A room with a view
Today we started out again at the Cuber reservoir but walked in an easterly direction towards Lluc, our next destination. This was going to be a difficult day's walking with a steep incline for starters and then a long and sharp descent. Our leader took us "at pace" and consequently there are no pictures of the ascent as I was too focused on keeping up! The birdsong was amazing though and one could at least listen and keep on up. There was a tremendous sense of peace at this height... except, that is, for my fellow walkers who were great companions and lots of fun.
It was a wise decision to get us going at a fair lick as it meant that by the time the sun was at its peak we'd managed all the strenuous uphill bit and could stop for lunch and finally admire the view. As it turned out the descent was very tricky and took a huge amount of concentration - so much so that when I was fed up with watching where I was placing my feet and looked up to catch the view I missed my footing and ended up with a very badly bruised btm.
It was a great relief when Lluc monastery came into sight, you can just see it here, it sits in a valley surrounded by limestone rock and is stunningly located. The monastery was founded in the 13th century to house a statue of the black virgin found by a shepherd in a nearby field.
We arrived in good time to down a well-earned beer before the daily 16:45 chorus of Els Blauets (literally cornflowers but referring to the choristers) to honour the appearance of the Black Virgin at the church that houses her. And indeed, she swivels into sight on her rotating pedestal, performing a remarkable 'now you see it now you don't' theatre for the pilgrims who arrive here daily by the bus load.
Once the visitors had left for the day, the monastery was transformed into a wonderful tranquil place of rest, (except of course that we were now elated with a sense of achievement after the day's efforts). Our rooms were actually cells and, though not luxurious, mine had a tremendous view. I loved the way the windows reflected the scene outside and created the triptych of today's blip. Some of the accommodation for pilgrims was in traditional country inn style accommodation that housed animals too and was set in the beautiful gardens. But more of that tomorrow.
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- Canon IXUS 105
- f/4.0
- 10mm
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