I knew we had crossed the border to France when I saw road signs written solely in French.
Our Tour Director finally started telling us about our next destination - Lourdes, the location of the famous Catholic pilgrimage site, Sanctuaires Notre-Dame de Lourdes and the Grotto of the Apparitions.
During the past few days, we had been wondering if we would be able to go. This was in the summer of 2013, when heavy flooding swept through the towns and villages in the Pyrenees and forced the closure of the shrine, among other establishments.
Incidentally, it had reopened its doors to pilgrims and tourists just the day before. Our Tour Director apologized for being silent about the whole flood issue, even though he was aware how apprehensive we had been. He said he did not wish to cause unnecessary worry and distress by telling us what he thought we had already heard from the news. He would just be repeating the same information. And there was no point in discussing what action to take either because there was none required. It was wiser to wait until we got closer to the travel date, make a decision based on the latest update, and announce the plan when it was final.
Now that he was ready to disclose the latest scoop, fresh as of lunchtime, he told us some bad news first, followed by some good news, in a series of well-ordered pieces of information. This guy could be a diplomat, that's for sure.
The first bad news was that our hotel had been closed, as it had suffered greatly from the floods and could not continue its operations for the time being. But the good news was that he found an alternative accommodation right away, and though not as fancy as the original one, it should be comfortable enough. The bonus was that its restaurant was known for its superb food, and it's closer to the shrine, with a private elevator service.
The second bad news was that the Underground Basilica was still submerged in water, thus still closed off from tourists. But the good news was that the Upper Basilica and The Rosary Basilica had been opened since the previous afternoon and were fully operational. We clapped our hands and murmured a prayer of thanks. We were blessed indeed, despite the recent calamity.
And if one believes in miracles, a fellow pilgrim shared that it was actually his birthday that day and that for the past few days, he had been praying and asking Our Lady to grant him the gift of this once-in-a-lifetime visit to the shrine for his birthday. He had just been widowed and he was doing this pilgrimage to fulfill his late wife's dream to travel to Lourdes. More applause followed this magnificent birthday gift announcement.
The rest of the drive was uneventful. We were on the road for another two hours on the French side (from Saint-Jean-de-Luz). Our Tour Director put on a DVD of an old Saint Bernadette (the Lourdes visionary) biographic movie, which was watched by only a few, given the poor audio quality, while a good number of passengers dozed off. Since I was sitting at the back and could not see well, I just stared out the window. I had already seen a few movie versions of the story of Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Bernadette anyway. I started my Rosary silently and enjoyed the relaxing pastoral scene before me…but not for long.
A handful of Ms. Lady Ringleader’s troops (a group of elderly travelers under the leadership of one very interesting lady) from the front of the bus marched to the back to join some of their comrades for a round of poker. Poker!!! Yes, apparently, it’s a tradition from their usual casino tours in the US and Canada. But why??? Maybe it was simply out of habit or maybe they had forgotten that this tour was a spiritual pilgrimage. It was ironic that while a religious movie was playing on the screen in the front section of the bus, a game of cards was happening on the other end.
Nevertheless, we, the other people sitting at the back, did not say anything. We felt we were not in a position to tell other adults what to do and what not to do. However, as the game progressed, the players' voices grew louder, and their laughter turned more rambunctious, to the consternation of a few of us attempting to meditate or pray in silence.
My amigas and I were sitting only a row away from them, so we were very much attuned to the party that was going on at the back. At some point, we realized there was actual betting going on, as we heard the shuffling of bills and the clinging of coins. One of us said, “Shouldn’t our Tour Director call their attention?” and one replied, “Ms. Lady Ringleader should do it. She is responsible for them.”
Before the others could agree, we saw Ms. Lady Ringleader approach the revelers. We thought she was going to remind them that we were on our way to Lourdes, and NOT to Monte Carlo. But to our amazement, instead of reprimanding them, she joined the game! Worse, her signature cackle would reverberate everytime she'd win. We weren't sure if our Tour Director, who was sitting beside the driver, couldn't really hear them or was just choosing to ignore them. Still, no one said a word among the other travelers.
After a collective sigh, my amigas and I tried to go back to our meditative state. Out of mild frustration, I blurted out, “The Lord is definitely putting our temperance to a test. I think this is what this pilgrimage is all about.” My three friends giggled and agreed. One said, "Patience is a virtue. The Lord is teaching us patience...LOTS of patience." The Mexican family sitting in front of us overheard us and laughed as well. The mom turned around, smiled at us, and said, “Amen to that, ladies.”
This pilgrimage was indeed becoming more interesting.
Photo Credit:
theconversation.com, nytimes.com. Google Maps
Comments