Overnight in Lourdes

My Paris Trilogy (sort of, Part 3)

Friends who have been there advised my traveling companion Raoul Tidalgo and me to take the plane so we would get to Lourdes faster but we opted to take the leisurely (look, Ma, no bumps all the way!) six-hour train ride (tight budget, you know) that gave us a glimpse of the countryside.

It was mid-June and some people were reminding us that due to the typhoon that hit the area barely a week earlier, parts of the sacred place might be closed. But Raoul and I had a panata (vow) to revisit Lourdes when we got the chance, so after I participated as the ambassador to the Smurfs Day celebrated starting in Brussels and ending at the bank of Seine River from across Eiffel Tower, Raoul and I rushed to the subway station as soon as we deposited our bags at a friend’s apartment.

We left Paris at 2:30 p.m. and — surprise! — it was as bright as daytime when he reached Lourdes at past 9 o’clock. Portions of the road were destroyed by the typhoon (and, in fact, rivers that we passed by were still swollen), including the railroad tracks, so the train stopped at Pau town where we took a connecting bus to Lourdes.

Travel agent Luchi Sta. Ana of Travel Specialist (celfone number 0917-8361820/0922-8782119) booked us at the Panorama Hotel which commands, true to its name, a panoramic view of the buildings around the winding streets of Lourdes (which nestles at a lowland, surrounded by mountains).

Losing not a minute, Raoul and I walked past souvenir shops to The Grotto which was swarming with devotees and pilgrims, some of whom were praying with heads bowed almost to the ground, clutching rosaries, and others silently seated praying. Then, we drank mouthfuls and washed our faces with cold water from the row of faucets connected to the spring believed to have healing effect. The statue of Our Lady of Lourdes stood on the same spot where she appeared to Bernadette Soubirous and her two companions in 1858.

On our first visit more than decades ago, there were crutches and wheelchairs left there by those miraculously cured. The river that ran beside the Grotto, with the bridge completely destroyed by the typhoon being repaired, was murky and the heavy rains weeks earlier inundated the entire area fronting the Grotto (on top of which is the huge cathedral). Sad news: When we were there, the baths were still closed, unlike during our first visit when we lingered a bit submerged in the cold water, emerging from it feeling recharged and renewed, most of our emotional load unburdened. Yes, in that bath, I asked forgiveness from those I had wronged and forgave those I perceived to have wronged me. (As the Lord’s Prayer says, “…and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…)

It was past midnight when we went back to the hotel. We were up before the sun the next day and rushed back to The Grotto. We strolled around as we prayed. Raoul was too tired, so he opted to wait for me at the other end of the mountain while I joined a group tracing the Station of The Cross. That’s when we bumped into our friend Teri Maniquis (a UST Philets graduate like Raoul) on a wheelchair who was on a pilgrimage (starting in Portugal where they visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima) with friends from the US where Teri is now based.

On the way back to the hotel, we visited the residence of Bernadette Soubirous blocks away from The Grotto, side by side with more souvenir shops and restaurants but distinctly marked by a sign. After a late quick lunch at Panorama, we packed our bags and souvenirs (plastic-bottle-fuls of miraculous water, rosaries, medals, etc.) and rushed (yes, we were rushing all the time!) to the bus station for the connecting trip to the Pau train station for the smooth ride back to Paris.

Our overnight stay in Lourdes was too short but long enough for us to savor the holiness of the place.

Next time we have a chance (like a friend who has been there 25 times…wish ko lang!), we will stay a little longer.  

We flew back home with Lourdes in our hearts.

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