Europe: Day 52 (May 26)

casa-natal-bernadetteWe had a great time exploring some of the sights in Lourdes. We started the day by visiting the house where St Bernadette was born. It is a small 2 room house and mill since her father was a master miller. It is well restored.

DSCN1858Next we visited Lourdes Castle and the Pyrenean Museum. The castle was originally built as a fortress sometime before Charlemagne took it over in 778. Over the centuries it’s function and use has changed and its size has decreased and increased. It has been a fort, a residence of Count Bigorre, a prison, a military barracks and since 1921 the Pyrenean Museum. The buildings have been preserved and the grounds beautifully restored.

DSCN1891The museum has a wonderful collection of clothes, tools, furniture and artwork telling about life for the mountain people of the Pyrenees between the 18th and early 20th centuries.  DSCN1888It was very interesting to see the clothing and tools etc used by the people. We climbed up to the top of the tower and keep and were rewarded with magnificent panoramic views of the town of Lourdes, the surrounding area and the mountains.

DSCN1920After that we took a tourist bus ride around the town to see “the sights”. The townspeople are very proud of St. Bernadette. We stopped at the  Pic du Her
Funicular Railway. It is like a single track electric rail car that provides an easy way up 900 meters (about 2700 feet) for a panoramic view over the Pyrenees. DSCN1922Even though it was a cloudy day with low hang clouds over the mountains, we decided it would be fun to take the ride up. It was about a 45 degree incline (and 45 degree decline on return trip). As expected it was a fun ride up and down with some great views along the way. Also as anticipated, when we reached the top it was socked in with clouds so no panoramic views, but we enjoyed the ride just the same.

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20160526_082450The top is also the starting point for the Mountain Bike World Cup. The initial descent from the starting point was so steep it almost resembled a ski jump ramp. Apparently many bikers use it when race is not occurring. Wayne hiked down (hoping for good photo opportunities) and said the bike trail was really rough and strewn with rocks. It was a challenging walk down for him and Peggy was really glad she took the Funicular Railway back down. As it turned out with the trees and leaf coverage, Peggy had more photo opportunities.

After Wayne’s unexpectedly difficult hike, we headed back to our room for a rest before dinner. Our hotel room faces Lourdes Sanctuary, and we can hear the singing and see parts of the processions. It has been a wonderful and moving experience. Tomorrow we head towards Spain and Portugal.

Bonne Nuit
Wayne and Peggy