The drive here was stunning through the Pyrenees. No goat tracks today and we arrived in amazing Lourdes. This is one of the most picturesc places I have ever been. Framed by snow capped mountains this area is full of trees and chalet style homes, farms and buildings.
We checked into our hotel which has wonderful views over the river from Our balconies. We are only 5 minutes walk from the sanctuary and in the heart of the religious part of the city. We head out for some lunch and are amazed by the women dressed up in old style nurses uniforms and men in old style battle dress. Apparently it is the pilgrimage of Malta.
Noel has a cold so he headed back to the hotel for a sleep while Kathy, Richard and I thought we would check out the Sanctuary of our Lady of Lourdes and see how busy it is. On the way you get a great view of the Chateau fort Musee Pyreneen which Noel will want to see tomorrow. Well our timing was perfect. We arrived just as a procession of Cardinals, Priests etc where making their way down the huge ramp from the Porte St Joseph to begin Mass in the outdoor Church.
This was amazing in itself as there must have been over a hundred of them but the most amazing thing was the number of people in special wheelchairs. There was hundreds and I mean hundreds of them all hoping for a miracle. They where all accompanied by the men and women in uniform who wheeled them down there and attended to them. We watched for while soaking in the atmosphere and then headed for the water fountain where we filled some bottles and drank the water Which is meant to have healing powers. You can buy bottles for your water and fill them up, they even sell 4 litre containers in the dozens of tourist shops that sell anything and everything religious. You can even buy sweets and peppermints made with the water.
We then went to the cave and touched to weeping rock at the Grotte de Massabrelle. I don't know what it is, maybe because the sound of the hymns from the Mass and the picturesc setting but even though I am not that religious you can't help but feel the sprit of this place and my hand is still tingling from touching the weeping rock.
Even though there is hundreds of people here everything is calm and serene and everyone moves around in a orderly fashion.
The story of it all is in 1858, in the grotto of Massabielle, near Lourdes in southern France, Our Lady appeared 18 times to Bernadette Soubirous, a young peasant girl.
She revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception, asked that a chapel be built on the site of the vision, and told the girl to drink from a fountain in the grotto.
No fountain was to be seen, but when Bernadette dug at a spot designated by the apparition, a spring began to flow. The water from this still flowing spring has shown remarkable healing power, though it contains no curative property that science can identify.
Yearly from March to October the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is a place of mass pilgrimage from Europe and other parts of the world. The spring water from the grotto is believed by some to possess healing properties.
Still stunned by this religious spectical I have just witnessed we head back to the hotel just before a thunderstorm begins. When we arrived it was warm and sunny now heavy rain and thunder. I guess that's what it is like in the mountains, it can change in an instant. The storm soon passes and the sun is shining again.
We had, had a late lunch so we meet about 8.30 for dinner and went to a resturant on the river which was very nice, we sat outside as although it had been raining earlier it wasn't cold.
After we ate Noel wanted to go to sanctuary, another mass had started, I think they have several a day here. It was just as Beuatiful at night as now everyone had candles. This time of night most of the wheel chairs have gone and its just those here for mass. The candles looked spectacular. We went back to the weeping wall and got some more water and Noel drank some some will see if his cold has gone in the morning.
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