A very special pilgrimage to Montserrat to experience the beauty of its serrated mountains (legend has it that angels from Heaven did that), cool weather, contemplative atmosphere of the Basilica of Montserrat and the presence of the Black Madonna statue. The coach arrived late by some 25 mins for our stated 10.15am tour! It was a relief that we finally left the bus depot from Barcelona at 10.38am. The 40-min journey was smooth and comfortable and so was the amazing cogwheel tram ride which allowed us to have good scenic views going up. I suggest you sit on the left side next to the windows to see the spectacular views clearly. After a briefly by the guide, we had around 1 1/2 hours to wonder around. I had presumed that I would be able to listen to the boys’ choir at 1pm since we were early but was told that tickets had to be purchased way in advance! (How to purchase? I don’t know.) I enjoyed a quick walk to the gift shop for wine tasting and shopping before hiking up a trail to view the cross which is also a great viewing point of the mountainous area, the Basilica complex etc. Don’t miss it! We gathered again to visit the Basilica proper with our guide while we were given an interesting introduction as to how the monastery of the Order of St Benedict was established. Perhaps 40+ monks continue to live there. We could see also hotel facilities for pilgrims who want to stay overnight/longer to pray. As we entered the Basilica in queue in order to eventually approach the Black Madonna statue, I was attracted by the life like sculptures around, paintings and the beautiful courtyard. The moment of seeing the Black Madonna statue face to face was amazing and we were allowed to touch the globe! Turning around for a second, I took in very briefly the interior view of the Basilica from high up. I liked that we still had more time to ourselves after that for more than an hour. I spent time taking photographs, observing the Gothic church with Rennaissance elements and praying before watching the special millennium light and sound show for about 8 mins. Afterall, this is the 1000th anniversary of the founding of the Basilica! In summary, it was 7 hours very well spent as we headed back to the bus depot of Barcelona city around 5.15pm! Highly recommended!