Lourdes

Terry and I left for Lourdes at 10 o'clock that night and arrived in the very early hours of the next morning. This was our plan to reduce expenses: take the night train, which would let us avoid renting hotel rooms. The Eurail pass does not charge more for travelling day or night. I thought the train's cabins would provide some heat, but that was not the case. As a result, we were both very cold and happy to disembark and feel the sun beaming on us, even though it was still early morning.

The town itself was very commercialized. There was even a store advertising the sale of authentic pieces of the Cross - seriously, the one of 2000 years ago!! I'm not sure if people actually believe that, but if they did, I have a bridge to nowhere to sell them. However, I was pleased to discover that once I entered the shrine itself, commercialization was absent.

I made the way of the cross as I used to, way back when I was a believer. While doing so, I watched a multitude of sick - some very ill - people, hoping for the best with their prayers. I was more impressed by the supplicants themselves than the ambience in general. Regardless, the level of belief was hard for me to fathom. I kept asking myself if what I was seeing was real or just theatre. I guess it's the former but...?

We had a little bit of time to kill before our train to northern Spain was scheduled. We took this opportunity to visit a nearby Spanish town and found that neither French nor English got us very far. Wow, what would it be like when we crossed the Pyrenees and entered Spain! Having arrived at the train station early, we meandered about, enjoying a cool orange juice. When the train's arrival was imminent, we waited along the tracks. And, heaven forbid, what did I spot between the rails right in front of me? We were in Lourdes, the bastion of sanctity and a used condom was on the ground between the rails. It had obviously been flushed down by a passing train a few hours ago. Somehow, I found the juxtaposition of the Lourdes Sanctuary and a used condom hilarious.