Lourdes
Last night we went to the Candlelight Procession - we didn't walk in the procession but stood on the ramps up to the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. From there we could see the massive procession making its way to the Basilica and looked down on the bishops and priests, as well as the choir. Around 5 or 6 million people visit the Sanctuary of Lourdes every year and the procession was so large, so long, that it seemed quite a portion of those millions were there last night.
We spent the first part of this morning looking at all we have in our packs trying to decide if we could lessen our load but only a few things will be left out. We quickly gave that up as a lost cause and went to an English Mass in the Mater Dolorosa Chapel. We got there well before Mass started and a Sister soon had us all going through the hymns that would be sung. Three priests said Mass - English wouldn't have been the first language for any of them. After Mass we asked one of the priests for a pilgrim blessing to start our pilgrimage off well.
We then visited Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and the Crypt of St Bernadette as well as the massive underground Basilica of St Pious X. The Basilica is completely underground with a grassed area overtop. It was completed in 1957 and consecrated in 1958. It is a 201m by 81m oval, an area of around 12,000m² and can seat around 25,000. I had expected it would be quite industrial looking as it's made totally of concrete but I found it to be quite special. Around the concrete pillars are hung huge images of saints. And on the wall are 52 amazing images of the Stations of the Cross and the Mysteries of the Rosary. They are made with stained glass - fragments of stained glass fused together - and are back-lit which makes them really glow.
This afternoon was spent in deciding what supplies we will need for the next few days, knowing that the pilgrim infrastructure is very different on the Chemin du Piémont Pyrénéen to that of the Camino Francés meaning that we will need to carry snacks and something suitable for lunches, and maybe a breakfast or two, if we don't find a boulangerie or an open cafe. Then it was off to the Monoprix supermarket for a shop. We had fun using the self check out but we got there in the end.
Once again, the photos have uploaded out of order. The videos of the Candlelight Procession didn't upload at all!
