Lourdes & Biarritz
Last weekend, we went to Lourdes (Pyrenees) and to Biarritz (Cote Basque). These areas are near the Spanish border. The Spanish influence was evident on the structure of the houses in that area. The houses were simple but what's so Spanish about them are their window shutters. I have not seen these in the other places we went to in France. These places are so near Spain that the prices of items were in French Francs and in Spanish Peseta.
Lourdes is a pilgrimage area. When we entered the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, the first thing we noticed was the chapels. There were a lot of chapels there. In fact in one building, there was the chapel for St. Jean D'Arc and another one for St. Anne. We were at the upper part of the basilica. We looked below and was amazed by the number of people in there. There was a mass going on and at one part of the place, we saw a lot of people taking water.
As we were walking down towards the inner part of the Sanctuary, we heard English mass songs. We looked below and saw a large group of people on wheelchair hearing mass together. As I listen to the songs being sung, I felt so touched and I felt tears well up in my eyes. I felt so happy and I felt God's presence in the place.
We then went to a tour of the place. Our first stop was the station of the cross. There is a special place in Lourdes where life-size figures were created to depict the stations of the cross. It was in a hill near the sanctuary. A little rigorous climb but it was worth it. Of course, we prayed during our visit.
After that, we went back to the sanctuary to visit the Miraculous cave where Virgin Mary appeared before Saint Bernadette. There was a long line but it was worth it. It was really a simple cave. There was a small stream inside the cave where the water that Saint Bernadette drank supposedly came from. The stone walls of the cave was cool to the touch and water was coming from small cracks in the cave. The water is surprisingly cold. It felt good to have touched the cave where a miracle happened years back. It felt like you're partaking the blessings out of that miracle also.
Then, our next stop is the candle stand. You won't believe the candles in that place. They were bigger and fatter than me! The candles are eternally lit and continuously re-used. There was an inscription that says that through those candles, our faith will burn forever.
Near the cave are the water/tap stations. There were a lot of taps in the place. From the sign above the water, it said that Mama Mary instructed Bernadette to wash her face and drink the water. This is what we did. The water is so cold and sweet. We actually filled up our bottles and drank the water during our stay. We just refilled them before we left Lourdes.
Afterwards, we went to Le Pic de Jur. It's a really high place on top of a mountain. We rode a tram (similar to ones used for mining) and ascended the cliff. It was actually frightening to be so high up. There was a grotto (cave) that we have to pass through to get to the highest point. The inside of the cave is really cold, like it was air conditioned. But I guess it was cold because there were water coming from small cracks in the crevices of the caves. A lot of good places to take pictures but we can't understand the notes as they are in French. We then had to climb through a rugged path to get to the highest point. We were in a little bit of a hurry because there is a schedule for the last train coming out of the place. If we miss it, we'll have to spend the whole night at the top. And man, that would be a disaster. When we arrive at the top, we got a good view of the Pyrenees area. The view is very good. Of course, after seeing a lot of places like this, it could become so bland. Well, not for me. I love seeing God's creation in all its splendor. I always wonder how God thought of creating the world when I see beautiful places like this. It's so wonderful.
The other places we visited were disasters. There was nothing to see. Thus, for the next day, we decided to drive to a really far place to see an area in Cote Basque : Biarritz. This is part of the Basque country in France. Typical of the French beach area, the place is charming and more importantly (for the boys!), full of topless girls. :) The place is like the California of Europe. It lives up to this reputation. Jack and Dolly who have been to California, likes the place a lot and said that it really resembles California. There were a lot of natural rock formation near the beach so, they served as good picture places. We had to go back early to Lourdes to buy some more souvenirs and to eat dinner. It was also a long way from Biarritz so we had to leave early.
Our travel back to Paris was uneventful. Just like on our way to Lourdes, we had the cabin to ourselves. Thus, we were able to sleep as late as we want. It was just so tiring because again, we had to report for work afterwards.
Lourdes is a pilgrimage area. When we entered the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, the first thing we noticed was the chapels. There were a lot of chapels there. In fact in one building, there was the chapel for St. Jean D'Arc and another one for St. Anne. We were at the upper part of the basilica. We looked below and was amazed by the number of people in there. There was a mass going on and at one part of the place, we saw a lot of people taking water.
As we were walking down towards the inner part of the Sanctuary, we heard English mass songs. We looked below and saw a large group of people on wheelchair hearing mass together. As I listen to the songs being sung, I felt so touched and I felt tears well up in my eyes. I felt so happy and I felt God's presence in the place.
We then went to a tour of the place. Our first stop was the station of the cross. There is a special place in Lourdes where life-size figures were created to depict the stations of the cross. It was in a hill near the sanctuary. A little rigorous climb but it was worth it. Of course, we prayed during our visit.
After that, we went back to the sanctuary to visit the Miraculous cave where Virgin Mary appeared before Saint Bernadette. There was a long line but it was worth it. It was really a simple cave. There was a small stream inside the cave where the water that Saint Bernadette drank supposedly came from. The stone walls of the cave was cool to the touch and water was coming from small cracks in the cave. The water is surprisingly cold. It felt good to have touched the cave where a miracle happened years back. It felt like you're partaking the blessings out of that miracle also.
Then, our next stop is the candle stand. You won't believe the candles in that place. They were bigger and fatter than me! The candles are eternally lit and continuously re-used. There was an inscription that says that through those candles, our faith will burn forever.
Near the cave are the water/tap stations. There were a lot of taps in the place. From the sign above the water, it said that Mama Mary instructed Bernadette to wash her face and drink the water. This is what we did. The water is so cold and sweet. We actually filled up our bottles and drank the water during our stay. We just refilled them before we left Lourdes.
Afterwards, we went to Le Pic de Jur. It's a really high place on top of a mountain. We rode a tram (similar to ones used for mining) and ascended the cliff. It was actually frightening to be so high up. There was a grotto (cave) that we have to pass through to get to the highest point. The inside of the cave is really cold, like it was air conditioned. But I guess it was cold because there were water coming from small cracks in the crevices of the caves. A lot of good places to take pictures but we can't understand the notes as they are in French. We then had to climb through a rugged path to get to the highest point. We were in a little bit of a hurry because there is a schedule for the last train coming out of the place. If we miss it, we'll have to spend the whole night at the top. And man, that would be a disaster. When we arrive at the top, we got a good view of the Pyrenees area. The view is very good. Of course, after seeing a lot of places like this, it could become so bland. Well, not for me. I love seeing God's creation in all its splendor. I always wonder how God thought of creating the world when I see beautiful places like this. It's so wonderful.
The other places we visited were disasters. There was nothing to see. Thus, for the next day, we decided to drive to a really far place to see an area in Cote Basque : Biarritz. This is part of the Basque country in France. Typical of the French beach area, the place is charming and more importantly (for the boys!), full of topless girls. :) The place is like the California of Europe. It lives up to this reputation. Jack and Dolly who have been to California, likes the place a lot and said that it really resembles California. There were a lot of natural rock formation near the beach so, they served as good picture places. We had to go back early to Lourdes to buy some more souvenirs and to eat dinner. It was also a long way from Biarritz so we had to leave early.
Our travel back to Paris was uneventful. Just like on our way to Lourdes, we had the cabin to ourselves. Thus, we were able to sleep as late as we want. It was just so tiring because again, we had to report for work afterwards.
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