Great Escape Day 5

We left Santander on a beautiful morning headed for France and the shrine at Lourdes. It was another day of spectacular scenery along our drive. We stopped for lunch in the Basque region just short of the French border. I’d heard a lot over time about the Basque’s sometimes very violent attempts to establish their own country but I found the people we interacted with as gracious and likable. We had some extra time after lunch so I took another one of my exploratory walks (unaccompanied again when she saw the hills). It was a nice interlude and escape.

Made it to Lourdes, Cathedral in the Background

Scenes from our Travel

The Restaurant in Basque and Spanish

From my Walk About

Highway Just Before French Border

Again, During my Walk

I wanted to mention at this point one of the signature events of our trips – our rest stops. The highways we traveled were world class and features well made rest areas along the way. Since almost all of our traveling group were senior citizens, the rest stops were important (and we all know why). There were numerous other buses traveling along our routes and it was always a victory when we arrived to find ourselves as the only bus because of the lines for the ladies rest rooms. We all know guys have it much easier when it comes to this situation. Invariably we would walk in and there would be a long line for the ladies room which meant the guys had to make our guilty way to the line-less men’s room. The ladies, as always, got their revenge. Once all the men had finished up, they seized control of the men’s room also and the line flew. It bordered on hilarious at times, as husbands were dragooned into door security during the seizures.

One of Those Ladies Room Lines

The Castle!!!!

First Sight of the Sanctuary

Just Outside our Hotel in Lourdes

We crossed into France and took a right to travel along the base of the Pyrenees Mountains which serve as the border between France and Spain. The scenery in France was every bit as beautiful as we experienced in northern Spain. We were excited to reach Lourdes as one of the focal points of our trips. I was even more excited when, upon arriving in Lourdes, I spied an ancient castle perched atop a mountain guarding a pass into the Pyrenees. While I knew the object of our visit was the Marian shrine, I immediately set about trying to figure out a way to squeeze in a visit to the castle (I’m an acknowledged nut about castles - just ask my family).

The Sanctuary

The Castle Again, Seen From the Level of the Cathedral

View of the Sanctuary Grounds

Small Chapel Where we Held Mass

Some of Those Plaques

Lourdes is one of the pre-eminent pilgrimage sites in the world because of a young girl named Bernadette Soubirous (later canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church). In 1858, Lourdes rose to prominence in France and abroad due to the Marian apparitions to her. If you’ve seen the movie Song of Bernadette you know the basics. She was a poor peasant girl who was walking to a remote site to gather wood for her family when she stopped at a grotto to rest and a lady in shining white appeared above her. She went on to experience the Marian apparition 18 times over the ensuing months. During one of those visits the apparition instructed her to wash in a non-existent spring, which she dutifully did, smearing herself with mud. A spring emerged at that location, and its waters have ever since been used for miraculous healing.

Wife Atop the Byzantine Chapel

The Main Cathedral

Inside Cathedral

Selfie From Cathedral Steps

Grotto Area Seen From Above

The River Running Through the Grounds

Finally, Someone Offered to Take a Photo of us :)

A large cathedral was built over the grotto which is positioned next to a stately river flowing through the town. Our hotel was a very short walk through the throngs of pilgrims at the site. Shortly after arrival, we walked to the sanctuary and conducted mass in a small chapel underneath the main cathedral. The wall was festooned with hundreds of stone plaques attesting to miracle cures over the years, dating back to the 1800s. It was impressive in a very spiritual way. After mass we toured the main cathedral which offers stunning views of the sanctuary grounds far below. After dinner at the hotel, my Favorite Panamanian and I returned to the sanctuary to take part in the nightly procession. We arrived early enough to visit the grotto which is still gushing water in amounts scientists cannot explain. The candle lit grotto has almost continuous services being rendered and there was a statue of Mary at the spot she appeared to Bernadette. It was very moving.

Street to Our Hotel, Souvenir Shops Aplenty

Our Visit to the Grotto

Site of the Original Spring in the Grotto

Wife in Front of Grotto

Marian Statue

Getting Ready to Walk in Procession

We filled a bunch of small bottles with water from the shrine which we will deliver to friends with ailments. We joined the gathering nearby for the procession under the walls of the towering cathedral. This was similar to the procession at Fatima but was better organized and I experienced the same feeling of peace that I had there. We followed the procession of thousands around the sanctuary grounds while the rosary was repeated in multiple languages throughout. It was a very moving experience. I’m not the most spiritual of dudes (vast understatement there) but there is definitely something there and I feel honored to have done this both in Fatima and especially in Lourdes. I’ve included a couple of videos of the experience, one while we were gathering and the second during the actual procession.    I can only imagine how powerful this experience is for ardent Catholics. I’m married to one and she had tears running down her face. Again, I felt honored to be there which I never would have imagined ahead of time, something bordering on magical takes place there.

Scenes from Our Walk in the Procession

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete – my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; Czech Connection – Czech couple who’ve become good friends along with their daughter (the Czech Shadow); Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather – my brother-in-law (whom I miss more than I can ever explain); Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course