Lourdes (France) | The Refreshing Rain - Days 51-52

 

I like this colorful sign welcoming people to Lourdes, France. But, unfortunately, it is located west of the train station, and I missed it when I arrived yesterday.

This is the view out of my window this morning. The air smells great, and the rain hitting the rooftops makes a lovely, almost tinny sound. It has rained on and off since the middle of last night. The cool air feels great! Notice how everything is socked in. Friday and Saturday are both like this. The light drizzle falls as I walk around town without a rain jacket. I notice most people here, unlike in Ireland, wear raincoats or have umbrellas. I am enjoying the rain too much to be bothered with a raincoat.

One of the reasons I chose to come to Lourdes is Le Tour de France, though I opted to visit the town after Le Tour had come and gone. After leaving Carcassone, two days prior, Le Tour began Stage 18 here in Lourdes. They finished Stage 17 in Peyragudes, France, 99 km (62 mi) away. Stage 18 began in Lourdes and ended in Hautacam, France. This was the last of the hilly stages. It is much more common for Le Tour to progress, like it did here in Lourdes, as opposed to ending and starting in the same town as it did in Carcassone. The Pyrénées are the critical stages for the General Contention riders. They have the steepest and most challenging hill climbs in Le Tour. This is always where the race is decided. There is no way I was coming to France and missing out on visiting these great mountains.

Lourdes is well known for several other reasons, one of which is a Holy site founded due to a 14-year-old girl seeing apparitions of Mother Mary in a nearby cave. You can read more about Bernadette's story and watch this Youtube Video. They do a great job of telling the story. An estimated 5 Million people per year visit the site in Lourdes.

Honestly, I am struggling with this Holy site and almost left it out entirely. But I decided that my struggles are still part of my experience, which is vital to being in Lourdes. However, from what I witnessed today, it feels over-commercialized, like the Disneyland of the church world. As a result, I am feeling a combination of cynism and disgust. And I am deeply conflicted about feeling this way at a site where I usually feel great reverence. Nevertheless, I decided to shift my struggles into something creative and focus on setting up lovely photos as the site is still spectacular and the sky is dramatic today. Below is the first site I see when I enter the long courtyard.

I really like this image. It is one of the only images of Mother Mary I have taken. However, I think the contrast with the ominous sky with a tiny blue hole in the clouds and the splash of color below is stunning.

I also catch this drake Mallard preening along the River Ousse. Each year after the breeding season, waterfowl spend the summer months in an eclipse (dark) phase. As a result, all the drakes turn brown and lose their breeding plumage during the molt. 

As I am wandering the streets, I pass by this charming restaurant. The French love their puns. Les 100 Culottes literally means The 100 pairs of Panties. The Pun means Those Without Panties. I find this amusing, but not enough to eat there. Their menu consists mainly of bar food, so I move on.

I was looking for something different for dinner on Friday evening and decided to try a Tibetan Restaurant. I order the Formule. The Formule (Formula) typically consists of a complete meal or a special that the restaurant runs for the evening. In this case, it includes soup, entrée, main dish, and dessert. Below is the Momos (dumplings) entrée. The ones on the left are stuffed with goat cheese and spinach. The ones on the right include a sausage. Initially, I thought the sausage dumplings were delicious, then I tried the goat cheese ones and would have preferred all 6 to be this variety. 

The main dish consists of this porc stir-fry-like dish with a side of rice and rice vermicelli noodles. It is delicious, and the vegetables are a welcomed chance to my diet. The meal finishes with a Tibetan rice pudding and a cup of Himalayan Black tea with milk and green Cardamom pods. Without a doubt, this was a great chance of pace meal.

The next night I wander south of town and find a little restaurant with street performers playing in front. Below is the duo that sings both French and English tunes, they have a red light shining on them so the photo seems off. I enjoy their performance and especially love the spin on the covers they sing. Usually, they change the song's pace, but more importantly is the French-English accent that I love the most as they perform Don't Speak-No Doubt, Billy Jean-Micheal Jackson, among others. They must be regulars here, as the two waiters enjoy the show and know all the performances, especially the French tunes. The waiters sing along and encourage the patrons to sing too as they dance from table to table.

I order the a salad entrée and Morlu a l'Espagnol (Monkfish Spanish Style).  The Market Salad consists of a bed of greens, Fois Gras, thinly sliced duck breast, pine nuts, and slices of apples. This salad is the star of tonight's dinner. Even though the Fois Gras is not quite up to par with the one I had at Alexandra's, it is still yummy.

Monkfish is commonly referred to as poor man's lobster. The white flesh has a texture that is consistent with lobster. I prepared it once in Fort Collins, Colorado, and thought it was ok. Morlu is very popular in France, so I thought I would try again, with an expert preparing it. The fish is tasty and much better than when I prepared it. The Spanish rice compliments the fish well. I would likely eat this again but not frequently.