About an hour drive outside of Barcelona lies the Benedictine abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat. While today it is a loaded bus touring destination (as an example, it looked like the line to see the Virgin of Montserrat was about 4 to 5 hours long), it is a place of beauty and serenity, both from its unique natural setting and from the monks' additions over the years. This is especially true if you take one of the many trails that lead away from the main abbey to the various smaller cloisters that are nestled into the surrounding mountain.
The abbey hosts one of the world's oldest and still active choirs and printing presses (the latter opened in 1499), a museum, and a beautiful cathedral. It also produces various cookies, spices and liqueurs, of which the hazelnut variety is quite enjoyable.
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