We went on a day-long bus trip to Montserrat during our recent vacation in Barcelona and I hiked up the mountain to an overlook called St Michael’s Cross and took this shot of the Benedictine monastery. It will be my website header for awhile. Here’s the full photo before it was cropped:
The Monastery at Montserrat from St Michael’s Cross.
It took 40 minutes to hike uphill to St Michael’s Cross but only 20 minutes to walk back down. I’ll have more details and photos of our day-trip in a future posting.
Crow Canyon Journal 
Did you feel like you had enough time to explore with the tour group? Which company did you use?
We went on the Catalunya Busturistic Premium Montserrat & Gaudi tour that leaves the Placa de Catalunya at 8:30am and goes to Colonia Guell outside Barcelona where we toured Gaudi’s church and a few other places. We also had a glass of cava there. Then we went on to Montserrat and arrived there around noon. After lunch (on our own) we attended the boys choir at the Basilica. Then there was a tour of the monastery and dormitories which I skipped. We also had tickets for an audiovisual presentation which I also skipped. There was then free time until 4:00 when we went back on the bus and arrived back in Barcelona around 5pm. I got back from my hike around 2:30 and then just walked around taking pictures for about an hour. Then my wife and I and a few others from the tour just sat around talking until the bus arrived.
Sounds like a full day. Sometimes I feel that there isn’t enough time to see all the times with an organized day tour, but this is extremely helpful in planning my trip!
Stunning vista!
Thanks, Laura!
You’re welcome!
Extraordinary! I was there last month but didn’t get a shot from across like you did! ‘Envy’
Lovely view from there! They should include that as part of the tour! You’re so clever to do more on your own than being bored doing what the tour had scheduled. I think you nailed a wonderful image too!
Thanks, Deborah. There will be more pictures from that hike in a future posting.