Ave Maria & injured back.

"Ouch! Bloomin eck! How on earth did that happen?" 

I bent down and picked up the melamine plate that had given my foot a good clout as it and my nice new non stick frying pan flew off the worktop where, as usual, they had temporarily been placed after washing and drying. Nice new non stick frying pan was now an oval shape and is still, after my clumsy re shaping, less than the circular shape it once was.

These not uncommon unusual movement of objects always surprise me with their ability to arrest and shock both mind and body. Invariably such simple, down to earth and 'of this world happenings' contain a message. This was no exception.

We were in Lourdes. Home to Bernadette and her vision of Mary. A place that over the years has for millions of humans meant much, or not. It has supported, sustained, healed, or not. It is firnly at the centre of many thousands of human beings spiritual or religious belief structure.

With skeptical and, I have to say, a somewhat rebellious and mischievous non believers mind, I was doing the washing up after tea. The crash of plate and frying pan were saying to me. "C'mon now, you're on my patch, trust me and my way for a couple of days. It'll be OK."

And indeed it was.

The name, place and story of Lourdes has been with me from my earliest memories having spent my formative years under catholic influence. So it is not surprising that I have been drawn here to 'see for myself' what it is all about.

The tat and pilgrimage site rip off is here and in your face. 10 euro per night to park Sadie with no facilities except convenient location. Out and about it is 50 cents every time you have a pee. But the place is beautiful and a couple of pleasant days have been spent here.

Tanya and I went off on the bike not really knowing where we were going but trusting Mary would see us OK seeing as how this was Lourdes, We arrived at the funicular railway just in time to lock up the bike and buy a one way ticket to the top where there was a wonderful overview of the town and surrounding hills.

Then it started to kick off. First off was a group of Italians at the viewpoint. They were complete with their church flag and insisted on a photo shoot with Tanya. She was good as gold but I'm not sure she appreciated the bunches of wild thyme they tucked into her collar. She did look cute though!

We headed off on the downward path and almost immediately came across a hang glider who as we approached launched himself off the 'almost a cliff' hillside. Oops! Big mistake. Not enough wind. One side of his wing collapsed and he swung round as if on a pendulum and back into the hillside about thirty feet lower. It was quite a crash. I could see no movement so started to edge myself down the hillside calling out; "Vous OK monsieur?"  Finally as I reached the parachute type wing tangled up in a bush a rather dazed figure started to emerge from a little lower down seemingly none the worse after his brief flight. He was muttering what I took to be obscenities in German but he did thank me and assured me he was OK in understandable French.

We returned to our descent and soon caught up with Nikki. She was a bit younger than me, divorced for 26 years and delighted at the chance to speak English. She was studying it but got little chance to practice in her home town of Pau. A very pleasant hour was spent before we finally arrived at the Funicular railway base and said our goodbyes.

"Well Tanya," I said as I loaded her into her green plastic bucket doggy carrier; "I guess the 'trusting' is working eh! That's three interesting 'giving' encounters. Wonder what the rest of the day has in store for us?"

Next stop was a 'centre of the action' pavement cafe for a good lunch while watching the life of Lourdes pass by in all its varied forms. Fascinating. You cannot help but get caught up in the overall energy of the place. It was again therefore no surprise that 9pm found me washed, shaved, dressed respectfully and among the throngs of multi national worshippers on their way to the service and candle lit procession at the main 'grotto' area.

Tanya was safely tucked up in Sadie as she was not allowed in the Grotto area. All the shops on route do a roaring trade selling candles in little paper cups with 'Ave Maria' written on them. Plastic bottles of various shapes and sizes were also flying off the shelves to be filled later from the area specially built with taps of holy water flowing straight from the Grotto. The small 'Mary' shaped bottles seemed to be very popular.

All very moving and I freely admit to letting myself get very pleasantly caught up in the overall joyful celebratory atmosphere. I re-learnt the 'Hail Mary' prayer too. I had completely forgotten it. Chanting the prayer along with hundreds if not thousands of others without skepticism or past history colouring my overall sense of inclusion and good feeling reminded me of what a beautiful prayer it is and how wonderfully it celebrates femininity.

OK Mary! Thanks. Guess that's what my visit to Lourdes has been about. A re-visiting and a re-seeing with new eyes.
Was wondering, d'you think it OK if I move on now?
-  -  -  -  -
Well we did move on. To where I am sitting now with strained back after a non serious slip and slide down a snow drift with a rocky landing at the bottom. That's what comes of not concentrating for a few seconds when on snow and at approximately 2300mtres and well into snow territory.

Twas Tanya's fault! She just loves the snow and was running round me ploughing her nose through the snow and I was encouraging her and throwing snow at her. Ah well these things happen but no serious harm done. Just a painful twinge whenever I move.

We are south of Lourdes back up in the 'Haute Pyrenees' at 'Gavarnie'. The Cirque du Gavarnie is world famous and our walk up to it yesterday was wonderful. Blue sky, high peaks and a relatively easy walk. Today Sadie struggled away up even further to the 'Col de Tentes' where we walked up the Col into the snow and into Spain. Mmmmmm thats a point! Wonder if I done for my back in France or Spain?  Again glorious weather and stunning vistas every which way you look.

Tonight we are snug and warm at the Aire just above Gavarnie. The weather has now closed in and is raining. So glad we have had the last few days of hot hot sun and blue skies.

Tomorrow?

We start North.