The town is so small that it probably only takes 10 minutes to walk through it all. But there was something about this place that made everyone slow down in their paces, as if all the stresses of life were left down below.
We walked along a small back street, then through a tunnel like hallway, and suddenly came into a bright courtyard, face to face with the facade of the basilica. But what filled my eyes after we walked through the doors truly left me speechless. I was only able to utter the word “wow” during the entire time we were inside.
Unlike the bare stone walls of the churches in Barcelona, the Montserrat basilica is fully decorated in the Baroque style. My very first Baroque church, and it was every bit as amazing as I imagined it to be. The characteristic Baroque grandiosity definitely impresses every soul that walks through the doors. There were so much to see, I didn’t know where to begin.
After lunch, we decided to hike up the mountain to the highest peak. I have to admit the climb was very tough, especially for someone like me, whose most regular physical activity is likely grocery shopping. When we finally reached the top at 1236 meters, which is 4055 feet, above sea level, the view made it all worthwhile.
Looking back, I couldn’t believe we walked through all of this to reach here (and survived)! My heart was beating so hard it almost jumped out of my chest. I already knew my muscles would kill me the next day.
Funny thing is, this place reminded me a lot of the Yellow Mountain that Sam and I visited during our trip to China. Both are filled with odd rocks and rise nearly vertically. One peak looks exactly like a lion, and it reminded me of all the “lions”, “turtles” and “peacocks” we saw in China.
And finally, this one is for Sam and Zack — Claire approves!
Sam approves the approval!