For those who want to read all the posts from our trip, and see the pictures and videos, here they are, archived in one place:
- Bonjour! Our journey begins. Arriving in Paris and settling in Lisieux.
- Joan and Julia and Paris Walking the historic streets of Rouen, seeing where St. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake, dining at the legendary restaurant that inspired Julia Child, and arriving at last in Paris. Also, a memorable trip to Omaha Beach.
- Vincent and Catherine and Notre Dame Seeing the incorrupt bodies of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Catherine Laboure, celebrating a beautifully moving Mass at the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal, and touring the stunningly restored Cathedral of Notre Dame.
- Arriving at last in Lourdes The town that has become one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the world, and home to a beautiful nightly candlelight rosary.
- The waters of Lourdes The highlight of any trip to Lourdes is touching, tasting, washing with the waters of its famous springs. I describe my experience.
- Buenos dias! Departing France, we take a long bus ride to Spain to visit the medieval walled home of St. Teresa, Avila.
- Walking with a saint in Avila, praying the rosary in Fatima Experiencing the stunning architecture and inspiring relics of Avila — and then heading on the road again, to Portugal to pray in Fatima.
- Discovering Fatima on foot — and sampling its food Beauty, serenity and holy ground. I’ll remember Fatima the rest of my life. We had a wonderful dinner at a local restaurant, complete with live music.
- The last leg in Lisbon Our final stop, the bustling city of Lisbon, where we celebrated one last Mass in the church built over the site where St. Anthony was born.
- Heading home — and learning some lessons A quick night in Lisbon, then on to Paris for the flight home. I share some ideas and tips for making a journey like this.
Worth noting: these last weeks of March were the perfect time to visit Lourdes and Fatima. The weather was perfect — in the 50s and 60s (F!) and hitting 70 in Lisbon. We didn’t have a drop of rain. Skies were cloudless and bright. And the crowds were nonexistent. We had easy access to the grotto, the candlelight processions, all the holy sites. Even walking through Notre Dame was quick and the wait, brief. Things get a lot busy in April and May. (And the warm weather of summer can be downright miserable with all the walking and waiting outdoors.)
If you want to visit, do it in late March or early April!
Finally: A big shoutout to Edita Krunic, Rebecca Stoker and the good people at Select International Tours who made it all possible and, as always, did a superb job planning our itinerary, finding first-rate hotels and restaurants, and hiring a great tour manager, Teresa Torres.
It’s a cliche, but it’s true: this was the trip of a lifetime. Merci beaucoup! Que Dieu te bénisse!
