Yesterday we went to Lourdes to see the "Grotto of our Lady." The miracle of Lourdes is that a person named Bernadette saw a vision of Mary that told her that she would give a gift of a healing spring of water. The water is still running and you can fill jugs with Holy Water and drink it. In the sores you can buy small containers to carry the water all the way up to five litter jugs! We went through the grotto and then lit a candle. Some candles were so big that they had to be carried by four people. That night my mommy and brother and the students went to the Pilgrims mass that is held in the main square in front of the Cathedral of Lourdes.
St. Jean Pied de Port and the Pilgrim's Gate
Today we went back and saw the inside of the cathedral and watched a large candle being taken to be lit at the grotto. After that we drove to "Saint-Jean de Pied de Port." There we saw the original pilgrims gate that people would go through on their pilgrimage to Santiago. Then we drove up over the Pyrenees into Spain. We had lunch at a little chapel at the top of a ridge. It was VERY windy and cold. We saw lots of people walking the pilgrimage trail. We drove down into Spain and went to Puente la Reina and saw the pilgrims bridge that was built in the 16th century and the cathedral that has been around since the 10th century.
Tonight we are staying in a small town in the Pyrenees called Ezcaray. We are sleeping in an old factory that has been made into a hotel. It is very beautiful. Later we are going to dinner, but they don't start dinner here until about 9:30 PM!! I'm happy I can sleep in tomorrow!
PS. We have been driving on paved roads, some highways, some country roads, and some very steep and twisty roads! It has all been so much fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment