Month: January 2023

So as were driving through The Pyrenees, I commented that there were lots of “bubbling brooks” by the side of the road & Dave said that the road follows the waterways as they will be the lowest bits… (interesting bit of triv, eh ? The winter nights are going to FLY by 😂😂😂).

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See Google Maps shot of road & waterway – side by side…

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More than a bubbling brook was a MASSIVE lake and (even without the sunshine) it was a pretty blue so we stopped & took a couple of snaps 📸

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And the last couple of photos are just a settlement at the bottom of snow-capped mountains plus a waterfall steaming down one of the mountains…

So Dave was all excited when we reached Viehla and said that we would stop at this particular bar (“Bar Bomba”) as he, my bother-in-law Paul and his childhood best friend Mick ALWAYS stopped there in their motorbike camping trips…

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We were initially headed for Vielha, Spain (halfway through The Pyrenees) and were unsure of the conditions but hoped we might a bit further…

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Lleida was the next destination – a city I found out when we got there – with no campsites & not very many places to park a motor home overnight…

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So we have ended up at an ACSI campsite – Càmping Serra de Prades Resort in Vilanova de Prades.  Check out the map below for the route…

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Dave’s made us ACSI members since we’ve had the motor home (2015) but we’ve never seemed to use the card & the books and today I found out why !

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ASCI is described as “inexpensive camping in low season” and before Pink Beach we always went in the summer 😎

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Mind you, it’s not that cheap TBH – as it states between €13 and €23 but all the sites I’ve earmarked are – you got it – €23 !!! 💰💰💰

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So to be an ACSI “member” you simply pay £18 for 2 books (see photo below) and a card (plus an extra £3 for the app if you’re Dave)…

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Anyway that’s the factual bit of info for today !!!

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So as I said earlier, it was raining ☔️ as we set off but the snow-capped mountains 🏔️  still looked awesome !!!

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Then we headed south and hit some sunshine & blue skies 😎

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We went through several tunnels whilst crossing The Pyrenees and one was pretty long.  Now, you would think that a tunnel would be FLAT but no – the one in the piccie below ascended, went flat, then descended !!!

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And although we drove THROUGH cloud ☁️ (like pea soup) and drove UNDER it – we (sadly) never were ABOVE it… 😐

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So after all that holy stuff, we were ravenous and opted for an “atmospherical” little cafe across the road.

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Dave went “safe” with chicken & chips (and was let down 😞) BUT I went for a “Croque Madame” which is essentially a “Croque Monsieur” with a fried egg 🍳 on the top !!! (… and was fab 😋)

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(The French like to bob an egg on the top of lots of things – including salads – I kid you not !!!)

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Anyways then we shared a waffle with Nutella & cream – fuel to sustain us to look around the holy tat shops !!!
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So – for any Roman Catholic visiting Lourdes – the piece de resistance has to be Massabielle Grotto – where the Virgin Mary appeared to St Bernadette 18 times from 11th February to 16th July 1858 and who was canonised in 1933 and whose body is still (pretty much) as it was when she died on 16th April 1879 ✝️

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What WAS disappointing was that you couldn’t access any Lourdes spring water (I don’t mean to go on about religious stuff but – for those of you reading this that perhaps don’t know – the Virgin Mary told St Bernadette to “drink at the spring & wash in it” but there WAS no spring until St Bernadette dug the soil with her hands and the spring appeared).

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And many have been cured from various ills (both physical & mental – I was hoping for the latter !!!) after bathing in the water…

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I had read online (before we left) that the “Lourdes Baths” were open 9am-2pm (only 12 degrees 🥶) but we packed our swims and WOULD have had a dunk !!! 

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And there are lots of taps built into the wall (where peeps normally fill their holy water bottles) but they were “Hors Service” (out of bleedin’ order).  Unsure if this was a COVID thing or wot…

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So l’m thinking that the sale of holy water bottles – from the plethora of holy tat shops across the road – is WELL down !!! 💰 

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The main event of the day (15 minutes away on the bikes) was “Sanctuaires Notre-Dame de Lourdes” (The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes) and was – in winter at least – a lovely, peaceful retreat set on the River Ousse.

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After initially being shooed out by the bouncer 😂 (because you are not allowed to cycle around the grounds) we secured the bikes outside and re-entered à pied (on foot 🦶 )…

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Within the grounds are the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception & – built directly underneath – the Basilica of the Our Lady of The Rosary.

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We arrived about 11:30am and Mass was being said in both churches so we explored the smaller surrounding chapels and I went to light a candle & say a prayer 🙏 

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AND I have to report that I’ve been in a LOT of churches & nearly always light a candle but it’s the first time I’ve EVER been able to pay (€3 for the tiniest candle) with my phone at a terminal right next to the candle holder inside church – sign of the times, indeed !!! 💰🕯️💒🙏

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{OK so I’ve just written the blog for today but there’s too many piccies for it to cope with in one go so I’m doing a few smaller posts with a few piccies at a time xxx}

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Saturday dawned beautifully sunny 😎 (if a bit chilly 🥶) and Dave set up the electric bikes 🚲 – nice piccie below of them outside The Van with The Pyrenees 🏔️ in the background 😊

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So we bibbed off (me very gingerly as I’m out of practice) but Dave was (as ever) brilliant, led the way & kept waiting for me to catch up & didn’t berate me for being slow ❤️

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Well nothing really of interest to report for Friday 6th January – we left the previous “camping car parking” place and headed for Lourdes – which was a LONG drive.