I (tim) got up at the break of dawn this morning, grabbed my camera, creeped along the labyrinth of stairwells and hallways of the monastery trying to find my way to the monks' private and beautiful gardens. It was still dark and very quiet - since the the Benedictine order practice a vow of silence (when not in classed or chanting).

I finally found my way out and into the gardens and - wow - was i rewarded. There was a beautiful sunrise. Beauty or power in nature is the fastest way to direct my mind to God. I got a decent photo - click here to see it - of the mountains from the top of the monastery (foreground).