Montserrat to Monistrol: 

Written By Patrick Reck

We are mountain people and after many days of wandering through the city, it was time to stretch our lungs and eyes and go to the mountains. We boarded the metro en Placa Espanya and learned that you can buy a ticket package. At the metro station there is an information booth for Montserrat. For about 30 euros you can buy a train ticket to the base of the mountain and from there you have a choice of riding another train up or taking a more direct route on the cable car. We chose the Aeri and took the cable car straight to the the Monastery.

We began underground in Barcelona and emerged above ground on the outskirts of the city. You wind your way from stop to stop and all of the sudden the serrated mountains appear to the west. Monolithic stones crammed like teeth in a mouth too small, shrouded in mist. Most people make it a day trip from Barcelona, but we chose to stay in the small village of Monistrol de Montserrat. After a pleasant afternoon train ride, we went straight to our hostel in the quiet town. 

Guilleumes Montserrat is a short trek from the train station through the charming town of Monistrol. You cross a bridge, go through a pedestrian tunnel, and enter a world frozen in time. Walking up the hill, crossing the edge of time you pass by the ruins of the old aqueduct system destroyed by Napoleón, staring at the majestic mountains as you climb the hill. The hostel is a simple three story building. We were greeted by the third generation owner cordially and shown our clean, cozy room with a view of the mountains hidden in the clouds.

We spent the evening walking around town, exploring the natural park nearby, climbing trees, and paying our respects at the local cemetery. We came back expecting to have an early night, and ended up having a lengthy dinner at the hostal and meeting one of our favorite people of the whole trip: our server Jordi.

Jordi is a short, stout, bald, spry Spanish guy with tiny round glasses, lots of rings and bracelets, and a twinkle in his eye. As the three of us laughed and ate and reflected on the first part of our trip, Jordi entertained us with stories and color commentary about Spain, Europe, and the art of meditation. As we discussed desert or coffee and the art of sleep, Jordi told us for 25 years he had been a Tai Chi professor. He told us that sleep, like meditation, is all about quieting your mind. “Shutting off your mind?” Patrick asked.

“Your mind is only quiet when you are dead” Jordi said. “Picture yourself as a tree. Your feet–roots, your body the trunk, your head the canopy, and in your canopy the monkeys climbing around. The monkeys are thoughts that whisper and shout and distract you from focusing on the things you want to do. Each fear, every anxiety you have is a monkey jumping around and causing chaos in your canopy. And as the monkeys get louder and stronger they create rocks that you carry around on your back. Rocks that weigh you down and tire you out. When you are meditating, you don’t try to quiet your mind. Look for your monkeys, listen to them, let them speak, and every day have one of those monkeys climb down your tree.”

Jordi told all of this to us as he flitted from table to table, serving, chatting, and advising all the dinner guests. And from the light in his eyes, we knew that he was telling the truth.

The next day, we got an early start, and with our monkeys in tow, we took the train from Monistrol back to the cable car station–the Aeri–and rode up into the mountains hidden in the fog. 30 of us piled in the small car and soared up into the mist. Half way up, we got above the clouds and saw the monastery built into the mountains. The first thing we did was take a funicular, something in the states we call an incline, slightly down the mountain to a trail leading to La Santa Cova, the sacred cove.  This site is where an early Benedictine monk saw a vision of the Virgin Mary. The trail leads you past a series of statues and art installations designed and built by famous Catalonian artists depicting the life of Jesus Christ. His birth, ministry, atonement, resurrection–a journey through his life up until the sanctification of Mary. The trail winds along a precipitous edge, giving you immaculate views of the valley far below, leading to a small, reverent chapel displaying what the monks call the Black Virgin. 

Taking the funicular back up the Monastery, we entered the 19th century basilica in time to see the boys choir perform their daily hymns, a tradition that has been carried on for the last 900 years. They only perform during the school year daily at 1 pm. The performance was inspired, elevated by the beauty of the gold of the altar and the sun shining through stained glass all around us. It was adorable. We had a quick sandwich for lunch and then started hiking. 

Hiking the trails around Montserrat is basically climbing an endless set of concrete stairs. You hit little plateaus nestled among the rocks and trees, wonder where you are for the lack of signs then hit another set of stairs and keep climbing. We were expecting to go and find the sacred cave where the church’s relics and rebels had hidden during conflicts throughout the centuries. Instead an hour later we reached the peak of one of the mountains, Sant Jeroni. Mmm hmmm.

At the top we took pictures, talked with mountain climbers and gazed out in wonder into the fog that swirled around us. Taking Jordi’s advice, we sat down and meditated, giving our monkeys some time to enjoy the view.

The hike back down was quick, but hard on the knees and gave us a chance to appreciate the tree lined paths that were welcome relief from the stairs. We made it back down to the monastery in time to buy some post cards and catch the last Aeri down to the train. We returned to the hostel and had a peaceful nights sleep thinking about what inspired the monks to build a church in such a magical place.

The end.

Hostal Guilleumes Montserrat… reserves@guilleumes.com or www.guilleumes.com

*comes with an amazing free breakfast.

View From our Hostal

Montserrat

View of Monistrol from Montserrat