This is Montserrat, in Catalunya, north of Spain.
Between 1985 and 2004, I flew over this mountain every time I went to visit my father. My mother died in 1984 and after her death my father went to live in Catalunya, northern Spain, an area now striving for independence from Spain. The rest of the world knows it as Catalonia, but the locals call it Catalunya, and as a near-local, so do I. My father returned to the UK this year aged 95, no longer able to be independent, but for 23 years, that mountain was the gateway to my father’s home, and seeing it from the plane was the signal that I was nearly there.
It’s an unusual formation, and without making a much larger block it’s hard to do the mountain justice, but if you’re interested, take a look at what Wikipedia has to say about it.
Montserrat means ‘saw-tooth mountain’ in Català (Catalan), and the name suits it. I’m a little sad that I’ll never see it again in real life; Pa no longer lives there and I’m no longer able to make the long flight back to Europe because of my back. This is the perfect opportunity to say goodbye to it.
Adéu, muntanya 🙂
this is gorgeous, Kate. So 3-dimensional
It helps to squint a bit! Based on a photo from the landward side rather than the Mediterranean side.
It’s beautiful Kate, I love the way there are so many personal blocks in this quilt, mountains can get under your skin like that, finding a little place in your soul.
I debated whether to feature this or Walsh’s Pyramid in Far North Queensland, the big conical peak you see on the left as you’re coming towards Cairns, which always says ‘holiday!’ to me 🙂 But this one is more significant and nostalgic.
wow and double wow! I’ve been to Monserrat – that is a beautiful block!
Spectacular doesn’t begin to describe the place, does it? From a distance, on the road up and the amazing view from the top. Oh, and let us not forget the bird’s eye view from the air, either!
You’ve done it justice Kate. A lovely, if poignant, reminder of times past. I knew your father was having problems but didn’t realise he has relocated to the U.K. – it must have been such a wrench for him after all those years.
He’s had a mini-stroke and it wiped out all his Spanish, after 25 years of speaking it… Plus he’s getting very frail. He’s settled happily in residential care 10 minutes from my brother’s house.
And this must be the tricky block you mentioned. I love it. I love Catalunya too, but I know the Southern part going into France. A super block with wonderful memories.
This is the one. I had to remake the mountain after I stuffed up the first attempt. It’s simpler now, but it works 🙂
Beautiful. And wonderful memories to go with it.
It’s one of those images that produces a wave of nostalgia. I miss those trips…
Your description and backstory brought tears to my eyes. ❤ This block is awesome, Kate.
I didn’t know if the story might be considered ‘over-sharing’, but I needed to explain why this particular mountain has meaning for me 🙂
Not at all! It was a lovely sharing and I am sure we all enjoyed reading about it.
🙂
What a beautiful testament to a place and the memories it holds. The fabric choice is perfect. I particularly love that the sky has a touch of the surreal to it because it has a pattern.
I admit I was unsure about the sky till I stepped back and squinted at it, and then it just looked windswept 🙂 Big mountains are something I occasionally miss; this part of Australia is pretty flat!
What a beauty, and what memories. So evocative!
All the mountain portraits have some meaning for their makers. In my case there’s a little sadness too, because I’ll never see Montserrat again.
Yes, bittersweet.
Beautiful block and interesting post. 😉 Thanks for the history lesson.
Glad you like it!
The block is the perfect and beautiful tribute!
Thank you, that’s so kind 🙂
A beautiful block and a beautiful sentiment.
Thank you 🙂
It is so much fun seeing all these Mountain ranges. It will very cool to see how you put them all together
I have no idea how that will work yet, but so far they all work really well together.
This quilt has become a tribute, geography lesson, and just plain magical!
A love song to all the mountains of the world!
What a lovely way to pay tribute to a special mountain in your life. ❤
I was casting around for ideas; should I do an abstract or a portrait, and if so, which one? Montserrat was a obvious and easy decision!
Your choice of theme for this quilt was an inspired one, Kate. The mountains have touched something for your quilting friends, and I have loved the stories and memories each one has told. When I saw you block my immediate reaction was “Oh Wow!” And your story was touching. I am glad that your father has settled into his new life. It must have been a hard decision for all of you.
Sometimes an idea just catches fire, and there’s no knowing in advance which one it’ll be. I’m glad to have made this block, as a tribute to my past life and a mountain I have loved.
A wonderful tribute to not just this beautiful mountain, but a time in your life filled with beautiful memories and that bitter-sweet sense of going home, but not being able to return. This quilt will be spectacular!
At some point, you have to say goodbye to things. It was time to say goodbye to those memories. The quilt is already amazing; I have the next post ready, and River Dreaming is already in it!
It’s beautiful. Thank you for sharing your story. ❤
It has been good to give life and meaning to the memories, and in a good cause 🙂
The fabrics used in this wonderful square make it so distinct! I love it and the story behind it. I’m sorry to hear your dad is so frail though 95 sounds wonderful to me. The fact you can’t fly to see him anymore must be a bit difficult as well. I do understand. Travel is no longer an option for me either. But we can send love from a distance. Thank you for the history and geography lesson. I love coming here and learning new things. Hugs.
You know, frail is relative. He gets tired quickly and gets sick more easily than he used to, but he still has lots of energy and will to go. I expect one day the clockwork will run down, but he still amazes us. I do miss visiting him there, but I get to see more of him now because I can Skype or FaceTime with him when my brother visits.
😍😍😍
It´s a lovely block! There will always be places you never got to visit again and it´s a bit sad, I know. ❤
This is true… and there are always new places to go.
This block is absolutely gorgeous and very realistic looking. Nice work!
Thanks! It’s a very dramatic mountain in real life.