics of the Park. It was fantastic!

    “In the design of Park Güell, Gaudí unleashed all his architectonic genius and put to practice much of his innovative structural solutions that would become the symbol of his organic style and that would culminate in the creation of the Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family (Catalan: Sagrada Familia).” – READ MORE about Park Güell HERE

    In the beautiful palm tree pictured above, there was a bird that was not happy with our presence below. It could have been a parrot, but I guess we’ll never know, since it never showed its squawking head, even after waiting around for quite a while to see what was making all that racket.

    UNESCO World Heritage Site

    The park was officially opened as a public park in 1926, and in 1984 UNESCO declared the park a World Heritage Site. If you’re planning a trip to Barcelona, you HAVE to stop here!

    If this blog has left you clamoring for more, here’s an older, but pretty good video showing more of Park Güell. Click away all the ads and view full screen if you like. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/Deq8vfb71kE

    Next up: A Walk-About in Barcelona

    Happy trails,
    Barb

  • Montserrat

    Montserrat

    We decided on this excursion kind of last minute, partly because – well, it was going to be awesome – and partly because of the ease of disembarking the cruise ship when there’s an excursion involved. Easy AND absolutely amazing – and another stop I will never forget.

    Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
    To start at the beginning of this series, visit Mediterranean Cruise.


    Santa Maria de Montserrat

    Santa Maria de Montserrat is a Benedictine abbey on the mountain of Montserrat, in Monistrol de Montserrat, in Catalonia, Spain (just west of Barcelona). At 4,055 ft, Montserrat is the highest point in Catalonia and Sant Jeroni is the highest point of Montserrat, where you can see almost all of Catalonia and even the island of Mallorca on a clear day.

    We took the Cremallera i funiculars de Montserrat (rack railway) to the top (and back down, obviously). If you look in the larger picture below, where the two mountains meet behind the station – that’s where we’re going! As you will see by the photo below in the center right, we will be traveling from 152m (just under 500 ft) to 700m (almost 2300 ft). “It is the only way to get to Montserrat that leaves you right in the middle of the monastery, a 15-minute journey with a privileged and spectacular view of the mountain.” There are other modes of transport that will take you higher and also lower on the mountain, but this is what our tour offered and it was perfect for the short time that we would be in this gorgeous place.

    A Little History about the Cremallera

    Here is a little about the history of transportation used for the climb over the years:

    “A line on this route was originally opened in 1892. Competition arrived in 1930, in the form of the Aeri de Montserrat, an aerial cable car that also carries passengers to the monastery. A narrow road also reaches the monastery. After poor financial results and an accident in 1953, the rack railway line was closed on 12 May 1957.

    However over time the Aeri and road became unable to handle the increasing number of visitors to the monastery. After many years of planning, a program began to rebuild the rack railway in 2001, and the line re-opened in its modern form on 6 June 2003. In its first 12 months of operation, the Montserrat Rack Railway carried 462,964 passengers. – READ MORE ABOUT THE RACK RAILWAY AT MONTSERRAT

    “Montserrat, whose name means serrated mountain, is ideally located to play an important role in the cultural and spiritual life of Catalonia. It is Catalonia’s most important religious retreat and groups of young people from Barcelona and all over Catalonia make overnight hikes at least once in their lives to watch the sunrise from the heights of Montserrat. Virgin of Montserrat (the black virgin), is Catalonia’s favourite saint, and is located in the sanctuary of the Mare de Déu de Montserrat, next to the Benedictine monastery nestling in the towers and crags of the mountain. The Escolania, Montserrat’s Boys’ Choir, is one of the oldest in Europe, and performs during religious ceremonies and communal prayers in the basilica.

    The Basilica houses a museum with works of art by many prominent painters and sculptors including works by El Greco, Dalí, Picasso and more. The Publicacions de l’Abadia de Montserrat, a publishing house, one of the oldest presses in the world still running, with its first book published in 1499.” – READ MORE ABOUT MONTSERRAT

    “Montserrat is a unique mountain in the world. It is a place that is not only spectacular from a geological point of view, but because there is a Benedictine monastery with more than a thousand years of history. The Montserrat monks dedicate their lives to work and prayer, and they look after the sanctuary of Our Lady as well as welcoming pilgrims and visitors.

    Besides ceremonies of worship that take place daily in the basilica on Montserrat, you will find wideranging cultural activities and interesting itineraries on the mountain, which will show you the richness of nature on this exceptional mountain.” – READ MORE ABOUT MONTSERRAT

    Everything Has Meaning

    The four trees in the small garden in front of the cloister (above, left) refer to the Virgin Mary. The palm symbolises beauty; the olive tree – peace and fertility; the cypress – silence and prayer (as it reaches to the sky); and the laurel is the symbol of honor. Without the tour, they just would have been a nice grouping of trees to us. With the tour, we saw that nothing is random here. Everything has meaning.

    Click on the first photo and scroll through the stack if you’d like more information. We easily could have spent days here to really explore what we saw in hours. I got some help from google before writing this, since I had a hard time remembering what each of my photos were.

    More Photos

    The pictures just above the entryway to the Montserrat Basilica, which was breathtaking. The sculptures of Jesus and the twelve apostles are fabulous and the ornamentation continues on the doors and out onto the “Marble paving of the atrium. Father Benet Martínez designed the white and dark grey paving, which has a border of aquatic animals surrounded by a Latin inscription that refers to baptism and the Virgin Mary. It faithfully imitates the one Michelangelo did in Rome’s Campidoglio.” – READ MORE

    The left photo below is the Basilica. The third photo is zoomed in to show the alter where the Black Madonna sits. You can see the bright red and blue clothes of the folks who are visiting that part of the Basilica. There was a very long line to get to see her, and our tour didn’t allow that kind of time, but I’m sure it would have been a very moving experience. Here is a little bit about the Black Virgin:

    “The Black Madonna is sometimes referred to by other names, including ‘The Virgin of Montserrat’ and ‘La Moreneta’. The statue sits behind a sheet of glass. However, one of her hands that is holding a sphere (which symbolises the universe) is not behind the glass. It is tradition for you to kiss or touch the Virgin’s hand whilst opening out your other hand to Jesus.” – READ MORE ABOUT THE MONTSERRAT BASILICA

    The Massif of Montserrat

    In the photo below you can get a great view of the unique spires, or rocks of one piece that make up “the massif of Montserrat”. Such a beautiful backdrop to the buildings before it where the Boys Choir – L’Escolania – are located. They are renowned around the world for their high standards of music and have been around since 1223. Unfortunately, our tour times did not align with their daily performances, so we’ll just have to come back!

    How we Decided on This Excursion

    We decided on this excursion at the last minute. After my cousin’s recommendation and a little research, we really wanted to go, but we had to cut a few things in order to keep our sanity and also not break the bank. At the last minute, we decided we had to see it, partly because – well, it was going to be awesome – and partly because of the ease of disembarking the cruise ship when there’s an excursion involved.

    We left our stateroom, went down and met with our fellow excursionists like we had in days past. We joined our already-loaded luggage on a tour bus and headed out for Montserrat. There was no lugging, no searching through hundreds of bags for ours and no searching for a cab.

    Easy Peasy

    The biggest advantage was that since it was only 8am and we couldn’t check into our hotel until 4pm, our bags were with us all along while we were in-between accommodations. There was a short cab ride involved at the end of our excursion, because they dropped us at a different hotel, but ours was close by so it went without a hitch. It was a win, win situation. And we didn’t realize what a win it was until we ascended a mountain to this fabulous monastery way (way) up top and gazed upon its beauty and the view from its perch so high.

    Live Life with No (very few) Regrets

    By the way, a word about not breaking the bank: If you are anything like us, this was a once in a lifetime trip. Don’t skimp. Don’t go home with anything on your “I wish I had done this” list. We would love to return again, mostly for more time in each of the stops we made this trip. But life is short. Take time to do it right the first time, just in case… Plus, there may be new places you’d like to explore, instead of returning to one you’ve already visited.

    We spent about six hours on this tour, which included travel time, and we barely scratched the surface. If my blog peeks your interest, please check out this website with posts from Montserrat. It contains a very detailed description (with photos) of each of the things to see while you are there, along with a little history.

    Montserrat – One of the most beautiful places on Earth.

    Next up: Park Güell (Barcelona)

    Happy trails,
    Barb