© June 2005
Paris Woman Journal
(page 2 of 3)
On my first day, I visited the sanctuaries, filling up my
bottle with the blessing water, burning and offering candles,
and touching the stones at the grotto. The second day, I took a
bus to visit the Funiculaire du Pic du Jer. The Pic du
Jer, (Start of the Pyrenees), overlooks Lourdes and can be seen
by its large cross that shines at night. I took the one hundred
year old chair-lift to the summit of 1,000m in altitude. From
there, I had an absolutely fantastic panoramic view of
Lourdes, Pau, Tarbes and the Pyrenees. Feeling brave, I
continued to climb further up to the top of the mountain. It was
a good hiking experience for me, very relaxing and out of this
world. However, I could not visit the caves there, the highest
in Europe as they weren’t to be opened until June.
With
the exception of restaurants and some gift stores, most of the
public services in Lourdes stop at midday, so I had no choice
but to remain on top of the mountain for lunch. It was one of
the best lunches I have ever had in Lourdes and it consisted of
exactly two hot dogs with ketchup and melted cheese. Very
simple, very cheap and very delicious! I got a nice suntan while
eating my lunch outside, admiring the fabulous view of Lourdes
and its surroundings. Afterwards, I went down and took the bus
back to the Fortified Castle of Lourdes, the Comtes de
Bigorre. The castle was built on a rocky mountain peak governing
the town and the gateway to the seven Lavedan’s Valleys. Most of
the living objects at the time were superbly reserved and
exhibited, including Chinaware, festive costumes, long curl
strings of candle lights, etc.
It is definitely a must see!
For my final day, I took a half-day excursion by bus to
Gavarnie. This region is the
Pays Toy (Toy's Country), and it includes
small towns en route
from Lourdes to Gavarnie. There were about 30 people in my
excursion group; one of them being Therese, an older lady from
Ireland. She was with a group but she decided to visit Gavarnie
alone. Very brave! We became acquainted when she asked me if I
could keep her informed of what the driver was saying, as he
only spoke French. We kept each other company and later she
invited me for a drink when we pause for a break at Gavarnie.
After a long and nice stroll to the circus—a circle at the
end valley where
we had a breathtaking view of the mountain
still covered with white snow—we got an hour’s rest, then
returned to the village, where we could shop at the boutiques
for locally made products. There were many other activities to
do as well, including horseback riding and mountain hiking. I
found that the locals were nicer when we spoke English rather
than when I tried to speak broken French to them. We had a
great time together appreciating each other presence.
go to page 3...
