Meandering the Country

November 9-10, 2025 The view from our hotel room! Our final destination of this pilgrimage took us to southern France via the Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV).  The 520-mile trip from Paris to Lourdes took only two hours rather than the eight or nine hours a bus or car would need to take (not counting additional time to stop and stretch your legs).  This “Fast Train” truly was fast, as it reached speeds of 200 mph on the straight stretches.  What a fantastic mode of transportation!  Not only was it speedy, but also astoundingly smooth and quiet.  On top of that, one car down from us was the café, offering not only delicious espressos but also tasty pastries, sandwiches and other selections of light snacks.  I’m definitely a fan of this mode of public transportation! All aboard! I have to say, when we were first considering going on this pilgrimage, it was seeing Lourdes on the itinerary that grabbed my attention.  My grandmother had been to Lourdes in the ...

November 8, 2025 Our final day in Paris was filled with a perfect blend of spirituality, culture, cuisine, history and adventure!  Our day started out taking the cog rail up to the highest point in Paris – Montmartre (The Martyrs’ Mountain).  Montmartre’s name itself has quite the history.  Saint Denis (Bishop of Paris during the third century) and his two companions were very successful evangelists. Their success at converting agnostic worshipers to Christianity quickly got the attention of the pagan priests. This attention led to their arrest, torture and eventual martyrdom by the Romans around 250 AD.  Legend has it, following his beheading, St. Denis picked up his head and continued preaching the gospel until he collapsed and died several miles away.  Today, Saint Denis Basilica stands at the very spot Saint Denis died!   Looking up at  Sacré-Cœur Sacré-Cœur (Sacred Heart) Basilica sits on top of Montmartre.  Construction began in 187...