Montserrat

Some writer or philosopher at some point said something emblematic of Montserrat that I cannot remember nor find on Google Portugal, but it is amazing.

We left Hostal Goya early this morning to get the best/most sugary breakfast ever near Espanya station: churros and chocolate. Nursing sugar headaches, we took the one hour train to Montserrat. It was perhaps the most beautiful train ride I've ever taken, Carl, passing warehouses, shanty houses, and muddy rivers.

Once we got to Montserrat, we took big yellow gondolas up to the monastery. The view of Catalonia is, excuse the cliche, breathtaking. The monastery is nestled in between monstrous mountains whose shape changes constantly as weather erodes them. We took audio tours of Montserrat and saw the famed Black Virgin, the Basilica, the Boys' School, and, most importantly, the beer dispenser/cafeteria, where we got beer (and lunch.)

We split up after arriving back in Barca, with Steve, Carl, and Brendan shopping as Joan, Cate, and I went to the aquarium. The aquarium is no Academy of Science, but it does have an underwater tunnel that takes you through the shark tank. Cate and I just about died.

We stopped for delicious tapas of Bikini (melted ham and cheese) sandwhiches and hummus and pita and then meet up with the boyz for dinner. Brendan and I went out for drinks and desserts at 11, crazy partyers that we are. Mojitos and chocolate volcano cake do not mix.