Mirepoix
After seven nights in Carcassonne, the adventure restarted. Destination Lourdes, via a pitstop in Mirepoix. On the map, the journeys look straightforward but it isn’t always the case. We parked in the aire at Mirepoix for free. Another one of the most beautiful villages in France, you can see why. With the medieval buildings built around the town square, it was a treat to see. After a quick stop for lunch, we set off for Lourdes. Once again what looked like a straightforward “hop” was nearly a three hour drive. Lourdes had been on/off our list, definitely off then after speaking to a family member who went recently, we put it back. Both of us remember back to the 1970’s when it was in the news for pilgrimages & the healing water, we had to go! We had planned two nights there, so we didn’t have to rush.
Lourdes
We headed out mid morning to walk down to the town & the sanctuary, as we were approaching we heard lots of commotion over a loud speaker & assumed it was a rally of some sort. As we got closer, it clicked that the Tour de France was due to come through within the next hour. We were on the wrong side of the street & couldn’t get across, so we went & bought a pavement picnic & waited for the riders to pass. Once again though we had missed the “freebies” as the caravan had long gone. It was good to see the race again & much less chaotic than in Toulouse. We walked down towards the main town & were greeted with shops stocked from floor to ceiling with every religious artifact you can imagine. Some of the shops had baskets so you could stock up on anything & everything. Once beyond the commercialism, we went to the basilica, the grotto & the underground basilica. Everything was on a grand scale & well worth experiencing. The underground basilica was “odd” a cross between an Ikea carpark & a nuclear bunker. We both agreed & cut our visit short. Not many people were in there compared to the other basilica & grotto, so wonder if it’s common knowledge or people avoided it. We also headed back in the evening to watch the Marian torchlit procession, which has been held since 1863. The pilgrims walk up the esplanade & then back down to the Rosary basilica whilst reading’s are read out by the pilgrims & hymns are sung. It really was a great experience to witness it, a spiritual place amongst the crazy tackiness of the town centre shops. Weirdly enjoyable.
Salies de Bearn
Next stop Salies de Bearn, for a quiet one night stop to get us halfway to Biarritz. It was a randomly selected location by almost sticking a pin in the map. Wall to wall with 17th & 18th century houses, it is incredibly attractive! Lots of small streets to get lost in & whilst walking down one of those streets, we stumbled upon a group of “Circle Singers”the Houla Oups & watched for a while. The town is also know for it’s naturally occurring saline water & has a thermal baths. What a great find & a very pleasant couple of hours exploring.
Biarritz
Biarritz was another one that we were should we, shouldn’t we? Originally we were going to head there after we had been to Andorra, but changed our mind. Anyway we booked a night there as the plan was to head up towards Bordeaux, to get us in position for our pre-booked three night stay on the Ile de Re. As we arrived it was cloudy, with a sharp breeze . Massive views over towards the Spanish border/Pyrenees & we kept looking longingly at it! We need to save some places for our next trip though. We stayed near Milady beach, where we watched the sunset later in the evening. First off though, we walked along the coast to the main beaches/town. Lovely architecture, clean wide beaches & lots of good quality shops to browse. Stopped off for a beer, in the town & G opted for a Basque Beer. Really nice day & glad we came, would definitely put it on the list to return to & maybe have some beach days too. The weather went from cloudy to glorious sunshine within about 30 minutes! Along the coast was an amazing property! It looked like it was out of an Enid Blyton book. We found a local greengrocer on the way back & stocked up on some local produce & a very nice treat of strawberries (although we had nothing to go with then except sugar). A first for M, she used the shower in the van!!! Due to this revelation, a decision has been made, we are not going to stay at a site until we reach the Ile de Re!
