Today was a long day.  We woke up, ate breakfast (the jelly is wonderful), and headed to Lourdes.  Lourdes is a bit of a drive, somewhere between three and four hours.  It was worth it.  We were warned to expect sick people all around Lourdes, but it must have been out of season, as we didn’t see any massive droves of ill folks.  We did find many tourist, and a set-up that reminded by of what might happen if Disney designed the next Vatican.  The contrast of a place known for its healing powers and the opulence of the church was noticeable.  I think if there were indeed droves of sick folks there, the contrast would have been even more disturbing.

So, we visited Lourdes and toured the grounds.  Amy managed to get some water from Lourdes to bring home for a couple of friends.  She also filled up her water bottle and drank it, and made sure that I had some of it as well.  As she said, “Can’t hurt”.  I’m not sure if I felt anything special but it did taste good.

After looking at the different churches there, we headed up to the Pyrenees to hike.  We really didn’t know where we were driving to, but we ended up at a ski resort at the end of the road.  The mountains were beautiful and still covered with snow.  We hiked for a while and really just enjoyed being outside and in the mountains.  We were a little concerned while driving that we’d accidently end in Spain.  When we looked closer at a map, I think if we walked a few more kilometers, we would have crossed into Spain.  However, we turned back when it came clear that snowshoes really were needed.  We had enough fun of watching Amy try to keep her footing, that I didn’t need to carry her down the mountain on the ice and snow.