Our official tour doesn’t begin until tonight, so we arrived in Barcelona a day early to adjust to the time zone and explore a little on our own. Yesterday afternoon we relaxed at the rooftop bar of our hotel and took a walk through the surrounding neighborhood to get our first feel for the city.

For this trip I’m trying something new with the blog — a daily theme.
The theme for this Barcelona trip is:  “Why Barcelona Feels So Alive.”

Today’s Theme:  Living Traditions That Still Shape the City
The Journey to Montserrat

Today’s adventure was a visit to Montserrat Monastery, located high in the mountains outside Barcelona.

Getting there turned out to be an adventure in itself.  From our hotel in downtown Barcelona, the trip should take about two hours using public transportation. It would have only taken about an hour by taxi — but Nana enjoys the challenge of navigating local transit systems, so we chose the metro and trains.

That challenge proved real. Only certain stations sold the correct ticket, the ticket machines wouldn’t accept our credit card, and Google Maps was less helpful than expected about which trains to take and where to change lines. After a few wrong turns and some trial-and-error, we eventually figured it out. We left the hotel at 8:30 a.m. and arrived at the monastery around 11:15 a.m.

The journey included several stages: Walk to the metro, Train from Barcelona to the base of Montserrat, Cable car up the mountain (from Aeri de Montserrat Station), Rack railway down from the monastery, 2 trains home

Taking the cable car up and the rack railway down gave us two completely different perspectives of the mountain. The views were spectacular both ways.

In total we used four different tickets for the journey. Between metro zones, train systems, and mountain transport, it was confusing to know what each ticket covered.  But in the end — we made it there and back.

The Basilica of Montserrat

After arriving via the cable car, we walked up to the monastery complex and entered the Basilica of Montserrat. The basilica is stunning, but the highlight of our visit was hearing the Escolania de Montserrat, one of the oldest boys’ choirs in Europe.

Their voices filled the stone sanctuary in a way that was both powerful and peaceful at the same time. The combination of sacred music, ancient architecture, and the dramatic mountain setting made the moment deeply moving.

A Musical Tradition Since the Middle Ages

The Escolania de Montserrat dates back to the 13th century, meaning the choir has been singing here for more than 700 years. It began as part of the Benedictine community at Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey. Young boys were brought to the monastery to sing during religious services dedicated to the Virgin of Montserrat, often called the Black Madonna.

Originally the choir existed simply to support the daily liturgy. Over time, however, it grew into one of the most respected sacred choirs in Europe. For centuries, pilgrims climbing the mountain would arrive tired and dusty, only to hear the pure voices of the boys echoing through the basilica — a moment many described as almost heavenly.

Life of a Choir Boy

Members of the Escolania are typically boys between 9 and 14 years old. They attend a boarding school attached to the monastery where they receive both a normal academic education and intensive musical training. Their daily life includes:

• Academic classes
• Music theory and vocal training
• Instrument study (often piano)
• Rehearsals and singing during services
Living and studying high in the mountains gives these boys a childhood unlike almost any other choir school in the world.

Things I Noticed Today in Barcelona

Each day I’ll also try to highlight something unusual or interesting that caught my attention.
Today’s observation:
A wild, almost surreal building in the middle of a normal city block — clearly designed by Antoni Gaudí.

Barcelona seems full of these surprises. You turn a corner expecting ordinary architecture and suddenly encounter something imaginative and completely unique.

It’s another reminder of why this city feels so alive.