Montserrat November 15, 2009 and January 5, 2010

We have enjoyed two separate visits to Montserrat (Serrated Mountain), some 50 km north-west of Barcelona. My guide book tells me that "the serried ranks of wind- and rain-whipped rock pillars (reaching a height of 1236 m) were formed from a conglomeration of limestone, pebbles and sand that once lay beneath the sea". The mountain is best viewed from a distance as its makeup is quite unusual and awe-inspiring. One of Catalunya's most important shrines, a historic Benedictine Monastery, the Monestir de Monserrat, was built at 725m. It originated from the year 1025 to commemorate a vision of the Virgin Mary on the mountain. It was wrecked by Napoleon's troops in 1811 then abandoned as a result of anticlerical legislation in the 1830s. It was rebuilt in 1858 and is now home to about 80 monks. The most important religious icon in Calalunya is the medieval statue, La Moreneta (The Black Virgin), who is enclosed in glass high above the main altar (see picture below). She was found in one of the mountain caves in the 12th Century and is said to have been carved by the hands of St. Luke himself. In 2002 it was discovered that the Madonna is not black at all, just deeply tanned by centuries of candle smoke! (Catalans generally choose to ignore this discovery and line up to touch her orb all the same as she has been the official patron saint of the province since 1881.) Both times we visited we were disappointed to have missed hearing the very famous boys' choir, Escolania, sing "Salve Regina" and "Virolai", the hymn of Montserrat at 1 p.m. in the Basilica due to their being on holidays at the time.

On our most recent visit with Lou, because it was so foggy and damp, the boys were unable to hike on the mountain, so we spent time in the very interesting museum, which included some works by Monet, Degas, Picasso, Dali among others. Another part of the museum, the Espai Audiovisual, is a walk-through multi-media area highlighting the daily life of the monks and boys in the choir. There are between 40-50 "escolanets" between the ages of 10-14, who attend boarding school in Montserrat and must undergo a rigorous two-year selection process in order to join the choir.

The name Montserrat has become a popular name for little girls in Catalunya, generally shortened to "Montse". The receptionist at the Fonda Europa Hotel is called Montse!

Below is the Placa de Santa Maria from which you enter the courtyard of the 16th century Basilica.















A view of the pillar-like rock formation above the monastery and a dormitory of the monks.


































Entrance to the Basilica showing the facade's carving of Christ and the 12 Apostles, dating from 1901.





















A close-up view of the entrance to the Basilica















The Black Virgin looking over the High Altar to the congregation below-note the gold tilework surrounding the statue area




















Exiting the Church you are invited to light a candle















A miniature car club had visited when we were there in November and given permission to park in the Square. The drivers looked cold as they left in their little "convertibles" at dusk!















Another odd car was parked near us-completely rebuilt in fibreglas right to the road, it seemed! It had trouble managing the speed bumps!















An outing to Montserrat is definitely not to be missed-next time we'll pick a sunny day, bring a picnic lunch and hike to where the Black Virgin was supposedly found!

Adios!

November 16, 2009 We found a house to rent!

Having given up searching for a house to rent in the nearby village of Alella, we finally came across this gem one afternoon when we met our realtor, Miguel, to look at a beachfront apartment in Caldes d'Estrac. It is located some 30 km north of Barcelona and about 20 km over the mountains to Granollers, where Pat works at the Coty plant. You'll be able to find us easily given the bright Mediterranean colour and the fact that it is situated about halfway up the mountain overlooking the Sea! The house, built right into the mountain in 1957, was completely renovated in 1999. Despite the way it appears, is actually all on one level, a "bungalow", as we call it in Canada. You will note, however, that there are several terraces, all with a seaview, and two with furniture. There are gardens and plants everywhere, complete with a built-in sprinkler system and a gardener from Senegal! The picture below shows the front of the house, the large square window on the right is the TV/living room area. The single-car garage is located in the bottom left of the picture. You enter the house by climbing up two long flights of tiled stairs...who needs a step class anymore?!?


































The switchback road leading to the house! The gray hazy part is the Mediterranean Sea!















Extra parking for about 5 cars on the opposite side of the street.















Covered terrace and BBQ area




















Another covered terrace just outside the kitchen/laundry room















Pat on the large front terrace which opens directly into the three bedrooms and living room




















Front living/TV room (apologies for the poor lighting-it was a very bright but hazy day!)















Dining room with bar doors into the breakfast nook and galley kitchen















The blue breakfast nook just inside the bar doors (above)















The galley kitchen with skylights and lots of built-in cabinets




















At the end of the kitchen is the laundry room with more storage space, opening onto a terrace















Double guest room




















Twin guest room















Guest bathroom across the hall (green tiles)




















Master bedroom















Master bathroom with jacuzzi tub overlooking the Med!




















On top of an unused cistern at the back of the house-another terrace if needed! Notice how the house is built right into the hill along the back side. We are told it stays very cool in summer...































The far side of the house looking down to the entrance way























The opposite end of the house-anoher terrace!





















Pat with our landlady, Lourdes (far left), our realtor, Miguel (left) and Gemma, (right) his Admin. The deal was in the bag and signed on November 25th! We can move in from December 10th, although Pat is in the USA on a business trip that day and we do not know when our shipment will be deloivered from Halifax.





















After we settle in, I will send more pictures reflecting our own belongings in the house! Bookings at "Casa Bourque" for 2010 open soon...

Adios!

Sunday, November 15, 2009 Castellers!

After a lovely late brunch at the Fonda Hotel, complete with a glass of Cava (sparkling wine), we joined a throng of people heading to the main square in Granollers in front of the Town Hall. There we found three teams of "castellers" practicing the art of building human towers, each team trying to outdo the next! We'd read about this but this was the first time we'd had the chance to witness it in person. It's hard to believe how high they can go, with the littlest child wearing a helmet (often a girl) reaching the top. She gives a wave, climbs across to the opposite side then slithers down as each level in turn collapses on itself! The Granollers team is called "Xicu" and they wear burgundy shirts. One of my guidesbooks describes “castellers” as one of Catalonia’s most spectacular folk traditions. It’s enough to make you dizzy!

The above team tried twice without success to complete their tower-despite their failure, the crowd appreciated their efforts and it was still impressive to watch! Notice how each of the teams helps support the bottom "layer" of the castle-it's not easy work!

Each team has a supporting drum/flute ensemble which plays louder and louder as the top is reached.









































































The team above was the first one we caught pictures of where the little girls made it to the top successfully, totally unscathed!

Hasta luega!

Sunday, November 8, 2009: Mataro and Alella

The commercial centre of Mataro lies north of Barcelona on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. We pass through it on the Autopista on our way to Granollers and we have spent some time at a large shopping mall there. We have also checked out some of the car dealers in the city. On a recent sunny afternoon, we decided to walk along the boardwalk and check out the marina. Anyone want to buy a boat? There are many for sale at present!

























































We went house-hunting about five times with Conchita from Hartmann Relocations and Miguel from the Engel-Voelker office in Alella, a small and very quaint village rising from the sea, just slightly north of Barcelona, about 15 km. We thought it would be a perfect place to live as it is a short drive over the mountain to Granollers for Pat to go to work, however, there were not too many suitable houses to rent and the one we were interested in came with too many restrictions. However, we had lunch a couple of times in town and enjoyed the area very much.

Below, the Marfil Winery in Alella with shop and restaurant followed by views in the village















































































Adios!