Montserrat

Our one night stay in Andorra was pretty simple. The country is known as a ski and wellness destination and we weren’t planning to do either. I had suggested a spa as a contingency and also thought the mothers may be sore and tired, but everyone was well and wasn’t interested. So after breakfast, we drove around and passed by the local St. Steven’s church pictured here:



The city was way more busy and crowded than I expected. Here’s the rotary in front of the national bus station:



I was a little disappointed that there was no immigration interview at the border crossing and we were just waved through. However, at customs, we were the only car waved over and I was asked to open the trunk and answered questions about our purchases and cash. Andorra has low taxes, so luxury goods and duty free items are all over. But when he asked me what I bought, I responded with gas, as it was cheaper without taxes and compared to Spain and France. He was not amused and a bit confused and let us go.

We then drove 2 hours southeast including 7% grade declines. The hybrid SUV got fully charged as I didn’t have to gas that much. From the highway, here you can see the Montserrat mountains, our next destination, and thanks to Mary Ann’s strategic photos:



We arrived at the cable car parking lot and prepared to take the cable car up the mountain which has been running since 1930!











We arrived at the top of the mountain which can also be accessed by funicular or by road. I had read the funicular was undergoing planned maintenance and I thought since the traditional experience is a day trip from Barcelona by train, the cable car would be fun. Also, the hairpin turns are very time-consuming as we know from our drive in and out of Andorra.

At the top is the Santa Maria de Montserrat - an abbey of the Order of Saint Benedict. It is notable for enshrining the image of the Virgin of Montserrat. As this is my 3rd trip to the Barcelona area, I wanted to visit and as it’s on the way into the city. Our beloved Father Chang had also recommended, as he was a Benedictine priest as well. Here are some photos leading to the abbey where there are about 70-80 monks:











We were here to see the famed Black Madonna. But I had managed to book a daily 1 pm concert where the Escolania’s chant, "Salve and Virolai" is performed in honor of her.

The Escolania of Montserrat, which belongs to the Monastery of Montserrat, is one of the oldest boys choirs in Europe - since the 14th century. It is composed of more than fifty boys, from ages nine to fourteen and before they undergo puberty. We managed to get seats and listen to the 3 songs for the 15 minutes. Apparently all these boys are from northeast Spain and in addition to singing, they learn to play an instrument.



You can see the statue above the choir:



The church is quite lavish and ornate and has different lamps everywhere:





Originally, we had a 2:30 pm booking to go see the statue up-close, but we asked to enter early. The Thomas sisters adeptly recalled this was like when we visited St. James’ tomb in the Santiago de Compostela cathedral as it was also behind the altar. Here’s our visit to behind the altar and getting to touch Our Lady of Montserrat or the Virgin of Montserrat:















A view of the church from Mary’s vantage point:



Exiting the visit, you’re able to light candles for loved ones, which we did:





We then enjoyed a buffet lunch at a nearby hostel and walked up and down the street while the vendors impressed us with their Korean. A photo from our walk and the view:







We then descended in the cable car and drove the 1 hour to Barcelona. Driving these 3 days was fun, even though I get a little anxious in foreign countries. I’ll miss the GPS reading out “CG minus 1” (CG-1) or the radio ads that says to call “cinco cinco cinco cinco cinco cinco cinco“ or 555-5555. Also the French and Spanish radios both seem to like Miley Cyrus a lot.

I had booked us at a Marriott property - Le Méridien Barcelona in the heart of the city and on La Rambla. The traffic was way better than expected and after checking in, Tresa and I returned the car to Avis. Returning rental cars in European cities can be tricky as the garage itself is never with the actual address, but we figured it out. 

Tresa and I then walked 10 minutes back to the hotel and all of us rested before heading out to Bar Cañete which appeared on multiple lists. Despite our reservations, we waited over 15 minutes and observed the many tourists who I perceived to be well-off while Mary Ann made other observations. The food was tasty, but I was generally frustrated with the inattentive service and slight condescension. Nonetheless, I think the waiter, who was not our main waiter, did not expect me to call him out as quickly, firmly, and calmly as I did. I legit saw fear in his eyes and as Mary Ann said, he tried to make it up to us afterwards. Here’s a collage of the meal, and maybe because they have gotten so popular, they have gotten a little too complacent:



Then we walked back to the hotel where some of us split a bottle of red wine. Here’s to completing a safe road trip and our last few nights of our trip in Barcelona!

Andorra

After our hotel breakfast and perusing some souvenir shops, we returned to the sanctuary and visited our 2nd basilica, the Basilica of St. Pius X. It has a super modern design and considered one of the biggest in the world - over 20,000 can sit for mass in this underground church. It was originally built to celebrate the centennial of Bernadette’s apparitions in 1958. Here are some pictures:





They had posters of saints including this of the shepherd children of Fátima:



Also, there’s a relic of the beloved Pope John Paul II with some of his blood on a vestment - here’s the chapel that holds the reliquary and the altar that sits over it:





We left the underground basilica and made our way to the 3rd and last basilica in the sanctuary - The Immaculate Conception. It’s actually on top of the Our Lady of the Rosary basilica - the 1st one we visited. Here are some photos from the outside:





And some photos from the inside including a reliquary of St. Bernadette where we lit some candles for loved ones:



The basilica itself:





We found a commemoration of missionaries to Korea as well in one of the chapels:



We then walked up to the Way of the Cross which was situated on a hillside next to the basilica. We couldn’t walk the whole way as it was uphill and extensive, but we had done the last few stations in Fátima, and here we did the first few:







We then crossed the Ousse river where there was a great view of the basilicas and a statue of Bernadette praying facing the Grotto:



Also across the river was St. Bernadette church which apparently is multi-purpose and also used for conferences:



We then headed back to the hotel and picked up the car which had been packed with our luggage. We headed to the center village in search of lunch and we found Café Barcelonne after checking out Les Halles market. We enjoyed omelettes, goat cheese salad with the cheese drizzled in honey, and hamburger steaks while we watched French President Macron on the news:



Here I butchered my French, but we got by with the lovely waiters who didn’t speak English at this family-run establishment. Then we piled into the car with the radio turned on and planned to drive 2 hours before stopping. Here are some views from the road and ski village chalets thanks to co-navigator Mary Ann and as we officially entered Spain, our 3rd country:







We planned to stop in Vielha in Spain which had several restaurants in the Michelin guidebook, so I figured it was built up as a city. It was clearly a destination for skiers and gave me Deer Valley, Utah vibes. We found a bakery where we drank coffees in a booth and chatted with the owners who loved hearing about our itinerary. They also asked how we knew each other as I think they were surprised to see Koreans and Indians together:



Here’s the roundabout where Google Maps pinned the center of the city:



We then drove on for another 2.5 hours, anticipating the hairpin turns on the GPS and admiring the ski resorts and snow-capped mountains of the Pyrenees:









As the sun set, we entered Andorra, the 4th country of our trip and the 6th smallest state in Europe, with an area of 468 square kms or 181 square miles. Located in the eastern Pyrenees, it’s a micro state and is technically not a member of the European Union. The official language is Catalan, but Spanish, Portuguese, and French are also commonly spoken. Approximately 10 millions visitors come annually and I figured on our unique trip with a car rental, this would be an opportunity and we could be one of the 10 million!







We arrived at the Hotel Mercure Andorra, located in Andorra la Vella - the highest capital city in Europe, at an elevation of 1,023 meters or 3,356 feet above sea level. After checking in and parking the car, we walked to Bar Saldana, a tapas restaurant. I suggested we have rosé wine as Andorra was not quite French or Spanish, and rosé is not quite red or white. We enjoyed grilled meat, bread with tomato, sausage and peppers, calamari, Spanish omelette, eggplant with honey, potatoes, and a cheese plate. A collage below:



A taxi was called after the meal, but since everyone couldn’t fit, Tresa and I walked home and she humored me by posing in front of the La Valira River:



Then the daughters enjoyed our welcome drinks at the Mercure sister hotel which is the Novotel and coincidentally where our car is parked. We enjoyed the conversation while chatting about the day and about our final 4 nights together!