Manresa continued

I am now behind in my posts, but I think my photo loading problem has sorted itself, so will continue where I left off last time.

As I mentioned previously, Manresa is the final destination of those on the Camino Ignaciano.  It is a place that I had never heard of until I began planning this Camino, but I have since discovered that it is a place jam-packed with history.  History with its association with Saint Ignatius, but lots of medieval history too.  Of course we visited the places associated with Ignatius - places like the cave where he wrote his Spiritual exercises, the old bridge he crossed, and the wonderful museum/gallery that conducted a musical spiritual exercise for pilgrims to participate in.
Interestingly, the cave is now topped by a huge edifice!  Here you can see the "cave" underneath the building, and the building above contains a large church, then above that is a museum.
This is the interior of the cave, now more like a small Chapel.
One view of the Basílica in Manresa.
The famous Pont Bell (old bridge) of Manresa, with the Basílica in the background.
This is the symbol, adopted in Catalunya, of the Camino Ignaciano.
I have mentioned, and shown photos of the huge puppets, known as the Giants, that seem to appear in most fiestas. I had to enlist Julie's help to show you how big they are.  Someone gets inside these and carries them.  No mean feat!
I'm not sure if these are Giants or not - as you can see, they are not small, nor pretty!  All of these were on show in the pilgrim office.

We also, in between frequent rests at bars along the way, visited the medieval street, which amazingly has survived the ravages of time.  A visit to this was enhanced by a particularly good audio visual as well.
The medieval street, narrow, dark, and dingy, probably why it has survived intact. 
A wall in the medieval street.
This is just how we felt!  That morning Julie said her legs felt like lead!  We had finished our Camino and that's how we all felt! 
The Camino Ignaciano completed, packed and ready to depart Manresa for Barcelona (by train!).  Pam, Julie, Janet.

Comments

  1. When I visited Montserrat I passed through Manresa but never got off the train to have a look. Clearly I missed seeing things worth seeing. I don't think the Sagrada Familia had all that stained glass in it when I visited, so I might have to go back again- the light is amazing! I was also lucky enough to go to the Palau Musica- a wonderful building.
    All the best for the Invierno. One day I hope to walk the Primitivo- vaguely in the same part of the country!

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    1. The stained glass in the Sagrada Familia is amazing. The same man has been working on it since 1999. There are windows with opaque glass in them and I assume that one day they too will be coloured. The Invierno is fabulous Margaret, as is the Primitivo and also in the same area, the San Salvador. I think, thus far, I would be hard pressed to choose between them, though I do have a special fondness for the San Salvador. You could do that, then turn and continue along the Primitivo - how's that for a thought?! So far the Invierno isn't as mountainous as the other two so that makes it easier on the knees, but there is enough climbing to get some spectacular views. Having said that, I know that in a few days I climb from 600 metres up to 1100 metres! Bed calls. We must have a go at Skype when I return.

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