Magnificent Montserrat - A photo story
August 31, 2016It’s not that often that I visit a place which blows me right away with its beauty. But my God! Perched high in the mountain’s cliff face, Montserrat is a photographer’s heaven.
As you meander your way up to the Monastery, you cannot help but feel dwarfed by the imposing mountain range above. It’s truly impressive and you cannot help but ask whether the rock formations were cut by someone. They are really that unique.
Getting your hopes high? Good, because once you make it to the top, be prepared to be blown away. The place immediately reels you in with its impressive views and your lungs will feel unusually fresh thanks to the pure air around.
Once you make it to the Monastery, I suggest just heading wherever your gut leads you. If I can give you a hint, shun the areas where you see flocks of tourists and head the opposite way. You will not be disappointed. If the midday summer sun is too much, you can always grab a meal from the cafeteria, or better yet, visit its museums. The archeological wealth and paintings on display are pretty amazing.
The monastery’s architecture also blends right in with the surrounding natural environment. As a photographer, I can attest that the architects definitely got their colour scheme on point. Everything flows marvelously well in front of your eyes.
There are also enough religious artefacts scattered around that you will not forget you are in a Roman Catholic Monastery. I come from Malta, an island up to its neck in churches. Having seen my fair share, I can attest that the church within the Monastery is quite impressive itself.
However, as a person who passionately loves exploring the outdoors, what really impressed me were the hiking trails. Regretfully, I could spend a day in Montserrat and that meant I could only trek along just one. But the trail we chose all left us gaping in awe at the views it afforded us. The path we chose was tucked in, to the right of the Sant Joan funicular station. It was the most uninviting of the three paths available, but it soon opened up to be the most dramatic of the three, offering first row views of Montserrat’s unmistakable mountain tops.
A word of warning, just make sure you do not miss out the funicular back down. Otherwise, it would be a long trek down, probably in the dark. Even then, that might be a great adventure in itself. :D But really, I was so impressed that I left this place feeling I had unfinished business. I will definitely be back, hopefully some time between autumn to early spring, as I’m really curious to see what this place looks like with dramatic weather around. Hasta luego Montserrat!