OMG: the Grotto

On our way home from Iowa on Sunday, the boys and I stopped at the Grotto of Redemption in West Bend. This tiny town holds what has been called "the eighth wonder of the world" by some (though I know that monicker gets thrown around a lot). About a century ago, the priest at St. Peter & Paul's began building a grotto with rocks and precious gems he collected from around the world. It stands as the largest man-made grotto in the world (actually composed of nine separate grottos showing the life of Christ) and the largest collection of precious stones and gems.

It is huge. I'm guessing the top is well over two-stories tall. The effort with which the rocks and gems were laid is amazing as well. Ornate decorations and pictures flow throughout the place.

Anders asked part-way through it if it was an okay time to say "Oh my God." I told him it was; I could tell he was truly in awe.

Of course, the cold wind and lack of child-focused entertainment meant that it didn't hold the boys attention for too long. That's okay. A spiritual experience with two young boys in a large grotto with stations of the cross and scenes from the life of Christ probably isn't going to happen in deep ways. But spiritual experiences don't always have to be deep (and sometimes the deepness is not in ways we expect).