We parked up at the rack railway station for this visit as Sarah has a thing for trains. The journey up was exciting with great views of the area, not one for people with vertigo as there are sheer drops all the way to the top. The Monastery itself is set in a bowl beneath the highest peak of the chain which is 4055 feet high. The present building dates from 1844 because the original was destroyed in the war of independence in 1811. We arrived just in time for the choir performance in the Basilica, unfortunately so did the rest of the world. To say the least it was it was like an unruly football crowd but not so well mannered. We could barely hear the choir with people shouting and pushing. We left and returned later when the crowd had died down . The queue of pilgrims to see the Blackened Virgin was so long we gave up on that idea and viewed from a distance.
Worth a visit but we thought that the setting was more impressive than the buildings, a bit to touristy for our tastes.
No comments:
Post a Comment