Notes from the Road (16) - Not Quite a Pilgrimage

With a down day from his work, Iain and I planned a wee jaunt for the three of us and decided on a trip to.... Lourdes!

I have such mixed feelings about the day that I'm finding it difficult to express them succinctly and coherently. For me, Lourdes was always somewhere the sick and infirm went; somewhere my Gran McAvoy went; somewhere my very-much-practicing-Catholic-friends went; and somewhere that I thought I'd never go.

I'm quite spiritual, but not that religious. I was brought up in the Catholic faith, but these days I'm probably more somewhere between non-practicing Catholic and agnostic, but can even swing towards atheism depending on my mood. I can't remember the last time I went to mass, and we didn't even get married in a church. Why then, did we go to this massive Catholic tourist destination, second only to the Vatican City in terms of annual visitor numbers, where the sick go in the hope to get cured and people bring home Holy Water for their ill friends and family?

Why do we visit anywhere? It's because these places have histories and stories and they're grand and interesting. I've visited Buddhist temples and monasteries in Thailand, and I've visited Jewish memorials in Berlin. Love it or hate it, religion still affects all aspects of our lives and these glorious religious institutions, and watching the true believers that visit or live in them, are fascinating.

Lourdes itself is quite a dichotomy. In the town itself, you have Benidorm-esque, wall-to-wall, Catholic tat. Hundreds of shops selling every possible aspect of Mary / Our Lady inspired souvenirs. It's truly remarkable. Want a 3 litre bottle for your Holy Water? Get them here. Looking for some new vestments? Head to Lourdes for the latest fashions. Jaw dropping merchandising and commercialising of the sick.

The grotto is tranquil and beautiful. As you'd imagine, there is a very opulent cathedral (didn't actually go inside) and then acres of green and open space. I did feel quite drawn to St. Bernadette's cave but don't know if that was more of a "I can't come all this way, and not actually touch the cave" feeling rather than a spiritual connection. The thing I did like about going was the knowledge that my Gran McAvoy had visited here in the 80's so I was kind of following in her footsteps. That was cool.

So, a good day out was had by all, even if it all was a little odd.

LM.