Lalibela (Ethiopia) is a place known by few. This is very strange, considering that it is a sacred place for Orthodox Christians throughout Africa, thanks to its monolithic churches carved into the rock – which are, to say the least, spectacular! Around Orthodox Christmas (7 January), it fills up with pilgrims who come from all over. The cramped churches also fill up with sick people of all kinds, and given that one walks barefoot on a set of damp mats and rags and in close contact with thousands of people, visiting them is not only a spectacular physical experience, but certainly also a good way to test one’s immune system. After the visit, also to get some air, we flew over the crowds from the plateau east of Lalibela.