Day 3

At 7:30 in the AM we were hunting down a place to have breakfast, we stopped at one place that advertised breakfast but didn't serve any (?), and the lady working there was sooooo RUDE!!! So we kept on walking and stumbled across an Irish Pub, so we ate there. The 3 of us had scrambled eggs and bacon.

Next we were on our way to 9:00 Mass, and since we had lots of time we shopped. Well, we looked, no buying took place until the morning we left. The shops were really nice quality so it wasn't easy decide what we wanted. Mass was interesting, and the Hymn at the end was awful. I'm not really used to a Novus Ordo Mass, so it's always a little strange for me. At the end of Mass they let us know about a movie that would be playing that morning on St. Bernadette and where we could find the information center.

Our next stop was the information center which really wasn't a whole lot of help, then we made our way to the movie. The movie turned out to be about miracles, it was interesting but the movie could have been cut in half. We were then told where to find the St. Bernadette movie. The movie wasn't very long but it gave just enough information about her life.

Next was the getting in line to see the Grotto and of course we were in the wrong line. Once we were in the correct line it wasn't too long before we were able to walk through it. The rock is smooth from all the hands that have touched it for so many years, and the spring (which didn't exist until Mary appeared to Bernadette and told her to dig for it) was rushing, crystal-clear, from which everyone collects their Holy Water. It was a wonderful experience. As you walk out of the Grotto you come across a large section of candles, and we each lit one for our special intentions. It was the first time I've ever lit a candle, but it wasn't my last.

Lunch was next on our minds, so we were on the look out. Sharon and I had Lasagna and Paul had steak and fries. I know, I know, we should be trying as many french dishes as possible, well Lourdes is not the place for that. They have many tourist all year and they cater to all of them. You'll find an Italian Restaurant or an Irish Pub before you find a traditional French Restaurant.

Then we took a nap.

After nap time, we hurried to the train station, just to clear up some things about our tickets. It's a good thing we did though, on our way back we noticed a blue line on the sidewalk and realized if we followed the line it was like following the footsteps of St. Bernadette. The footsteps led us to her Parish Church, which is actually a new church (the other one burned down) which has the original Baptismal font. We would have gone inside if it weren't for the funeral taking place. It's bad enough we crashed a funeral in Rome, I had no desire to do it again. Next we saw the front of the house where her father was born, followed by the Mill where St. Bernadette was born and I believe she lived there until she was about 10. We continued to follow the footsteps which led us to the Miraculous Medal Museum, it was tiny, mainly a shop, with few historical items. The footsteps then took us to the Cachot (dungeon) where St. Bernadette and her family had to live when they lost the Mill. It's extremely small.

The next item on our list was the St. Bernadette Museum, it took forever to find the place. The museum had personal items, stories, and much more.

We started back towards the Grotto and toured the Crypt, the Immaculate Conception Basilica, and the Rosary Basilica. I love all of the time, detail, and love that went into these old Churches, I can't imagine anyone being able to day dream or lose sight of what they're there for.

Now we were on the hunt for the entrance to the trail of the Stations of the Cross, it wasn't easy to find, and once we did find it, and we came to the first station we realized we were going the WRONG WAY!!! The first station was actually the last. Well, this was not ideal, but our feet/legs/bodies were in so much pain already (mine was anyhow) we decided to keep on going, and we got some strange/dirty looks along the way.

After that we had dinner, and participated in another Rosary Procession.

Then it was time for bed.