Continuing on my travels through Catalunya I realise I had forgotten about the dreaded Monday closures for all museums, so I was off to Monserrat instead of Museu Nacionale d’Art de Catalunya which I decided that I could cover parts of in a quick recce the following morning before I flew to Mahon. I’d been to Monserrat before but it had been a dark, gloomy and foggy day and so had had no chance to walk the mountain trails which interested me more than the religious aspect of the place. But I did want to hear at the boys’ choir there so it was up early yet again to catch the first train to Monserrat. I never seem to get to sleep in on my holidays, too much to do, no wonder I need a holiday after my holidays.

( MontserratCollapse )

Click here to go to Minorca.

Again with the same tour company I got out to a lovely village outside of Barcelona called Rupit and walked around the beautiful village and around and down to the Sallent Waterfall. At first the fog while we were going through the mountains to the village was a real pea-souper but it cleared to a brilliant day.
( RupitCollapse )

If ever you want to go out there if you're visiting Barcelona, you can use this company -
Spanish Trails Adventures

Click to ascend to the heights of Montserrat

It was yet another early morning to get down to the Barri Gòtic to meet with the others who were going up to Requesens in the Alberes Mountains -
( Stephen’s CastleCollapse )

Click to get on the road to Rupit

It was up and out early again. I wanted to go up to Montjuïc and then catch the Telefèric down to the waterfront before I went out to L’Eixample, La Sagrada da Família, Parc Güell and I was hoping to make it up Mount Tibidabo, but I spent too much time at Parc Güell and waiting for the tourist bus that did the rounds of the sites ate up a lot of time. I should have used the metro.
( Bussing Around BarcelonaCollapse )

Tomorrow off to Stephen's Castle

Arrived in Barcelona just after sunset and took the bus to the Plaza de Catalunya and walked to the hotel. Rather a Spartan and absolutely tiny room but it would do for the days I would be there. My first morning I was up and down the Ramblas to the harbour for a muffin and coffee as I watched a thunderstorm roll over the city and waited for the rain to clear. A quiet time before I was off on the next round of visits –

( Barcelona Port and Barri GòticCollapse )

Onto my second day in Barcelona