By A few days after we arrived in Barcelona, we went to a monastery/open museum on a hill – Mont Serrat. I remember a few people talking about seeing the Black Virgin Mary, a wooden statue that people were waiting for almost an hour to get to. Before we left the mountain, I was wandering around the back of the chapel and accidentally came across it, and the awe of the moment helped change the way I have been experiencing art for the rest of the trip. The statue itself wasn’t mind-blowing for me, but it was more of a holistic experience – being in such a holy place. Rather than thinking about how I could better use my time than waiting for so long in line, I realized that if people actually were waiting so long to see something, then there must be a lot to it that would be unfortunate to miss out on. A week or so ago, I waited for over an hour in Florence to get into the Uffizi on my own time, but as soon as I stood in front of Da Vinci’s Adoration of the Magi, it was completely worth it. Sometimes, waiting is more than ok.
Margaret