38
Drum: TRAVELS
That evening a small birthday party organised by
Phillipe was a welcome distraction from my morbid
thoughts. After a few bottles of wine he confessed
that before our meeting he had never had a
conversation with a black man. I was certain that
there was something hard hitting and political that
I should say in response. But the alcohol had taken
hold and my reaction was simply to say, “That’s nice”.
The monastery of Montserrat stands high up on
craggy rocks and its existence is as a result of the
moving icon of the Black Virgin (La Morenta),
carved in the sixth century during the Byzantine
period. Religion has always seemed a rather dull
affair to me, but as I stood and looked at the Black
Virgin there was a sense of the mysticism that those
awed by religious power must feel.
Our next port of call was the mountain and
monastery at Montserrat, about thirty miles north
west of Barcelona and for me the final part of the
holiday. I was heading back to Barcelona and leaving
my band of merry wanderers to a further two arduous
days of walking.
The monastery is regarded
as a place of miracles and
Spanish newly weds arrive
in droves for a blessing from
the Black Virgin.
As I sat on the cable car that whirred its way towards
the mountain I realised that being 40 was no
different from being 39 or in fact 19. It surely is
about how mentally adjusted you are and what you
make of this life, that’s what truly counts. Not
particularly profound, but certainly a truism in my
mind.
Spani sh Monastery in Montserrat
I reflected that this journey had been my own little
miracle. I now looked forward to returning home to
my family and friends. I suppose that I could ask for
a lot more from my life, but all things considered,
standing on top of Montserrat I felt that I already
had my fair share of blessings.