Went on a day trip to Montserrat with CEA. It was about an hour bus ride from Barcelona, 30 minutes climbing up a mountain in the bus with the most gorgeous scenic view of Spain. At the top was a monastery, which we were allowed to walk into to watch the congregation. After Montserrat we took a bus down to have a traditional 'calcotada' lunch in another small part of Spain– maybe the weirdest thing I've ever experience but it was quite grimey and fun. Basically, we went to the now famous restaurant called El Bulli (literally a farmhouse). First we were dressed in bibbs, fed burn leek-like onions which they teach you how to peel and eat with romesco sauce (they're famous for this and I don't know how it was even invented). Then they brought out HUGE pieces of sourdough to spread garlic aoli (yum!) and rub tomato on it, a huge Spanish staple. Then came enormous french fries, pork sausages the size of my entire arm, roasted eggplants and red peppers, and more and more sourdough bread. Then to top it all off, they started passing out vanilla ice cream cones topped with chocolate syrup and nuts. Stuffed as can be, you couldn't not eat it. Not sure how many more farmhouse feasts I can handle.
A view from the top of the mountain
Local farmers selling cheeses, date and nut desserts, and cheesecake. As you pass by, each one offers you a taste of their cheese- obviously delicious, even when you're not the biggest cheese fan.
Inside the monastery in Montserrat
After lunch we went down by the coast to a town called Stiges– I could LIVE here. It was like a classy beachy town with villas and nice cars everywhere. So quite and simple you wanted to walk into every little cafe, restaurant, ice cream shop, and bar you saw just to scope out the scene. Everyone there seemed like they were so careless and retired to just live life and be in love. We spotted an adorable couple cuddling and leaning over the balcony of one of the apartments looking over the beach in the middle of the day when most people would be stressing in the office. Guess I can see why people here work to live and don't live to work– leisure here is the biggest blessing. Sidenote, everything in this town was tax free so don't think I didn't go shopping walking through the cute little alleyways filled with shops and cafes. Snatched the cutest scarf I now own.
Shopping in Stiges
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