Friday 27th part 2
After Neil returned from his Hautacam ride we all headed off for a family adventure, with Lourdes being the chosen destination. After a stop at the tourist information for maps and guides, we headed off for a quick bite to eat to gain energy to tackle the 'chateau fort'. We ate our lunch sitting on a bench on what initially seemed to be a quiet quaint French street only to have an oversized tourist bus pass us every 30 seconds. Upon studying the map we discovered were sitting on the route down to the sanctuary where in 1858 a young lady by the name of Bernadette saw a figure of the Virgin Mary in a cave. The cave has now been turned into an amazing area for pilgrims to flock and worship, be blessed, pick up some holy water, make an offering and be cured. Apparently it is quite a set up. Anyway, not being in need of curing, we headed in the opposite direction up to the chateau fort that overlooks the city. The fort is about 1000 years old, however has had a few different add ons over the years (including an elevator shaft that looks like a tower). It's apparently the only undefeated fort in France, which is understandable as it is situated high on a rocky outcrop, central in a valley, and you would be able to see anyone coming for miles. This and the amount of arrow shooting holes, the enemy didn't have a chance (Callum enjoyed running past all the holes pretending to shoot arrows at all the tourists below). The fort had an unofficial one way system that took you through all the different areas with displays of clothing throughout the Pyrenean regions, items used in every day life in ye olde time, art work, and even a marble museum showing you the many types used to make the nearby basilica in the sanctuary. Of course from up on the fort you could see the complexity of the sanctuary and it is an impressive sight to behold. The one way system worked wonderfully as it kept the flow going and people weren't over the top of each other. We also spotted another attraction for another day which is a funicular railway that takes you to a high vantage point that gives you a 360 degree view of the Pyrenees. Something for another day.
After making our way back down, and after performing a quick shopping chore, we indulged in an ice-cream seeing as it was a very hot day. While buying them we were ordering one by one as not to confuse the very young man serving us. Neil was holding Callum so he could see all the flavours and Callum was continuously saying "I want chocolate" over and over again. When the young man got to Callum he looked him in the eye with a big grin and said "chocolat". When Callum received it he replied instantly with a "merci", which the young man liked. They were good ice-creams too, so much so that it was the first one Callum has completely finished. Driving home we noticed the clouds rolling in and just as we were returning home with our takeout pizza the heavens opened up. We were very grateful of our Lourdes shopping which was to buy a sim card for the iPad. No more sitting in the driveway blogging, especially now that it resembled a creek. The rain was coming down in buckets with thunder and everything. It was good timing as it was getting a little hot. Tomorrow as Neil mentioned he has a rest day and we are ALL looking forward to the Parc Animalier des Pyrenees.
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