Ave Maria VII: Barcelona & Montserrat
Breakfast at Tryp Apolo was not disappointing with a wide range of cold cuts, breads and cheeses. Met our local guide Gonzalos at the lobby. He was a funny and chatty fellow who had a decent Malay vocabulary. He took us on a walking tour of the old city walls, Columbus Monument, Maritime Museum and Ramblas de Mar, retracing our steps the night before. From the confines of the bus, we also spied Las Arenas, an old bullfighting ring turned shopping mall. Bullfights were banned in 2011, effectively ending 600 years of history. The Black Madonna of Montserrat ( patron saint of Catalonia ) was our first appointment of the day. Traveled 60 KM out to the mountains where we took the Aeri cable car up to the Benedictine monastery in the mountains. According to Gonzalos, the cable car was built by the Germans. He joked that the Spanish let the Germans work hard while the Spaniards had la siesta ( afternoon nap ). For some reason, the mountains of Montserrat has a peculiar shap...