Time to say “Au revoir” to Paris.
We checked out of our Paris hotel and took a short bus ride across town to visit another sacred landmark: the Basilica of Sacre Coeur in Montmarte.
It may be one of the most familiar and recognizable churches in the Parisian landscape. Even from a distance, it’s imposing.
Up close? It’s overwhelming.
It was still early when we got there, a little after 9 am, so we got a quick tour.
A little history, from our friends at Wikipedia:
The Sacré-Cœur Basilica of Montmartre , also known as the Vow Basilica , located at the top of the Montmartre hill , in the Clignancourt district of the 18th arrondissement of Paris ( France ), is a major Parisian religious building, “sanctuary of Eucharistic adoration and divine mercy” and property of the municipality of Paris
The construction of this church, a monument of both political and cultural significance, followed the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. It was declared a public utility by a law passed on by the National Assembly in 1871; the building was officially completed in 1923. The desire to build this basilica was part of a broader context of revitalization of the sacred , and its construction took place within the framework of the establishment of what was later presented as a “moral order“. Its location at an altitude of 130 meters near one of the highest points in Paris , and its dome rising to 83 meters, make it visible from afar. With nearly eleven million pilgrims and visitors per year, it is the second most visited religious monument in Paris after Notre-Dame Cathedral.
The scale of the place is jaw-dropping. And the frescoes are gorgeous. Seeing the collection of saints in one area, I was reminded of John Nava’s inspired tapestries in the LA cathedral. Now I know where he got his inspiration.
We took a long, narrow stairway down into the grotto for a private Mass.
Deacon Thomas Whited preached and Rick Janka, from my parish in Florida, served as the lector.
One of the unique aspects of visiting Sacre Coeur is how you get there. From the street, you buy a ticket and take a funicular, or cable car.
This proved to be fun and efficient, but not everybody got the hang of the scan-step-through-turnstile-and-move-forward choreography of this transportational dance. But, somehow, it worked.
Before long, we were back on the bus, en route to the Paris train station. It was time for our net big transit adventure: taking the TVG “bullet train” to Lourdes.
The train is a remarkable feat of engineering — and pretty fast. But getting on and off isn’t for the faint of heart, especially if you have a couple large bags of luggage to drag up to the second floor of the train.
But the ride was pleasant, the food was good — a lot more extensive than what you might find on a typical Amtrak trip. It took about five hours, total.
The trip was scenic — and afforded us another lovely view of the French countryside.
Once we pulled into the Lourdes station, though, it was a mad rush to get OFF the train and let other people ON. We hired some freelance porters (recommended by our tour manager) and it went very smoothly.
Then it was just a short drive to Lourdes. We arrived around 6:30 pm. And we were welcomed by … this.
We quickly settled into our home for the next two nights, the Hotel Padoue, a charming and smartly appointed little hotel about a five-minute walk from the basilica and the legendary grotto of Lourdes.
The food was pretty fantastic.
Like all the hotels we sampled, breakfast was an endless choice of things that otherwise stick to your ribs and might annoy your cardiologist.
The breads were uniformly incredible — assorted rolls, croissants, baguettes. There were crepes and cheeses and thinly sliced hams. You could also choose from a variety of cereals, fruit and yogurt. I wondered how so many French people stay so thin.
The consensus of the pilgrims on the trip was summed up by one word:
Walking.
I also appreciated the creative spelling of my name.
Before we settled in for the night, we walked down to the basilica to take part in a regular ritual of Lourdes: the candlelight praying of the rosary.
This. Was. Beautiful.
If you ever visit Lourdes, this is a must.
We staggered back to our hotel and got ready for another day, when we’d have time to explore Lourdes — and I was looking forward to trying the town’s legendary healing baths.
A bientôt!
