Exploring Catalunya: First Cultural Experiences

I have had quite a few Catalan cultural experiences in the past few weeks however one stood out in in my mind. Last weekend I went on a field trip with IES to Montserrat. After a horrible winding bus ride and feeling a little green after I wasn't too sure about being there anymore. It was beautiful but it didn't look like much was going on. We took the Funicular to the top and my opinion completely changed. Wow!! the view was incredible and the mountain was so unique looking. I also really enjoyed our tour guide who explained to us the history of Montserrat and all about the hermit's who lived on the top. I can't imagine living there for so long. No running water or anything. Living on the side of a cliff doesn't sound very comfortable.

We then hiked around the mountain and back down to the little town. The tour guide took us to the Art museum which was interesting and had some cool paintings but after the hike i was getting exhausted. We had a few minutes left and I wasn't going to leave Montserrat without seeing the famous black madonna. The line was long and we only had a few minutes left or else we were going to miss the bus. Well i decided to wait in line and WOW it was soo worth it! It was really not what I expected and the church was so simple (as compared to some other churches I've seen) but the Madonna is amazing. I also really enjoyed learning why it was black. I touched the Orb and took and picture (see below).