We tackled the steep walk down to town for a coffee at an Aussie cafe, best coffee we've had so far on the trip, then made the steep walk back up the hill. Like everyone we filled the car up before we left thinking this must be the last service station with cheap fuel, only to pass lots more petrol stations and shopping centres as Andorra milked the last tourist dollar before the border. We decided to take the longer route through Spain to Lourdes rather than the shorter way so we wouldn't have to backtrack.
The drive through the Pyrenees consisted of cute ski villages one after another. They were all built in the same stone and with sloped A frame slate roofs to handle the snow. It was a gorgeous, though a long and winding drive, but the road was in good condition and we passed family groups of healthy looking wild horses on the side of the road. At one quick stop we made there was a large group of disabled people who were obviously either on their way to or back from Lourdes.
We arrived into Lourdes not really knowing what to expect. The first thing we saw was masses of shops selling religious souvenirs. There were hordes of people exiting the church grounds so we presumed a mass had just finished. We pushed our way in the opposite direction and saw elderly people being pushed in vehicles that were a combination of wheelchair/human rickshaw/child's billy cart.
We headed to the huge impressive church and watched a tour group of the faithful, many in wheelchairs, having their photo taken. We then went to the grotto and watched a huge line of people pass through and touch the stone walls, which were polished from so many hands.
After going inside to see the cathedral we left for dinner, returning to the church grounds in time to watch the 9pm procession. We were amused that in the huge line of pilgrims with their torches the first group were walking behind a banner that said English speaking pilgrims, do they get preference? We then headed back to our hotel shivering with the unexpected cool weather, we haven't felt this cold since we left home!
The drive through the Pyrenees consisted of cute ski villages one after another. They were all built in the same stone and with sloped A frame slate roofs to handle the snow. It was a gorgeous, though a long and winding drive, but the road was in good condition and we passed family groups of healthy looking wild horses on the side of the road. At one quick stop we made there was a large group of disabled people who were obviously either on their way to or back from Lourdes.
We arrived into Lourdes not really knowing what to expect. The first thing we saw was masses of shops selling religious souvenirs. There were hordes of people exiting the church grounds so we presumed a mass had just finished. We pushed our way in the opposite direction and saw elderly people being pushed in vehicles that were a combination of wheelchair/human rickshaw/child's billy cart.
We headed to the huge impressive church and watched a tour group of the faithful, many in wheelchairs, having their photo taken. We then went to the grotto and watched a huge line of people pass through and touch the stone walls, which were polished from so many hands.
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| What does this gesture mean, and is it directed towards K? |
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