Ave Maria X: Nevers

Said goodbye to Lourdes early in the morning for a long day of traveling. Stopped for lunch 300 KM away at Restaurant Cote France at Aire-Jardin des Causses du Lot. It was a restaurant attached to a rest stop along the highway. I had duck confit with a coffee cream eclair. Yummy. Continued on for 400 KM to Nevers passing by a couple of villages and a whole bunch of rapeseed fields. Too bad we could not stop to take pictures in the fields. The roads were small and bumpy making for a less comfortable ride (one lady threw up twice). The driver also made a few wrong turns. The GPS wasn't good enough so he had to switch on Google Maps as well.







Eventually we reached Nevers and checked in to Mercure Pont de Loire, a small two-storey hotel. Exchanged the long distance coach for a city bus (I suspect cause it was because the driver had exceeded his time on the road-- EU safety regulations!) to Espace Bernadette for a private mass. In the sanctuary is St. Bernadette's incorrupted body. A layer of wax covers her face and hands, so it looks lifelike. Outside the church is a reproduction of the grotto with an imported stone from Lourdes nailed to a marble plaque. Didn't have much time to explore the place as the staff were waiting to close up.













From there we went for short a city tour where we saw the war monument and Cathedrale Saint-Cyr et Sainte-Julitte. Had a late dinner at 8:30 PM. Chicken breast again, but it came with rice. Does that qualify as French chicken rice? Lol. Powered on the WIFI that night and was bombarded with loads of photos in the group chat. Pengsan. Packed everything up that night for the preparation back to KL on the next day.