montserrat - the peak

Montserrat was an optional tour, they opted for it, and enjoyed the trip very much. the travel from Barcelona on the tour bus took an hour. as the bus ascended the mount, the view widened up, and the sight of the city of barca shrank. The rock formation of the mountain was unique, in that the conglomerate of bare rocks jutted into the sky like the fat and rounded Botero sculptures, abstracted and amplified many times. The air was fresh and cool, the sky was superbly blue, amidst some drifting clouds. Near the summit, there's a group of religious structures, the Benedictine abbey, the Santa Maria de Montserrat, which host the Virgin of Montserrat(a Black Madonna and little Christ)sanctuary. They queued up for about 30 minutes to see and touch the hand of the Black Madonna. The summit was still a few hundred meters above, which can be reached by hiking or the funicular next to the Benedictine abbey. They did not go up because there's not enough time for it. - sometimes, you come to the mountain not to reach the physical peak, rather the peak is what you come for....