October 2021
Montserrat
Montserrat ( basically serrated mountain) is a mountain range about ½ hour drive outside of Barcelona.
On top of the mountain is a Benedictine Monastery, Santa Maria de Montserrat, that gets a lot of wahoos in tourist magazines. When I returned to Barcelona I was not sure why I had gone.
It is a very important pilgrimage for Catholics, and I respect that, but otherwise, it was basically a large tourist trap.
If you were spending a considerable amount of time in Barcelona and needed some fresh air and mountain hikes, I can not think of a more spectacular place, but historically, it lacks.
The monastery was originally built in the 11th century, but after having been completely destroyed by Napoleon’s troops in 1811 and in 1812, the monastery you see today is fairly modern.
Hundreds traipse to the monastery to see the infamous Black Madonna, whose provenance is unknown, and science has led to the knowledge, that she is black thanks to millions of candles having been burnt in her vicinity.
I was thrilled to find that they had a Caravaggio in their museum, Saint Jerome the Penitent, sadly it was so poorly displayed as to make my excitement falter the moment I saw it. Caravaggio is known for his use of chiaroscuro, emphasis on scuro. The museum has the piece so lit up it is impossible to actually study and enjoy the painting.
The Labyrinth of Horta
Plaza of Lions
Returning to Barcelona at Plaça d’Espanya I hoped on the subway for another 1/2 hour in the other direction to the The Labyrinth of Horta, Barcelona’s oldest garden.
Juan Antonio Desvalls i Ardena, Marquis of Llupià, of Poal and of Alfarrás, (try putting that on a business card) conceived of this garden to impress visitors to his home.
Desvalls commissioned the Italian landscaper and gardener Domenico Bagutti who worked on the garden until 1808. The space has many distinctly Neo-Classical features, which have been well maintained and then added to with classic romanticism touches.
I love things like this, they really make you think about who it was, and why was it beheaded. Because the family disowned him? Because they bought the original statue like that? or this is the result of a party of debauchery I wish I had attended?
The park actually remained in the family until 1970, it was purchase by the city in 1971 and restored in 1994. It is limited to 750 visitors per day and is free on Wednesdays and Sundays. I had originally attempted to visit on Sunday, not because I wanted to avoid the meager 2 euro charge, but because it fit into my schedule. It fit into the schedule of every Barcelonian family that was dying to enjoy the stunning Sunday, the line, long enough to stretch forever, sent me on another adventure that day. I returned midweek to have the entire park to myself.
So everyone has been in a lot of Labyrinths and there are books on how not to get lost. I was lost, I was lost for a very, very long time, and all the rules they tell you, don’t apply when the designer designs for fun and not by the rules.
You are appropriately met by Eros, god of love and sex, once you finally do reach the middle of the Labyrinth
Looking down on the Labyrinth from the portico above
Here are some just delightful moments from the garden.
Beauty, solace, peace of mind, we each find in our own way, I am glad mine ended with something that thrilled me beyond words.