THE BEAUTIFUL MONTSERRAT / SPAIN

I saw this beautiful place on Instagram and knew I had to visit while in Barcelona. There are many companies that travel to this destination, I went with Viator on an early morning access tour. Pick up time was 6:45am from Barcelona city centre but when you arrive at a "touristy" place and there are no tourist to block your view its an amazing feeling. This was only half a day trip and we returned to Barcelona by 1pm. This was still plenty of time to explore and experience everything Montserrat has to offer. 

The tour begins with a visit to Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey, this is an incredible church with impressive gothic architecture. You're unable to go into some of this building as monks live there. The church inside had beautifully coloured stainglass windows, also we saw the "virgin mary" which is a worshiped statue for Catalonia people so its a privilege to see this statue upclose. Unfortunately I couldn't get many photos of this building as my memory card in my camera decided to develop a glitch. Gotta love technology aye! This was the one time I didn't bring my camera bag from the coach, so I had to run back to get another memory card!

We had 2 hours to explore, there is loads of options to choose from, you could sit in the cafe and enjoy a drink although in my opinion in a beautiful place like this you shouldn't be sitting in a cafe. If you wanted to go up the mountain you could either hike up or catch a gondaia "thingy". At the top there is several hikes to choose from, I could of taken the easy option but I decided to do the hike which took 1 hour and a half. The views at the top were amazing. Although in 30 degree heat hiking started to feel exhausting quickly but I powered through and kept going because the views were too great to miss!

This day trip gave me the opportunity to test out my new Joby camera stand, its perfect for travelling solo because the stand can bend around objects and adjust in awkward positions. Sometimes when you visit somewhere and there aren't many people around, it can be difficult to get a photo of yourself that isn't a selfie!

After I finished hiking for a few hours in the sun I decided to head back down the mountain to explore a little more. I was considering grabbing a drink and relaxing in the cafe, but naturally I decided to make the most of my time and look around. There is a museum that was meant to be incredible but I didn't have enough time to do this. One thing I knew I wanted to see on this trip was this square stacked statue, from the photos I saw people were climbing to the top and getting an amazing shot. I was very disappointed to find out that a fence had been put up to ensure tourist don't risk their life for a great photo! Despite the bright orange sign and fencing its still is an amazing view.

Sincerely, Kimberly.

xxx

DAYTRIP TO COSTA BRAVA FROM BARCELONA

Barcelona is a beautiful place to visit and I couldn't wait to explore the city. Since I had 10 days I decided to spend some time out of the city, I took a day trip to Costa Brava which is about 2 hours drive from Barcelona city centre, along the way we stopped at Calella, L'estartit, Illies Medes, Pals and Empuries. All these places I visited had different vibes and things to offer. There are loads of companies that do day trips from Barcelona, I went with Viator, the price wasn't too bad at £71 for the entire day and that included all the entry fees etc but unfortunately not food. The tour guides were bilingual and spoke highly of each destination and included any stories or fun facts.

Calella de Palafruguell

First stop on the tour was the beautiful Calella, we were given 1 1/2 hour to go off and explore. I did debate sitting on the beach the entire time but then I would miss so many amazing photography opportunities, I got some great scenic shots. I spend my time wondering around and enjoying the view, naturally I couldn't resist indulging in a chocolate ice cream when I came across a little shop, and yes it was worth it. 

L'estartit & Illes Medes

Second stop was L'estartit port, boats everywhere and there is nothing more I love than photographs of boats! Luckily we stopped for lunch here and it was the best timing as I was very hungry. Since it was 29 degrees I didn't fancy anything too heavy, in the end I had a chicken Caesar salad and it was delicious. I always love to eat where you have a great view. Afterwards it was time for the boat trip in a submarine boat, this was a new experience for me and was great because you could see everything as if you were diving.

Pals

I was very excited to see this medieval town after researching beforehand. We stopped here for 20 minutes and I wish we had longer as it's not enough time to explore this pretty place. I don't know about you but when I visit somewhere I don't like to be rushed and when we were here it felt very rushed. I understand its because they have a lot of tours coming and going but I think 40 minutes would have been a good amount of time so you could truly enjoy everything Pals has to offer. Overall I did love my time here and I would recommend to anyone to visit while in the area.

Empuries

Final stop on the day trip was Empuries, this is greek and roman ruins site. I don't know about you but I always find it interesting seeing ruins and learning about the history, as you can tell from the photos not a lot remains of these ruins. I felt like I didn't enjoy this as much as the other destinations due to the fact I had heat stoke! Yes heat stoke, I struggled to walk in a straight line at this point and had blurred vision, next time I NEED to wear a hat throughout the day to prevent this.

Sincerely, Kimberly.

xxx