The heavens shine down upon St. Francis, Montserrat, Spain. I was in the right place at the right time to capture the sunlight filtering through the trees, as if to embrace the saint.

I had been sitting in the common room of my hostel in Barcelona when a guy I'd just met turned to me and asked "Do you want to go to Montserrat with me?"

I didn't even know what "Montserrat" was, but I immediately agreed to go, my intuition kicking in strongly.

It was an incredible and memorable day at this pilgrimage spot high in the mountains, about an hour's train ride north of Barcelona.

Tim and I shared a meal in the cafeteria there, and then arrived in time to wedge ourselves into the packed sanctuary to hear the angelic voices of the boy's choir fill the cathedral. After the service we followed the line of pilgrims up the stairs to the front of the sanctuary to touch the golden globe of the famous Black Madonna.

Then we traveled to the top of the mountain, and took separate paths, hiking in meditative reflection among the wildflowers and fantastic limestone formations. I was nearly back to the Monastery when I encountered this statue.