End of Day 3 - today was by far the most amazing day (and yesterday was hard, if not impossible, to beat!).  Started off with a hearty Catalan breakfast - “Pa amb tomàquet”, bread with tomato… so delicious in its simplicity though there was nothing simple about the complex herbs infused into the olive oil!!!  Then, off to Montserrat with its jagged cliffs that would seem to be a scar on the otherwise tranquil landscape but is instead a beloved treasure that the locals hold sacred.  I would discover the achingly beautiful Benedictine monastery (built in 1025, then inexplicable destroyed by Napoleon and then just recently rebuilt).  

Rode a funicular and then got a strenuous hike in, even did a 5.6 pitch on a 125 meter segment - nothing too difficult but it was vital to my self confidence to know I could still climb…

Listened to the absolutely angelic Montserrat boys choir at the Escolania monastery school and then  stood in line for an hour to touch the staue of the black virgin of Montserrat (a black stone and wood statue of the Virgin Mary that has a legend that is pretty unbelievable).  The peace and calm of the holy basilica and the entire experience was spiritual beyond measure.  It’s no wonder that Montserrat is a recent addition to the Camino de Santiago circuit.

Finished up the day wine tasting at the lovely Parés Baltà winery, a family owned winery in the Penedès region with traditions that go back to 1790.  A really great hostess took us on a tour of the vineyard (entirely organic) and the cellars and showed us the entire process for making cava (Spanish sparkling wine, version of champagne).  After a few samplings, I had a new appreciation for Spanish wines and varietals and ended up buying a few botles - one for the hostess, one for our tour guide and one for me to bring home.  

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll say it again… the people here are amazing.  And it’s not that it’s a Catalan trait, there must be something in the land, air or water that makes people genuinely nice.  My guide yesterday was Greek.  My guide today was Brazilian.  The hostess at the winery was British.  My tour companions yesterday and today were Americans.  And each and every one of them was fabulous.  It’s got to be something in the air, I’m convinced.  If you could bottle it up and sell it, not only would you make a fortune but the world would be a better place.

And this concludes my whirlwind tour of Catalunya.  I had planned this as a simple mileage run, with a couple of extra days so I could take in the sights.  What I did not anticipate was that I would fall in love with everything here and now, I hate the fact that I must leave.  Ah well, now this gives me a reason to return - I’ll take that as my silver lining.

My apologies for the high posting and updates activity but I really waned to share the magic of the moments I was experiencing with you - hope it brings you here to Barcelona and Catalunya soon - you will not regret it!