Ahhh, France

So, after spending a wonderful week in Germany tasting some incredible wines and meeting some amazing people, the three of us parted ways, and i am now in France. Friday i left Bad Krueznach for Lisieux, to see the former home of St. Therese.

In order to get to Lisieux, i had to go through Paris. Not only did i have to change trains in Paris, i had to make my way to another train station. Fortunately, i had two hours to do so. i had little trouble making my way to the next station, and only a few back and forth moments to different ticket windows to purchase my ticket. After an hour and a half train ride, i arrived in Lisieux.

The first thing you notice getting out of the train, if you look up at the top of the nearby hill, is a humongous Basilica. From a distance, it almost looks fake, especially against the blue sky that was present when i arrived.

Signs for an information center were hard to find when i arrived. i made my way to the Basilica, only to find that the info center associated with that closed about five minutes before i got there. Disappointed, i went looking on my own for a place to stay for the night. Part of my hope was to make a small retreat out of my three nights in Lisieux. i should have looked online for that stuff, but well, didn't.

i spent my first night in a hotel not far from the Basilica. It was simple, but fairly nice. After getting aquainted a bit with the town, i made my way back to bed.

The next morning i set out to try to find something that would fulfill my retreat desires, and the info place sent me to L'Ermitage, which i don't have a clue what it means in French, but it was a "spiritual center" run by the Carmelites for pilgrims. i never really considered myself a pilgrim, but explained that i had two nights left in Lisieux, and would really like to make a small kind of retreat out of it. They fortunately had a room available, and that afternoon i lugged my stuff from my hotel to my new accomodation.

Now, the Carmelite sisters (i'm pretty sure they were sisters), while not by any means rude, weren't exactly overly friendly, like other Carmelites i had encountered. The one lady, after showing me to the elevator, took the stairs up to the third floor. i admit, i probably didn't smell that great (the weather in France was much warmer, and i was still dressed in clothes fit for the weather in Germany), and i did take up most of the elevator, but there was certainly room. So, my goal, by the time i left Monday morning, was to get the nuns laughing.

Explored some more of the town Saturday, and took care of some stuff on the internet. There was a market in the main square of town, where you could buy almost anything you wanted. It was quite busy. People were friendly, and the man who made me my sausage for lunch, while he didn't speak any English, wasn't at all upset about my inability to speak French. He loaded me up with Frites (french fries), and sent me on my way. It was a tasty lunch.

Visited the Basilica, which is beautiful, and some other churches in town, including the one i guess Therese went to while living there as a child. In the Basilica, there was a very unique crucifix, one with Jesus off of the cross from the waist up, but still with his arms out-stretched. It almost looked like he was hippy-dancing. i really liked it, and would love to post a picture, but the internet place i am at won't let me plug my camera in. : (

My dinner Sat. night was similar to my lunch, and when as i returned to my room after picking up my key, the Asian sister who i swore did not like me at all that morning, had a hint of a grin. Ahh, success was coming.

Sunday i did mass at the Basilica. The bishop was in town, and a troop of old style french horn players did the music for the beginning and the end. By old style, i mean the ones with no keys, only a couple loops of brass. They certainly offered a new musical experience for me, but i must say, the modern french horn, from a sound and tone perspective at least, is a significant improvement. i had to hold myself back from laughing at first, but i couldn't keep the grin off my face. Not that it was bad, it was just funny. Ahh, the French.

After the long mass, i decided to head out of the main part of town to find the house that Therese and her family lived in while in Lisiuex. Well, it was well marked where to go, then the signs stopped, and i found myself at a round-about quite a distance from town. So, instead of going back the way i had come, i decided to go back towards town, but a little further north of town, kind of in the nearby countryside.

It was a nice walk, and i eventually ran into a trail that was a "sport trail" or something, that had stations you could do different exercies. i think i hit it towards the end, but followed it back to town. After grabbing some stuff for dinner and some postcards, i returned to the Carmelites, and asked to check out, given that my train left very early the next morning.

There were four African ladies behind the counter (and, for the most part, they were much happier), and, by the time i had left, i had them all laughing. Success!

Yesterday, i spent most of my time on a train to Lourdes. i had to go through Paris, again, and find a completely new train station, again, only this time i only had an hour to do it. Fortunately, i made it, and am in my second day in Lourdes. It's a very pretty town, with some pretty impressive mountains around it. Apparently some six million people come here every year. Last night, i had my first experience getting kicked out of a restaurant. i tried to sit by myself at a table, and the lady said that i would not be allowed to eat there alone, and told me to leave. It was supposedly the best "authentic" restaurant in town, so i was a bit disappointed. But, i found a Scottish restaurant that didn't mind my being alone, and had a good feed there.

Went walking last night, and stumbled across a ton of people with candles. Apparently, every night at 9pm, there is a candlelight parade of sorts (the correct word is escaping me right now). Basically, they say a rosary in about half a dozen different languages, and everyone walks around. It would seem a bit cultish, i'm sure, to an outsider, but it was a pretty cool experience. i might try it again.

The French experience, so far, has been eclectic to say the least. While i got kicked out of a restaurant, many people i've encountered on the street or in the shops have been incredibly kind and fun. Ahhh, the French.

Hope everyone is doing well out there.

JC