Monserrate

We woke up to another beautiful day on February 10. The sun was shining and there wasn't any haze in the sky. Jacob and Luciana were happy and ready for a new day.

While we ate breakfast we contemplated what we should do on such a gorgeous day. It was suggested by Katya (the owner of the hotel) and Kristi to go see Monserrate. That sounded good to two of the three of us. Jacob was not enthused about going. His preference was to stay at the hotel and play with the kids. Well, majority ruled and he did not have a choice. In the end, you will see that he did have an enjoyable day.

The taxi arrived at 10-10:30 with a fantastic driver named Reynl. Fortunate for us he spoke as much English as I speak Spanish. We headed south and spotted an unusual site. Three men walking 25 dogs. These guys had all the dogs in perfect walking order. All the dogs appeared to be happy and very obedient. How do they do that? I wonder if they could teach Dixie a thing or two.

The ride wasn't as smooth as driving through downtown Hudsonville. There were lots of hills, turns, stops, and starts. In addition to the terrain the driver was also driving a manual taxi. So it was kind of like riding with Dave....you need a strong neck to endure the head bobbing.

The motion lulled Luciana to sleep prior to the arrival of our destination. Look Mom, no car seat. Isn't that crazy?

When we arrived in the parking lot of Monserrate, we were met by a man with a llama. His llama had a saddle and he was asking us if we would like a ride. All of us declined his offer.

It cost us 56 MIL to take the cable car to the top of Monserrate. Prior to being crammed into the cable car with at least 30 other people we had a family photo. I couldn't help but think of what would have happened if the cable broke....all of us smushed together.

On the ride up we saw many beautiful water gardens and plants on the side of the mountain.


So this is what the cable car looked like. Can you see all of the people packed in it? Now you know what I am talking about. Good thing we all smelled fresh.

It was so beautiful at the top. There weren't any clouds in the sky. It was hard to see how well your pictures turned out after you took them because the sun was so bright.

As you can see, this is only part of Bogota. What a large city! We were told that there are 8 million people living in the city.

Jacob took this picture with his camera.

On the right side of the picture you can see the pollution hanging over the city. The air where we were was fresh with a sweet smell of eucalyptus. My lungs appreciated the cleaner air.

Bogota was founded in 1538 by the Spanish conqueror Gonzalo Jamenez de Quesada at the bottom of two hills. Today those hills are known as Monserrate and Guadalupe. Monserrate rises to 10,341 feet above sea level. In 1657 a church was complete with a shrine devoted to El Senor Caido (Fallen Christ). The church was built in the name of Moserrate's Moreno Virgin whose sanctuary was located in Barcelona, Spain.

The mountain/hill is a pilgrim and tourist destination. Reynl, our taxi driver, told us that some people hike the mountain on their knees to offer prayers and as an act of penance. Kristi VanderMaas told us that many adoptive families visit Monserrate in hopes of getting Sentencia because this is where miracles happen. We just visited it because we thought that it was a beautiful place with a spectacular view. Don't get me wrong, we do want Sentencia quickly but that was the farthest thing from our minds.

As you approach the top of Monserrate via the foot path, there are 14 stations (statues of Christ brought from Florence, Italy). (Not being Catholic we had to look up the significance of these stations.) This path allows pilgrims/worshippers to accompany and contemplate what Christ endured in His painful walk towards His death on the cross. The final station (number XIV) represents the Resurrection of Christ.

The picture below is of station number V.

(If anyone that is reading this blog is Catholic, please correct me if I was wrong.)

Behind station XIV sits the church.

Once inside the church we sought some shelter from the sun. Luciana was hungry so it was a good place to stop and give her a bottle. While we waited for Luciana to finish eating, Reynl took Dave's Spanish Phrase Book and was speaking English to Jacob and trying to have Jacob repeat what he said in Spanish back to him.

The architecture was very impressive! When we entered the church there was a man and a woman walking on their knees to the front of the church.

What an incredible view from the front of the church! We had our last family photo prior to descending Monserrate in the cable car.

It felt good to sit down in the taxi after walking around Monserrate. Everyone had a great time. All in all it was another beautiful and educational day in Bogota!