As awkward as it may sound, my year has just started. Even though,
it’s already 40 days into 2017 I'm only beginning to get a feel for it. Between
a new job, conference presentations and catching flights, I haven't made time
for anything else, except maybe feel guilty about not writing. Crazy is the
least I can say about my life between end of last year until recently. On most
days I would wake up trying to figure out where on earth I was, literally. In a
nut shell, I have been travelling to Europe and Asia for conference presentations
and fitting in sightseeing in between. I have also recently started working at
Amazon Development Centre Cape Town. There were lots and lots of magical
moments which I can’t help but share. My next few posts will be dedicated to
that.
Moving onto more exciting things, if you are an intermittent
hiker like I am, then chances are you remember the most challenging (or perhaps
your most recent) hike, and of course your promise to never hike again. A hike
up Montserrat is not one to forget. A picturesque landscape, a stimulating
physical challenge and a refreshing religious pilgrimage awaits the bold with
the courage to leave the charms of Barcelona.
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| The views welcoming you to Barcelona |
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| Yes I took this picture! |
There were so many ways you could tell that I was a first time
visitor. In addition to the obvious that I’m African, I wore jeans, since I
clearly underestimated this hilly monastery. Eager as I was, I took the first
train that left from Place Espanya to Monistrol Montserrat . The forward
journey was quite uneventful, I guess the universe was saving drama for the
return journey. From the Monistrol station, I joined other visitors to take the
Cremallera (I guess it’s a Spanish word for a cable train) which offered even
better views. One might conclude that the whole route to the top is designed
for tourists. On getting off the Cremallera, we were greeted with the visitor
centre which did a good job of highlighting the points of interest: the Basilica,
the museum, the Santa Cova chapel, the choir and the hiking trails. The
Basilica houses the statue of the Black Madonna, an old statue of Virgin Mary which
is known to have healing powers.
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| Yo girl has arrived |
By this time, I already had a sense of the kind of visitors that
Montserrat received. They ranged from either religious pilgrims who were
decently dressed, adrenaline junkies in sports gear and then of course there
was me, a simply-curious-solo-traveler-who-has-no-idea-what-she-is-getting-into.
I headed straight to the church because let’s face it, who am I to
resist the architecture of an old Gothic Basilica.
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| The Basilica |
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| And she stood infront of the Basilica, all was well. |
In addition to that, the
famous boys choir sings daily at 1:00pm in the Basilica, an event I didn’t want
to miss. With 2 hours to kill, I had to choose between the museum or the statue
of Lady Madonna. I chose the latter because well the museum costs money I
didn’t budget for. So, in addition to riding trains for 2 hours, arriving
early, touching the Madonna statue demands yet more patience to endure a line
so long it makes you wish there were fewer believers. I had no choice but to
endure it all the way to the alcove above the altar. 45 minutes later…
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| I believe I'm healed |
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| Candle lighting after the statue |
You may be wondering what exactly makes the statue special.
First, Virgin Mary(lady Madonna) is one of the patron saints of
Catalonia- a region in Northern Spain,
that is currently vouching to be an independent country. It has a separate
flag, dialect-a mix of French and Spanish and Barcelona belongs to it. The
story of Catalonia (or Catalunya) is another blogpost on its own but point is
Virgin Mary is a significant character. The statue is called ‘le Morenata’
literally meaning the little black one because well, it is black. I guess when
they named it so they didn’t imagine that real people could actually be Black.
It is a wooden sculpture created between the 9th and 12th
century and it is believed that the varnish turned black due to natural forces.
Some believe that it has healing powers when you touch it, that is open for
discussion. Soon afterwards, a choir that is not the boys choir sang. Never underestimate the energy of aged people, especially when it comes to singing. It was delightful music.
Travelling is fun, but it can be stressful because all of the time
you are making decisions, should I do this or go there, how much will it cost,
will I have enough time, am I making good use of my time? among other concerns
crowd your mind. That is exactly what hit me then, I thought I was done having
seen most what there is to see, besides I didn’t dress the part for hiking and
I was flying the next morning. All things considered, the safest option was to
go ‘home’, pack and chill. Maybe it was the hunger filling my head with
negativity. Due to poor planning I did the mistake of not packing lunch (which
by the way is the cheapest way to eat in Europe), so I ate at the cafeteria
which by my standards was my most expensive meal. Mistakes are bound to happen
but I’m glad I stayed because soon afterwards, all I wanted was to move.
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| Lets move! |
I decided to go some leg stretching and sightseeing despite the
physical discomfort of jeans. I took a trail that led to the highest peak [Sant
Jeroni] because (I like to kill myself ), why not? Moreover, it was
estimated to take 2.5 hours which is just about the time I had planned to stay
there. Although I’ve forgotten most of it, I still remember the fear of going
through the forests (alone), the funicular ride, the artwork of the rocks such
as the Elephant, the pregnant woman among others, the random conversations with
fellow hikers, the exhaustion, the relief/disappointment of realizing how much
of the journey is left.
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Catching my breath |
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| A chapel on the hill |
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| When on top of the world (At Sant Jeroni peak) |
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| #ViewsToDieFor |
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| French steps |
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| My cap has been to places |
I also remember swearing that this would my last hike/exercise
ever. It turned to be one of those resolutions I happily didn't stick to. The hike was relatively long but on reaching the
summit, (of course after catching my breath), I forgot it all. It felt [insert a nice, cozy, proud, happy
feeling] to be on top of Barcelona, quite literally. I could see it all from
that point, the monastery, the other peaks, the city, the people -I had to zoom
in and they still look like ants. A couple of selfies and photos later I was
ready to head back. This was relatively easy but they were fewer people now and
I was going through a forest, it doesn’t mean they weren’t beautiful sights.
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| Imagine having to climb after 1.5 hours hiking |
By 4:45 pm I was back at the monastery filled with endorphins and
a desire for more. Like a drug addict, I decided to do another trail. I had to
be time conscious because I wasn’t prepared for what might have happened if the
last train left. For starters I would miss my flight that was scheduled on the
next morning and I would have to book a room up in the mountain hotel and book
another flight. You can already tell that I’m neither rich nor one to splash
money unnecessarily. I chose a short trail that was estimated to take 1.5
hours. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. Here is how it is
described in the itinerary guide:
“Tradition sets the finding of Our Lady of Montserrat in the place
known as Santa Cova (Holy Grotto). The chapel dates from the 18th
century. It is remarkable the monumental ensemble with the mysteries of the
Rosary standing along the path. Head towards the cable station (Aeri de
Montserrat) walking down the stairs on the left side of the rack railway
station (Cremellera). Take the paved path that descents between the station and
the rack railway and in 20 min you will get to the lower station of Santa Cova
funicular. Follow then the way of the Rosary, wide and flanked by monuments
which recall events in the lives of Jesus and Mary. It will take you another 20
min to get toSanta Cova’s chapel. Return using the same path.”
What is not explicit is that the forward journey is downhill
making backward journey much more difficult, and it’s that its quite hilly in
between. I also didn’t foresee the fact that that it’s not a good idea to do it
late in the evening alone because the brain makes up things in the dark. Oblivious
to these facts, I took the challenge. Truth is it was scary, since it was late,
there were not many people taking the route, as a matter of fact, I was the
only one. I should have felt protected by the holy statues and the religious
significance of the route, but it was all offset by the darkness, being alone, the
height (did I mention the height) and weird structures, perhaps ghosts, my
brain was seeing. The thought that this would be my last time in Montserrat is
all that kept me going. One by one I covered the stations of the rosary up to
the chapel which was already closed by that time. Considering everything at
stake, missing the Cremallera, missing a step and falling, seeing ghosts was
enough to scare me away. I immediately started my way back. Even though with
everything at stake, some views were worth risking for.
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| TheCapHasStoriesToTel |
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| #Views |
I arrived back in time to catch
three more Cremallera, this time I was so high in endorphins that I could risk
everything for one more adventure. They say ‘Be careful what you wish for’ and
I should have listened. I went for another short walk around the Monastery to
see the Els Degotalls rock shelter where in former days filtered water dripped
from the rocks. This one wasn’t very exciting but it was enough to cool me down.
I almost missed the last Cremallera but luck was on my side that day I not only
made it but I ended in a coach with a bunch of cool people. I met a South
African who studied at UCT but fate had it that we had to meet not in CapeTown
or South Africa or even Africa but in Barcelona, specifically Montserrat. I had
such great conversations with him and his European friends that I didn’t want
the day to end. Sadly, it had to come to an end. I had procrastinated for too
long now that it was now urgent. I arrived ‘home’ sometime around midnight,
grateful at how great the day was. I
flew to Athens next, with new friends, happy memories and an appetite for the
mountains. Athens did a great job to top this experience.
I’ll always remember 7th
December 2016, not because it was first Saturday of December or for any other
reason. All things considered, it was a happy day, I did the hike to remember.
Fun fact.
Montserrat is Catalan for ‘saw
mountain’ due to its jagged appearance. Christopher Columbus named the
Caribbean island of Montserrat after this mountain.
Interested in visiting?
Go for it! You won’t regret it.
Here are some links of interest.
