The travel gods were with us today, no strikes and lots of sunshine. Our large bus provided lots of room to spread out on our way to Montserrat. The drive through the working section of the country was interesting and then turned into beautiful scenery as we drove into the mountains.
Montserrat houses several religious institutions with the largest being the Benedictine monastery on the Main Street. There are several options to ascend to the monastery, including a sky tram and train. Funiculars offer a trip further up the mountain but were down for repairs during our visit.
The Basilica was quite beautiful inside. The center piece is the black Madonna that looks down onto the congregation. A cue had formed to take the stairs past the virgin but we satisfied to view it from below. Also available is a beautiful museum with some well known artists’ works. A boys choir sings two songs at 1:00 but we opted for a bite of lunch in the cafeteria instead.
A funicular climbs the side of the mountain and we were curious what the views would be up there. Unfortunately it was currently closed due to repairs. A path led up the side of the mountain and we needed the exercise. When we set out on our little hike we had no idea where the path led but we soon found out the cross in the distance would be our final destination. Standing 30 feet in the air, the cross attracted memorial flowers and other items people had left. There were also lots of selfie activity going on. We enjoyed the spectacular views looking down into the valley and looking back to the monastery. We hiked back down and onto the bus for our next activity.
Cava is produced only in Catalonya so it seemed appropriate to visit a boutique winery called Art Cava. The winery includes a very old house which was the focus of the first part of the tour. Centuries old, the house told the history of the region including how to tell the status of the family living there, the daily life of a Catalan and how important wine is in the Spanish culture.
Next came a lesson in Cava. Cava can be made from many different types of grapes and can also be a blend. The general method of producing it is very similar to champagne. Yeast and clay(more on that in a minute) is introduce to the bottle for fermenting which can be a short or relatively long process depending on year. Once it is ready to be corked, the dead yeast which has been absorbed by the clay is removed by freezing a small portion of the cava which is shot out of the bottle when the bottle cap is removed (an extreme amount of pressure builds during the aging). The cork is then placed in the bottle, a wire cage a fixed to the top and the label is applied after a thorough cleaning. Cava is meant to be consumed within a year of its corkage. The sample we had had been corked only a few days before. This winery only produces the driest of Cava and it was quite delicious.
Art Cava is probably the best wine tour/tasting I have experienced. I would highly recommend a visit if you find yourself in the area.
Tomorrow: A man’s life work
Montserrat houses several religious institutions with the largest being the Benedictine monastery on the Main Street. There are several options to ascend to the monastery, including a sky tram and train. Funiculars offer a trip further up the mountain but were down for repairs during our visit.
The Basilica was quite beautiful inside. The center piece is the black Madonna that looks down onto the congregation. A cue had formed to take the stairs past the virgin but we satisfied to view it from below. Also available is a beautiful museum with some well known artists’ works. A boys choir sings two songs at 1:00 but we opted for a bite of lunch in the cafeteria instead.
A funicular climbs the side of the mountain and we were curious what the views would be up there. Unfortunately it was currently closed due to repairs. A path led up the side of the mountain and we needed the exercise. When we set out on our little hike we had no idea where the path led but we soon found out the cross in the distance would be our final destination. Standing 30 feet in the air, the cross attracted memorial flowers and other items people had left. There were also lots of selfie activity going on. We enjoyed the spectacular views looking down into the valley and looking back to the monastery. We hiked back down and onto the bus for our next activity.
Cava is produced only in Catalonya so it seemed appropriate to visit a boutique winery called Art Cava. The winery includes a very old house which was the focus of the first part of the tour. Centuries old, the house told the history of the region including how to tell the status of the family living there, the daily life of a Catalan and how important wine is in the Spanish culture.
Next came a lesson in Cava. Cava can be made from many different types of grapes and can also be a blend. The general method of producing it is very similar to champagne. Yeast and clay(more on that in a minute) is introduce to the bottle for fermenting which can be a short or relatively long process depending on year. Once it is ready to be corked, the dead yeast which has been absorbed by the clay is removed by freezing a small portion of the cava which is shot out of the bottle when the bottle cap is removed (an extreme amount of pressure builds during the aging). The cork is then placed in the bottle, a wire cage a fixed to the top and the label is applied after a thorough cleaning. Cava is meant to be consumed within a year of its corkage. The sample we had had been corked only a few days before. This winery only produces the driest of Cava and it was quite delicious.
Art Cava is probably the best wine tour/tasting I have experienced. I would highly recommend a visit if you find yourself in the area.
Tomorrow: A man’s life work
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