Saturday, February 1, 2014

Lourdes

After spending ten days in Paris and enjoying Jojo's warm hospitality, we left for Lourdes on the 20th September. We travelled by the TGV and the journey right across the French countryside, from the north to the southern border near Spain, took less than 6 hours. We left Paris Montparnasse station at 11.28 am and were in Lourdes by 5.20 pm. We took a taxi from the station and checked into our hotel, which we had booked much earlier, through the internet. The Premier Classe Lourdes was a low-budget, wallet-friendly place and though the room was tiny, it was very comfortable. After resting for a little while we walked down to the  sanctuary where we attended the candle-light rosary. It was very beautiful and the rosary was said in several languages, in keeping with the composition of the devotees, who hailed from every country under the sun. Then, we walked back to the hotel, after a biriyani dinner at a small restaurant run by a Sri Lankan family!

Our hotel room in Lourdes

 
Some wine on board the TGV to Lourdes

The next day we started off early, immediately after breakfast, and left for the Sanctuary. While most of Lourdes is very commercial, the Sanctuary itself has a very spiritual air and is very beautiful. The hundreds of volunteers who man the systems there, make the whole visit very satisfying and rewarding. There are no hassles, and though there may be long queues at some places, everything is well organised and one does not mind the wait.
Both of us were keen on the baths and managed to bathe in the miraculous spring, though we had to wait for a long time in queue. When my turn came to bathe, I felt such a surge of undefinable emotions within me that I broke down, much to my own surprise. I like to think of it as a mystical experience, much like what I had some years back, when Simmy and I were trekking in Ladakh, at a little village called Yangthang. I do not consider myself a very spiritual person. However, there have been moments in my life when I experience certain feelings which are hard to define and sob uncontrollably (weird?) . To me therefore, both Lourdes and Yangthang are equally holy places!
The Grotto at Lourdes
Lourdes itself is such a pretty place, set against the backdrop of the picturesque Pyreenes. I felt sorry that we had allotted only two days for the place. Perhaps we should have spent one more day there...
The Sanctuary in Lourdes

    

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