Santa Maria de Montserrat and our first Day in Barcelona

During our 5 hour drive from Rodellar to Barcelona, we had a little adventure. A herd of bald sheep decided it was time to cross the road, complete with a cute, fluffy sheep dog at the end of the herd. Unlike the dog, the sheep were not fluffy at all because they just got shaved. :( Not exactly my idea of how sheep should look like, but it was quite a sight to behold! Poor JW got such a shock he started cursing and jamming his brakes. :P

Before we reached our hotel, we stopped by the Saint Maria de Montserrat, a monastary up on the hills against beautiful rock formations. Here's a peek at what it looks like from an aerial view (I didn't take pictures of the rocks because I already had a rock overdose in Rodellar!). The view is even more gorgeous in real life.

Credits: Wikipedia

I took some photos of the church's ornate interior and the Black Virgin Mary, which is the highlight of the basilica. It looks a little strange compared to the usual Virgin Mary in my opinion but the beauty of the church more than makes up for this.

Santa Maria de Montserrat is a very popular tourist attraction located about 1 hour away from Barcelona and is well worth a visit if you're headed to Barcelona and would like to take a break from the bustling city life as well as the numerous Gaudi attractions. Do beware of crowds on weekends though! Also, the basilica is closed from 10am to 1230pm, so morning visits are out of the question. ;)

After such an exhausting day, we were relieved to finally retreat into our cosy little hotel room at Hotel Room Mate Emma. It's a 3-star hotel but the service and amenities are 4-star in every way.

It's centrally located and only a short walk away from Passieg de Gracia, one of Barcelona's main shopping streets. This is also where two of renowned architect Antonio Gaudi's works can be found. I'll share more about his amazing works next! :)