Lourdes, the town

Lourdes is a small town. According to wiki, Lourdes's population is about 15.000 inhabitants who have to welcome 5 million visitors each year! but because we visited Lourdes on the low season, we still found a relaxing atmosphere around the town.

Like the river Pau with ducks swimming peacefully:



And from the upper Church, the chateaux fort stand high uphill looking down the town since 19th century and a place of interest itself





And some tiny alley way lead to some tiny coffee shop and of course, lead to some souvenir shop! Here the city council has a fair rule about traffic: because the streets of Lourdes so narrow, not enough for two way traffic so the town has many one way street. To be fair to every shop owner, the traffic will turn to other way twice a month! How clever they are!

Lourdes - The cross stations

On my visite to Lourdes, I and my husband loved to go to the hill beside the Basilica.



The way lead to the station is so serene with the statues as big as the real persons.



Along the road, we said the prayers and kneel at each one of the stations, from the first to the XIV that Jesus crucified on the cross:



Then around the turn, there's the glory of God: Gloria Te Deum, The Resurrection of Jesus

Lourdes - The Apparation - Massabielle

According to wikipedia:
" Beginning on 11 February 1858, a 14-year old peasant girl called Bernadette Soubirous claimed to have experienced a series of apparitions of a girl dressed in white and with a blue belt around her waist, who eventually introduced herself as the Immaculate Conception, a name by which the Virgin Mary was known.

On land bordered by a loop of the Gave de Pau river is an outcrop of rock called Massabielle, (from masse vieille: "old mass"). On the northern aspect of this rock, near the river bank, is a naturally occurring, irregularly shaped shallow cave or grotto, in which the apparitions took place"




Today, the water still leaking from the rock wall as we get closer to the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes locate right on the spot that said where The Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous.

We still see the source of the spring, which The Virgin told Bernadette Soubirous: "Come, wash and drink". Today, the source still seen in the grotto and protected by a glass screen.



Most of the pilgrims come here seeking for a miracle



But the thing that touched me deeply that I saw a lady behind me kiss a photo of a beautiful baby who is about 1 year old; look back, I saw that baby, grow older, still beautiful but laying paralysed on a stroller. Holding the tears, I said a prayer for her and those who are sick, if they couldn't get cured physically, at least they get cured spiritually.

Amen

The Basilica Our Lady of Lourdes

The main attraction in Lourdes is the mighty Basilica Our Lady of Lourdes.



The Basilica is sitting on top of the rocky grotto where The Virgin Mary appeared to Sr. Bernadette Soubirou in 1858. It has a lower Church and an upper Church looking out the sanctuary large place. The walkway lead from the lower to the upper church has statues of the twelve Apostles along the way and in the middle of two walkway - look like two huge arms embrace the whole complex - is the Golden Crown





And in the middle of the Sanctuary is the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes

At night, the statue light up and thousands of worshippers pay their homage in the torch procession from the lower Church , go around the sanctuary and then come back to the lower Church. The view from the upper Church made me feel the procession looks like a giant fire snake or a lava stream and it looks spectacular!

Lourdes - Hotel Citea St Jean

In Lourdes, we stay at hotel Citea St Jean; this is actually a No Frill hotel-serviced apartment and the kitchenette is a bonus for us.

The French still have the tradional midday break (faire la pause de midi) therefore their lunch break will be 2 hours long from 12h to 2h PM. We arrive a bit before 2PM so the door of course still closed, lucky that some guests went out and we slip throught the door :). Once get inside, we can rest in the louge, a cozy, homey room:





Our room has a queen size, comfortable bed:



The kitchenette:



The location could not be better: just a short walk to Lourdes basilique and many of eateries, shops... near by

Shop:



Restaurants: