8. St. Emillion; Pau; Lourdes

Wednesday, 28 August.  Laundromat.  Shopping in Bordeaux. Swimming.  Pizza at the mall and visit to the Supermarche.

 8 p.m.  Hotel Mercure (autre) swimming again.  This time there is a lot more action, about 20 or so people, including our first topless female bather.  Mara went over by her and gave her a good stare.  I'm sure she's been on the lookout for this.  No tan lines.  About Cathy's size.  I know people at home who would love this!

Thursday, 29 August.  Drive to St. Emilion for lunch.  Drive to Arcacharon in the evening for swim in the ocean.  Back at hotel at about 10 p.m.

Friday, 30 August.  Left Bordeaux at 10 a.m.  Arrived Pau, Hotel Mercure (125 miles).  Lunch at Pau.  Car wash afterwards at the self-serve.  Drive to Lourdes, visit grotto 6 to 8 p.m. Back at hotel at 9:30.

9:30 a.m.  Standing outside the VW after a brief sprinkle outside, testing the portability of my laptop.  We will shortly be on our way to Pau.  Bordeaux has been very hot.  The air circulation in the room is non-existent, and the air conditioning is weak, yet Cathy insists on keeping the window shut for fear of mosquitoes!  We sleep naked every night and keep the room darkened all day against the western exposure (a lesson I learned from Mer at Flintridge). 

 Bordeaux is a busy, big city on the river, an hour from Arcacharon on the Atlantic (west) and an hour from St. Emilion (east).  We visited both yesterday and had an outstanding day.  Today Lourdes, tomorrow our marathon drive to Cannes.  The weather looked liked thunderstorms in the morning yesterday, but turned out clear.  Today began cloudy and overcast, not quite as low as LA, but it reminded me of that indistinguishable greyness which settles over some cities.  Happily, the bit of a dousing today has cooled things off a little.

St. Emilion was charming.  We had lunch and visited the wine caves, wandering around the beautiful old city.  Afterwards, we drove to the beach, arriving around 5 o'clock.  At the beach we were struck by the sight of people down for the day getting ready to leave: men (including old men), women and children changing into their going home clothes on the beach: wrapping a towel around themselves as they change clothes.  There is plenty of nudity, topless women bathers, naked children and an occasional glimpse of a butt as someone changes from a swim suit to street clothes.  Almost all men wear Speedo type suits.

An interesting sight was the crowd of cars and campers stopped at the gas station off of the motorway as we drove back from the beach, around 9 p.m.  The lines at the "nice" motorway gas stations were staggering; back in town they were nothing.  Whether this was the usual, nightly return traffic or vacation, I don't know.  A lot of people were having their dinners.

Friday 30 August.  Pau.  1415.  Short ride this morning from Bordeaux, 125 miles.  Passed through Roquefort.  Some rain, misty, then heavy at times.  But little sun.  Clouds here misty, low clouds.  Sidewalk cafe for lunch, overlooking the arroyo, by the finicula in Pau.  Steak and potatoes, trout and potatoes are the menu of the day.  Sangria also available.        

Friday night.  We must have arrived in Lourdes at close to four, after lunching in Pau.  We parked our car and walked down the main street with its many religious souvenir shops, selling rosaries, plastic bottles for the Lourdes water, crucifixes, holy cards, postcards and elaborate gifts.  I bought rosaries and plastic bottles all around.  We then walked to the grotto, where our Lady appeared to Bernadette, below the basilica.  The scenery was familiar to me.  My mother has told me I lost a tooth in Lourdes in the spring of 1959, and I remember the candlelight procession.  Jeffrey was a sight: dressed up and on his knees in front of the grotto.  I myself prayed the rosary, like the pilgrim I am.  Before we left the grotto and walked along the river, we filled our plastic bottles with the Lourdes water, which flows continuously out of spigots tapped into the side of the rock.

We left around eight, walking in the opposite direction of the many pilgrims walking toward the grotto.  Although we knew we were going against the flow, nothing prepared us for the sight, as we turned one corner, of the crowded street, filled with people walking to the grotto.  I felt like a colonial ruler trying to get out of town just before the revolution breaks loose!

It is still very warm in our rooms.  We have a long drive tomorrow and must get an early start!

Saturday, 31 August.  Left Pau at 4:40 a.m., drove to Cannes (460 miles).  Thomas drinks most of Jeffrey's Lourdes water early on.  Jeffrey slugs Thomas in the stomach.  (Now, Jeffrey, would Our Lady like that?) 

Arcacharon

St. Emilion

Lourdes

Jeffrey at the Grotto

Leaving Lourdes as the Pilgrims Flood in

This is our first extended motorway driving.  It is wonderful!  The speed limit is 130 kilometers per hour (80 miles per hour).  I stay at the limit but there are many cars that pass us by.  If I'm in the left lane too long to pass (the VW travels well but it takes awhile to get up to passing speeds), it seems cars (mostly BMW's) come out of nowhere flashing their lights: Get out of the way, get out of the way!  We arrive at 1:40 p.m.  Our location: Residence Pierre et Vacances, Cannes La Bocca, a bit southwest of Cannes proper.  After unloading the car, I scrape the roof of the van in the underground parking lot.  I am happy to park the car and leave it alone for the next week.  We settle in, shop for groceries, beach toys and sunscreen.  Later we visit both the pool and the Mediterranean.