Lourdes, France
The bus to Tarbes departed from Aire-sur-L’Adour at 5:55am. I was the only passenger for around 10 villages in a giant valley. The bus driver spoke to me in broken English. He was from Macedonia. He asked me where I was from, and omg, he could not stop talking about salsa, merengue, and Puerto Rican ladies. He made me laughed. Around 30 minutes later, a lovely lady dressed in blue boarded the bus. She showed her card to the bus driver. He was having some problems with her rate, and after couple minutes she had to pay what the computer said. She sat at the back of the bus. We passed other 4 villages, and arrived to Tarbes. In our arrival, I said Thank you to the bus driver, when from the back of the bus the lady said: Do you need any help? Wow, she spoke perfect English. We chatted couple minutes at the bus station. She was from Paris. I told her that I was walking El Camino, and she was pleased that I was going to Lourdes. There are surprises everywhere!
The temperature dropped like 10 degrees. I was on my shorts and shirt. I have a sweater in my backpack, but I was not expecting this change in the weather so drastic.
A young man with some kind of neurological challenges approach me. He was sent from heaven!He sat next to me and only spoke French to me, until he opened a metal box where he saved his cell phone and started using his translator. He never abandon me. He talked to me about the Blessed Mother, the miracle medal, and his love for Lourdes. He looked so happy.
I am on the bus to Lourdes. It was only 2 Euros. The bus driver had some funky music on. Many young people took the bus to Lourdes. Arriving to Lourdes the young man told me to follow the blue line painted on the sidewalk. He was like 50 feet in front of me, but he was making signals with his hands where to turn. It was so cool. I stopped couple times to take picts, and he would stop too. I saw the office for pelerins. I went in to get my Lourdes stamp, when the young man was behind me at the office . He told the lady on the desk that he was helping me.
We entered the sanctuary of Lourdes by the main entrance. The French Way! No many people. The tourists use the side door, close to church, where the buses stop. See picts on Instagrams.
I was impress to see how many hotels and religious stores are at the entrance of the sanctuary. They were all opened, but emptied. I proceed to the property. It is impressive to see so many volunteers dressed as nurses in the 50’s. They were pushing people in wheelchairs. It was more than 1,000 people there. A large Italian delegation was visiting the sanctuary, and masses in Italian were been celebrated in all the chapels. There was an Italian cardinal celebrating mass outside to the left of the main chapel, another mass in Italian was been celebrated at the grotto.
I walked all the property. There was a large building for everything: A building for notarization of Miracles, a build for confession (priests outside waiting), a large building for candle offerings (all sizes- all prices). They have a whole wall for water distribution, which you can buy bottles of all sizes outside the sanctuary. I just prayed for the broken world, our nation, and our parish. I passed water on my feet blisters to finish El Camino. There was people drinking, bathing, doing all kind of personal devotions with the water. I just thought, how easier would it be if we love one another.
Many people from India may peregrinations to the sanctuary. They were a very visible majority. Priests and nuns taking picts everywhere.
I decided to go out of the sanctuary for lunch, and I had the first Ice cream in a month!
Coming back to Tarbes, I came in the train. It was 2 Euros more expensive than the bus, but faster. Arriving in Tarbes, I lost my bus by 10 minutes, now I had to wait 4 hours for the next bus to Aire-sur-l’Adour. Any way I charged my phone at the train station. It helped me to take a nap, when a women with mental problems arrived with two big bags of trash and sat across from me. There was a big cookie on the floor, she picked up and ate it as the best dessert. Then she started talking to me in French like my best friend. I put my Latin music on my cell, and she was happy talking to herself. Later a young man from London join us. He was a biker, and was here to see the tour of France that started couple days ago from this area. He just finished his ba in psychology and was going back to school in the fall. He was very joyful and has great dreams to travel America in the future. He wants to bike from Maine to Florida, Florida to Vancouver, and other areas.
This train station reminded me of a Mercedes Sosa’s song.
There is a group of workers putting together a kiosk at the “gare”. They were noisy.
There was a piano at the “gare”. Oh my! Every 3-5 minutes some one played it. It was not till 4:00pm when this man started playing Jazz. I said: where is my sax? I have to get closer. I closed my eyes, and enjoyed the concert. After he played, I thank him for the great music. His name was Jean Louis. He had lived in California. He was going to the best jazz Fest in the area that is happening these days. We had one of the most amazing conversation over everything: the world, the human race, American politics, human compassion, the Catholic Church, the Holy Father, and other topics. He was very educated in all the matters, even he accepted that he was not a religious person.
I am on my way back to Aire-sur-L’Adour. When I arrived, I stopped in a great food store and got something for dinner. Isabelle and Alejandro, my hosts, are amazing cooks. But they prepare the same plate every night. They let me use their kitchen to cook my white rice. The gite was full. I cooked and sat with other guests at the table to eat. The group was smaller last night. But we were more talkative, because we spoke different languages.
Cecile reached the village today. She is staying at the same place. It is great that we are walking the same path tomorrow morning, although the every person must walk on his/her own. Tomorrow will be 38km. Good night!