As we got closer to Lourdes, we saw more and more of the Pyrenees. Lourdes is a small market town lying on the foothills of this mountain range. It rises at an elevation of 1,380 feet and is overlooked from the south by the Pyrenean peaks of Aneto, Montaigu, and Vignemale, while around it are three summits reaching up to 3,280 feet – the Béout, the Petit Jer, and the Grand Jer. It’s my kind of place…high elevation with mountains all around. I also like the climate which is mild and cool, given its proximity to the Atlantic.
One of my amigas, who is an avid fan of author Paulo Coelho, mentioned that Mr. Coelho has a country house near the Pyrenees, and that he splits his time between France and Brazil. I remarked how this place must provide a lot of inspiration for his writings.
Through this town also runs the fast-flowing Gave de Pau River coming from its source in the south and branching out into several smaller rivers. Bordered by a loop of this river is an outcrop of rock called Massabielle, and on its north is a naturally-occurring shallow cave or Grotto, where an apparition of Our Lady that happened in 1856 turned this sleepy town into one of the world’s most important Marian shrines and pilgrimage sites.
In honor of the Marian apparitions to a 14-year old peasant girl named Bernadette Soubirous, this shrine was built and Our Lady has since been venerated there under the title of, “Our Lady of Lourdes.” Bernadette died in a convent in 1879, was beatified in 1925, and was canonized in 1933.
As we ascended the hills, farmhouses dotting the landscape gradually disappeared and were replaced by more modern-looking ones. Small business establishments have started to crop up as well. Our Tour Director announced that we were approaching Lourdes. Someone expressed his surprise at the size of this town. He didn’t expect it would be this big and this busy. I was thinking along the same lines. I guess, most of us had our assumptions based on what we saw in Fatima, a much more laid-back place.
Our Tour Director explained that since Lourdes had always been a bigger market town to start with, it had boomed into the commercial place that it is now, thanks to the pilgrims and tourists that flock there all year round. The constant stream of visitors transformed quiet Lourdes into the second most important tourism centre in France, second only to Paris. In fact, as of 2011, statistics showed that among French cities, only Paris has more hotel capacity compared to Lourdes. In the Catholic world, Lourdes ranks as the third most important pilgrimage site, after Rome and the Holy Land.
But what seemed to create the most impact among some members of our tour group was the fact that apart from numerous hotels, restaurants, and recreation parks in Lourdes, there is also a big casino in the town centre. When our Tour Director mentioned the “magic word,” there were loud “oohhs” and “aahhs” from no other than Ms. Lady Ring Leader’s minions, who were coincidentally wrapping up their poker party at the back of the bus. My amigas and I exchanged amused glances and then we bust out laughing. Indeed, only Ms. Lady Ring Leader’s group would definitely associate Lourdes with gambling.
Driving closer to the shrine, we turned serious when we saw the aftermath of the recent flooding calamity. The extent of damage became even more evident as we skirted the narrow, winding streets lined with hotels and smaller inns. This looked serious and the residents truly got it bad.
Our Tour Director said that as per the news broadcast, snowmelt from the Pyrenees joined with heavy storms to form surging floodwaters in the rivers. The generally tranquil Gave de Pau, which cuts a sharp bend along the edge of Lourdes, rose by as much as 15 feet, spilling its banks and inundating the celebrated grotto and vast subterranean church. Thus, pilgrimage tours were canceled until the previous day, and a number of hotels were evacuated. The flooding was said to have caused several million dollars’ worth of damages, and looking at the devastation in front of us, we were not surprised.
The roads were still covered with mud and littered with debris. Some low-lying areas still had deep puddles. All over the sidewalks were carpets and rugs, towels and bed linens, appliances and furniture, all soaking wet and strewn outside to either dry under the sun, or placed in huge bins ready to be picked up by the garbage truck.
We crossed a bridge over the Gave de Pau, the final stages of its torrential currents still in effect as its raging waters gushed forth carrying with it bits and pieces of objects that were once part of a tree, a house, a structure. Some roads were still closed off, waiting for authorities to clean out the mess and wreckage behind the yellow and white lines, before vehicles and pedestrians could be allowed. It was a sorry sight indeed. My heart went out to the people of Lourdes.
We reached our hotel after several detours, a couple of challenging three-point turns on very tight alleys, and a lot of zig-zagging on hilly streets. Our driver managed to park the bus by the hotel’s side entrance on a steep incline and as soon as he pulled the hand break lever, we applauded him for his incredible feat. It would probably take me ten years of practice-driving before I could deftly maneuver a large vehicle in such narrow confines without causing damage either on the vehicle or anything (or anyone) around it.
Our Tour Director apologetically told us that since this was a last-minute accommodation, and the hotel was fully-booked but understaffed, there were no porters available to carry our luggage to our rooms. We would have to do this ourselves. This hotel, thanks to its higher elevation, was spared long-term damage from the flooding and was able to open its doors sooner than its less fortunate neighbors. It also graciously “rescued” a number of “homeless” tourists like us by taking on reservations made at other hotels that were currently still decommissioned due to extensive damage.
No one complained. We all took our bags and lugged them with us to the lobby where our Tour Director checked us in and handed us our keys. He further notified us that the only rooms available were those from the furthest wing at the oldest section of the building, which had not yet benefitted from the renovation program this year. Again, no one complained. We were all just happy and grateful to be allowed here in the city and to have a roof over our heads. Just two days ago, everyone had either turned around and cancelled their trip, or had to camp somewhere till the city was reopened.
We were led to another elevator at the back of the building. We went five floors up then we trudged along a corridor that had seemed like it’s been forgotten for months. My room was in the far corner. It was old and dated, like it had been prepped for renovation, then instantly dressed up again for an unannounced guest. But it was spotlessly clean and quite spacious, even the bathroom.
As soon as I got settled and finished freshening up, I made a quick call to Montreal, where my husband and son were spending a few days with my in-laws. They were having coffee and cake and I could hear the lively chatter in the background. I spoke with my son (who was two and a half years old that time) for a long time. It felt like it’s been years since I had last talked to him at the airport and it seemed like he suddenly grew up. He was very talkative and was speaking in long, complete sentences. Wow! Was this my boy who was only babbling weeks ago? It is amazing how a few days of absence could make a difference. I cried because I was missing him so much…and my husband too. They put me on speaker phone afterwards so everyone in the room could hear my travel updates.
I was soon summoned by my amigas. It was time for dinner, which, for that night, was included in the tour. We headed to the dining hall, where we noticed for the first time how many pilgrims this hotel took in. It was a very organized chaos though, and we were impressed with the hotel staff’s efficiency.
There were tables reserved for our group on one corner and we didn’t wait that long till the food was served. It was the same menu for all diners - an assortment of French and international dishes – which I thought, was a smart choice, given the enormous crowd they had to cater to. And as our Tour Director mentioned on the bus, this may be a modest hotel but their chef could concoct excellent food. We had fresh bread, garden salad, cream of vegetable soup, a pasta dish, a chicken dish, crab croquettes, wine, mini-cakes, and coffee for dessert.
We all offered a prayer of thanks for this blessing and this hotel’s hospitality.
Photo Credits:
skyticket.com, Joe Towalski (startribune.com), tripsavvy.com, Pere Igor (wikivoyage.org), hotel-angelic.com
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