Visit to Montserrat
Montserrat is a mountain near Barcelona, in Catalonia which is the site of a Benedictine abbey, home to the Virgin of Montserrat sanctuary believed by some to be the location of the Holy Grail in Arthurian myth.
About Montserrat
The name "Montserrat" literally means "jagged mountain" and is used because of the unusual shapes in the rock formations which can be seen for miles around. It is made of this striking almost pink sedimentary rock. The abbey can be reached by road, by cable car, or by the Montserrat Rack Railway from Monistrol in the valley below, which in turn can be reached by train from Barcelona's Plaça d'Espanya station.
From the abbey a funicular railway goes up to the top of the mountain, where there are various abandoned hovels in the cliff faces that were previously the abodes of reclusive monks. It is very popular with climbers of hill walkers, you can literally walk for hours with the most breathtaking views sometimes above the clouds below. It's not easy to describe the beauty of the place, it's truly one of the highlights of a visit to the surrounding countryside around Barcelona.