Thurday, April 17/14
Arrived in
Lourdes around 9:00 p.m without any main incidents. Plane out of Calgary was 1:25 late departing
due to snow and ice. Late supper and off
to bed at Hotel du Gave.
Friday, April 18/14
Mr. Sander led
an Orientation tour of the town and then it was time to visit the
market. Cheese, pate, and fruit purchases were fairly major.
Thomas' new
hat was a hit with several of the girls, as they borrowed it to take selfies. In the p.m.,
the group took an 800 m Trip by funiculaire up le Pic du Jour (mountain in
Lourdes). The view of the Pyrenees was breathtaking as the sky was unusually
clear.
Sat. April 19
This a.m.
(Again sunny) saw the group at the Chenin de croix ( way of the cross). In the
afternoon we viewed a movie about the life of St. Bernadette followed by free
time (more serious shopping) till supper.
At night we attended the Easter Vigil in the underground church of Pope
Pius X. About 10K people in attendance.
We awoke to
light rain, which continued through most of the day. The first
visit was to the home where St. Bernadette was born. Then it was off to the cachot, a small room
where St. Bernadette's family of six lived when she was 14. We had time before
lunch to tour the Castle of Lourdes, which include a botanical garden, art
museum, and climb to the top of a tower. Brooke dazzled everyone with her love
of snails, not the eating kind. At one point she had four of them in her hand,
all with their bodies suctioned to her palm.
After lunch,
we headed to the Grottes de Bettheran, a 3 km cave tour that fascinated
everyone ( not to mention the most fantastic guide you could imagine).
More shopping
followed and supper came at seven. Then we headed to the shrine to light an 18
kg candle ( a Rivier group tradition). On the candle were placed the names of
loved ones lost in the past year as well as a few people in need of our prayer.
Mon., April 21
An early bus ride (7:00 a.m.) to Carcasonne, a Roman
walled city in the Southern part of France. At the Bascilica, we were treated
to a Russian quartet singing traditional Russian hymns. Lots of shopping,
lunch, and taste testing of cheeses, sausage, and wines. Some of the group were
brave enough to try chestnut sausage, donkey sausage, and to Sr. Mary's
chagrin, mushroom sausage.
At 1:30 it was
off to Viviers ( another four hours on the bus) where we will stay for the next
three nights. We are being lodged in a former monastery, which also was a
prison during the French Revolution.
Due to a road
washout our driver, even with GPS was baffled; after some much needed help from
Mr. Sander, we arrived at Viviers to get our rooms and have supper. After
supper the group took a short walk to the cathedral and a grassy lookout over
the Ardeche valley. Many pictures were
taken in Mr. and Mrs. Sander "marriage tree". Hope this doesn't cause
too many parents to be concerned. Tomorrow it's off to Mother Rivier country.
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