|
Looking down, as we walk toward the cathedral, we see clouds with the sun above. |
|
Brilliant blue skies over the beautiful monastery of Montserrat. |
|
Distant mountains hidden by clouds, with blue sky above them. |
|
Driving down from the monastery, re-entering the clouds. |
Following our Spain-Portugal-Canary Islands cruise with Royal Caribbean, we took advantage of a shore excursion the ship offered to the beautiful monastery in the midst of
Parc Natural de la Muntanya de Montserrat. (If you don't recognize the language as Spanish, French or English, it is Catalan, the second official language of Catalunya.) About an hour from the Barcelona Airport (El Prat de Llobregat), high in the foothills of the Pyrenees, is an abbey and a boys' school. It is an amazing and fascinating place, surrounded by rounded cliffs of bare pink conglomerate sedimentary rock. The Benedictine abbey is located on one of the ledges of Mount Montserrat, and is the home of Santa Marie de Montserrat, the black Madonna and child. Catalans to this day believe the Madonna possesses spiritual powers and that the wooden statue was carved by Luke in Jerusalem and brought to Spain by Peter. The complex, which was under construction from the 11th to the 15th century, contains the monastery, a library, a cathedral and an art museum with works by El Greco, Picasso and Dali.
Photos by Richard Schear and Kay Davies
32 comments:
Stunning, gorgeous captures as always, Kay! I do love the first one, but the vivid blue skies in the second one blew my mind! I remember lots of blue skies like that from when I lived in Spain and visited in Portugal! Love driving through the clouds, too! Hope you have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy!
Sylvia
absolutely gorgeous. love the different textures in the sky.
Oh, this is breathtaking!
What an amazing place. These photos are beautiful, thank you for sharing them. It's always so nice to visit your blog!
These photos are gorgeous Kay! What a fabulous tour that must have been! I've never been there but looks like a great place to visit!
Those are really impressive rock formations around the monastery. I love the earthy colours. - Margy
Absolutely beautiful and serene.
Hi Kay, beautiful pictures! There is something magical, mystical, and misty in the first shot!
I want to visit the places where you visited...
Wow wow wow! Those shots are amazing!
@ ladyfi -- Thank you so much, but we could only photograph what was there. The scenery was amazing, not us.
-- Kay and Dick
oh my gosh, these are absolutely beautiful! the first photo is breathtaking. couldn't stop looking at these photos.
Beautiful place for monastery. The images are awesome.
Wow! That is really, really gorgeous! What a beautiful monastery. You had such a glorious day to enjoy all that magnificence.
Amazing Place !
Looks like a gorgeous place to visit, Kay! The cruises from Spain sounds very nice.
Thank you for this interesting virtual trip. Your photos are impressive! Especially the first one is far beyond my comprehension. How could such a view appear! In my country everything is flat and low and not breathtaking like this.Spain is also beautiful.
Awesome pictures Kay, congratulations!
The first shot, with the glorious sky is something very special, brings so lovely energies to my heart, thanks dear friend.I would love to visit this Monastery, how special place!Lucky you!
Léia
Hmmm. Looks like a place I would love to visit!
Kay, these are beautiful!! I cannot decide whether the first or the last is my favourite shot, and I spent a long time scrolling between the two! Sigh! I will just have to look again!
Aloha, Kay. I spent 3 months in England, France, Switzerland, Italy, and Germany -- but never stepped foot in Portugal or Spain. Your pictures make me want to go.
Wow! Amazing sites. Need to add that to my list of places to see. Thanks for visiting my blog.
Beautiful photos. I would have loved to see it with you.
Strange and beautiful pictures ! especially the first one !
Dramatic pictures. The different points of view give a complete picture of the environment of the monastery. I like the last one best because the clouds frame the monastery so well.
Such a beautiful place -- but the clouds in these shots seem SO perfect for it! Congratulations on capturing such beauty, I loved every photo.
Those pinnacles behind the monastery looks like humans.
Kay, what a lovely surprise that must have been to come up through the clouds and find this glorious place. The monastery is gorgeous architecture, and the skies and views you and Dick captured are stunning.
[I added a PS to my bridge reflection photo today: I realized I had forgotten to mention that the lights flash and rotate colours and that is why I had dubbed it Rainbow Bridge. My photo shows only the blue. Silly me! :-D]
Querida Kay, sua generosidade vai além... Ver magníficas imagens deixa-nos inertes e sem fôlego, elas têm o poder de despertar sentimentos lindos!
Uma feliz semana!
HI Kay. After so much heartaches I've felt.. I feel so relieved seeing your photos... they are awesome ... thanks for always checking on my blog... all the best.
Wow! Those scenes and views are unreal. What fabulous weather you had for visiting and photographing. Thanks for stopping by at mine. Enjoy the day...
beautiful clouds! what a gorgeous, peaceful spot!
This place is gorgeous and you captured some amazing skies. Great photos!
Post a Comment