Arno in Barcelona

Montserrat and Sitges, May 2005

Montserrat is a mountain near Barcelona and is
the site of a Benedictine abbey, which hosts
the Virgin of Montserrat sanctuary and which is
identified by some with the location of the Holy Grail
in Arthurian myth.
The name "Montserrat" literally means "jagged mountain"
and is used because of the peculiar aspect of the
edifice which is visible from a great distance. It is composed of
strikingly pink conglomerate, a form of sedimentary rock.

Montserrat or Maria de Montserrat is also a popular name
for girls in Catalonia and several other parts of Spain.
The name is commonly abbreviated to Montse.

From the abbey a funicular railway goes up to
the top of the mountain, where there are various abandoned
hovels in the cliff faces that were previously the abodes of reclusive monks.

Sitges is a small coastal town about 40 kilometers
south west of Barcelona. Between the hills and the sea,
it is an interesting mixture of artists, (mainly spanish) tourists, and gays.