Barcelona (EFE) (Swiss).
Barack and Michelle Obama, and Steven Spielberg and his wife, Kate Capshaw, who attended the Bruce Springsteen concert in Barcelona yesterday, arrived shortly before 12 noon amidst a large security cordon and great expectations from visitors to the monastery Catalan.
Sources from the monastery have detailed to Efe that the illustrious visitors have been received by the abbot of Montserrat, Manel Gasch, and the prior, Bernat Juliol, before entering the temple.
Obama greeted the abbot, shaking hands and slightly bowing his head as a sign of respect.
The abbot, who accompanied the Obamas during the visit, explained the history of the abbey and the figure of the Virgin of Montserrat, also known as “la Moreneta” due to the characteristic color of her face, as well as the symbolism that it represents for Catalonia.
The Obamas have spent a few minutes observing the figure of the Virgin of Montserrat and, immediately afterwards, they have gone to the sacristy, where they have signed the book of honor of the monastery with a message of gratitude: “Thank you very much for this beautiful visit” , they have written, according to sources from the Abbey.
On leaving, they have boarded the Sant Joan funicular to take a walk at the top of the Montserrat mountain and enjoy the panoramic views, before having lunch at the Abat Cisneros restaurant, in the Abbey itself.
In the dining room of this restaurant, with a vaulted ceiling and which was formerly a stable, the Obamas have chosen the tasting menu, which consists of various starters, a main course and desserts, with products mainly from Mediterranean cuisine.
The Obamas already enjoyed the culture and gastronomy of Barcelona on Friday, with two visits to the Moco Museum and the Sagrada Familia and meals at the Martínez restaurant or, on Thursday night, at Amar, located in the El Palace Barcelona hotel .
For his part, the drummer of Springsteen’s band, Max Weinberg, tasted the delicacies of the Botafumeiro, as revealed by the director of the famous Barcelona restaurant, Jesús Pérez, through a video on social networks in which he shows the musician a tray of desserts.