The Black Madonna

I don't usually do two hard walks in the week but this Saturday was the annual aplec (pilgrimage) to the Black Madonna that nestles high above Mantet in a hollow of the rock. It is a lung busting climb to around 2,400 metres but the views into Spain are stunning and the return down the from the portail de la Rotja is very picturesque. The original Black Madonna was stolen and has been replaced with a bronze one. It is a copy of the famous Black Madonna of Montserrat in Spain. We stopped for our pause banane within metres of the Spanish border and watched the vultures circling overhead.