2026.02.21 Montserrat, Barcelona, Spain
Having learned our lesson from rushing for the train in Girona last time, we set aside three extra hours to travel to Montserrat on the Day 6.
There are two ways to the top of the mountain: the rack railway or the cable car. However, they depart from different train stations. I selected to ride the railway when buying the combo tickets but got off one station too early. We couldn’t afford to wait another hour for the next train, so we had no choice but to line up to buy the cable car ticket. The ride took only a quick 7 minutes but the waiting in line cost us like 40mins… Well, at least we got to experience both!
The Basílica of Montserrat is well known for housing the 12th-century Black Madonna statue (the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus)and also hosting Europe’s oldest boys’ choirs. After all the effort to finally reach the top, the two of us rushed straight to the basílica, making it just in time for the choir. But the staff accidentally directed us into the line for the Virgin Mary statue instead. As the choir’s singing echoed through the hall, we were still wondering what exactly we were lining up for?
Since neither of us is particularly into the religious statue, we quickly broke away from the line and finally stepped into the main basílica. The choir was absolutely beautiful. There was a lady in the crowd who even sang alone with them.
Thank goodness our crazy rush was over. We grabbed a bite at Restaurant Abat Cisneros. We missed out on the 16th century monastery stone-walled seating because we had no reservation; but luckily, a satisfying meal fueled us up for the mountain hike.
Beyond the spiritual complex, there is a scenic hiking trail that leads to panoramic viewpoints on the other side of the mountain.
It’s no wonder it was named a sacred mountain. This breathtaking view became the backdrop for us to replicate this viral social media shot.
2026.02.21 Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain
We were window shopping down the streets this morning in a flurry. Because of the East Coast storm, Jess’ flight got rescheduled. She stayed incredibly calm and literally browsed the shops while staying on the phone with the airline. Right as we got back to our place, she had successfully sorted out the layover destination :)
With that headache out of the way, we set off with a much relaxed mood to Montjuïc, one of Barcelona's most captivating areas:
Unfortunately, we came at the wrong time. Not only was Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) closed, but the evening fountain show at the Magic Fountain wasn’t running on the day either. The crowds at Montjuïc Castle also put us off waiting in line, so we decided to just wander around the perimeter. Even spotting the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Stadium sign in the distance wasn’t enough to motivate us.
Despite all that, we didn’t feel disappointed at all. Instead, we spent a good amount of relaxing time sitting on the museum steps, thoroughly enjoying the street musician’s performance :)
With the sun sinking low in the sky…
A quick random search on Google led us to this incredible tapas restaurant: Taps Bar; The restaurant was cozy and filled with character. The delicious flavors of their tapas rank second only to Day 2’s Bar Cañete in my book.
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