The Place
This place, just an hour inland from Barcelona, is magical, with its massive conglomerate spires, mountain goats, and, of course, its famous monastery hanging on the side of the cliff walls some 3,000 feet above the valley floor. It is the spiritual heart of Catalunya and the location of the famous Black Virgin of Montserrat, patron saint of Catalunya (along with Co-Saint George).
Many make the pilgrimage here to ride the cable car or the “zipper train”, to visit the Black Virgin Mary, to hear the internationally acclaimed boys choir, to tour the art museum, to pray and meditate, to eat ice cream, to climb the rocks, to hike or run, or simply to escape the city and soak up some fresh mountain air.
The high point of the massif is called Sant Jeroni (1,236 meters, or 4,055 feet) and is about a one and a half to two hour hike uphill from the Monastery.
The Photography
With the September 21 sunrise scheduled for 7:38a.m., I left Barcelona at 4a.m., was parked at the Monastery at 5a.m., and found myself atop the Sant Jeroni observation platform at 7a.m.–just as first light was starting to break through the fog… the fog being in the forecast and part of the plan. I was after pictures of the spires of Montserrat intertwined with ribbons of mist. Fog is quite common each morning at Montserrat, especially in autumn, winter, and spring.
I carried a tripod, the Nikon D850, and three Nikkor lenses: 14-14mm f/2.8, 24-70mm f/2.8, 70-200 f/4. I also carried plenty of warm clothes and a rain jacket. Even though Montserrat is so close to the coast, it can feel very much like an alpine environment at times, with the weather changing from one extreme to the other in minutes. As a simple example on this day: I noted the temperature in downtown Barcelona at 26.5 degrees C when I left (almost 80 degrees Farenheit), and it was 16.5 degrees C (62 degrees Farenheit) at the Monastery, even cooler at Sant Jeroni. With the wind, humidity, and dew from the fog, standing still at a tripod awaiting the morning light could have been quite uncomfy without a good jacket and head covering.
The Images – B&W
As first light seeps through the clouds, I get a glimpse of the communications tower just north of Sant Jeroni…
With more light, I get a view down the sheer north side during a brief break in the fog…
As the sun starts to warm the massif, the fog begins to lift and turn into white puffy cumulus clouds. Left of center, that largest formation is the Gorro Frigi, with the Monastery out of the picture to the left and down the valley…
Looking southeast down the Torrent de Santa Maria toward L’Elefant and La Prenyada…
The Sun as disc through the mist…
One of the most famous rock formations of Montserrat is this one, Cavall Bernat. It actually looks much more impressive from the opposite (north) side. Atop the pinnacle is a massive steel and concrete statue of the Black Virgen Mary of Montserrat.
El Gorro Frigi (La Gorra Frígia) through the mist…
Two figures contemplate the foggy abyss at the Sant Benet mountain shelter…
Later in the morning, a cloudless and classic view from above the Montserrat Monastery complex…
The Images – Color
Now, for those who might prefer a bit of color… the communications tower just north of Sant Jeroni…
The observation deck at the Sant Jeroni summit, as the Sun starts to poke a hole in the mist…
The landmark indicator on the Sant Jeroni summit observation deck…
You’ll have to look close at this one. The blue shade is the shadow of the Sant Jeroni summit against the fog bank and you can just see my figure (with arms up) surrounded by a very faint rainbow-colored halo. This halo effect happens fairly often in misty mountain conditions…
A fiery ridgeline…
The Sun climbs over the communications tower…
Looking to the southeast toward the Gorros area…
Another curious observation deck along the trail to Sant Jeroni. There’s something about the tree bulge on the left and the rock bulge on the right that I liked…
Looking southeast down the Torrent de Santa Maria toward the L’Elefant/La Prenyada area…
A tree in the clouds soaks up the view…
Two contemplative figures at the Sant Benet mountain shelter…
Finally, a cloudless and classic mid-morning view from above the Monastery of Montserrat…
Images – Naming The Rock Formations
This section is for those who are curious as to the names of some of the key rock formations at Montserrat. As I photograph different areas of the Park, I’ll continue to post these “labeled” images…
