At 7:15 this morning we were awakened by a noisy buzzing sound. As it turned out, it was a false fire alarm set off by Gerald, the hotel owner, burning his toast. He was very apologetic and it wasn't even an April fool prank.
After breakfast, at 9:00 a.m., Mr. Sander and Sr. Mary gave the group an orientation of the town of Lourdes. This included one hour at the Lourdes market. Radishes, smoked duck, pastries, strawberries, and the odd item of clothing were some of the early trip purchases.
At 11:15 the group stopped outside the Grotto grounds for lunch at their favorite restaurants ad some shopping in some of the many "souvenir" type establishments.
Shortly after 1:00 we boarded the Petit Train to ride to Pic du Jour, the mountain tourist attraction of Lourdes. We ascended the mountain on the Funiculaire, a Cale car that travels 593 meters up the west side. At the top we toured a cave that passes through the mountain. This was followed by a climb to the summit for a view of the Lourdes area. From the top we could see a large section of the snow-capped Pyrenees Mountains to the south.
After taking the train back to town, many of us went to the local wax museum. A little more shopping finished off the afternoon.
Supper included delicious baked ocean white fish and a dessert of mocca-flavored ice cream.
The day concluded with our first trip to the Grotto. Kamryn blessed the Grotto area and France in a traditional First Nations tobacco ceremony. Sister Mary prepared us for the Lourdes experience by sharing the story.We finished the evening with a deep sense of why we were at Lourdes.
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