The Beauty of Lourdes, France

Planning our trip to Lourdes, France was a bit of a challenge. Normally, people arranged tours to visit here. In our case, we were doing all the planning by ourselves.  I was joined by my parents and was at a loss on where to start.

First off since I was traveling with my parents, I decided it was best to take the plane to Lourdes from Paris. Air France flies daily to Tarbes Lourdes Pyrenees Airport and booking our tickets online was easy. I advise getting tickets months before a trip to avail of reasonably priced fares.

Next was arranging the hotel accommodations.  It is best to book thru http://www.booking.com/.  In my experience, they offer good rates and have a wide selection of hotels. You can even book in advance then cancel if your travel plans change later on. I booked 2 hotels in Lourdes six months before and cancelled our booking with one of the hotels two weeks before our scheduled trip.

On June 4, 2012, we set foot in Lourdes, France and landed at Tarbes Lourdes Pyrenees Airport.

My friend Leni referred me to Laurent who picked us up from the airport. Here are some photos I took on the way to our hotel.

Quiet streets...

Tree lined streets in Lourdes city centre

View of the Pyrenees mountains

Arriving at our hotel (Lorda Appart'hotel) we rested a bit and walked to the Sanctuaries.

River Gave

Hotels fronting the River Gave

One of the many shops selling souvenirs

Cafes on the way to the Sanctuaries

We took the long route to the Sanctuaries and finally reached it after 30 minutes of walking. The Sanctuaries is the collective term for the Grotto, the Basilica and other structures surrounding the sacred area (according to Lourdes, France Website).

Crown Statue of Our Lady

Basilica of the Immaculate Conception

The water taps where anyone can get fresh spring water

Side view of the Basilica with inscriptions from various languages stating: "Come and drink at the spring"

Candle offerings for sale in the Sanctuaries

The highlight of my visit would be seeing the Grotto where the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Bernadette.  Words cannot describe what I felt upon seeing the Grotto.  

The Grotto where St. Bernadette was visited by Our Lady 18 times

I took a photo of the Grotto across the river and noticed this couple reflecting on the Grotto from afar.

The evening procession is the culminating activity at the end of each day.

Night procession

Pilgrims and tourists gather at the Basilica for the night procession

It has been my mom's dream as well as mine to visit Lourdes, France and we were so happy to have been there.  I was not able to do much during our visit except to hear Mass and reflect at the Grotto.  In the future, I hope and pray that I will have a chance to go back and spend more time at the Sanctuaries.