Lourdes

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For those who don´t know, Lourdes is a popular pilgrimage place for Catholics from all around the world. In 1858, an apparition of the Virgin Mary appeared to a 14 year old girl in this small town.

I had a great day - not really relaxing because I still did a lot of walking, but it was wonderful to have a day to slow down a bit, to pray, go to mass, etc. There is one main church but it also has another chapel upstairs, and another church in the area that is underground. Everything is beautiful and everyone who is there is friendly and excited to be there. A lot of people go there who are sick or searching for healing. It was really moving to go to mass and just experience the place with people from all around the globe who share the same faith.

I went on a tour of Bernadette (the girl who saw the apparition)´s upbringing and the tour guide was a volunteer from Kentucky. She´s lived in STL several times and said it is her favorite city in the US because people are really friendly. Made me happy to talk to a fellow midwesterner and hear that 😊

I couchsurfed with a guy and his parents - they live about 45 min outside of Lourdes and have a beautiful big house. His dad is a famous French chef and has cooked for the shah of Iran. He made us a dinner of spinach salad with lemon juice, olive oil, and cheese, bread with mushrooms and some sauce on top, and veal with tomatoes and potatoes. Then topped it off with Haagen Daz and strawberries. Needless to say, it was an AMAZING meal!!

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Photos

Main church in Lourdes
There's the main chapel on the bottom floor and one or two other smaller chapels through entrances up top.

Underground Church
It has such an interesting architecture - those columns went all the way around and it was in the shape of an eye (oval with pointy tips).

French meal
Toast with mushrooms on top... mmmm