will i am's delayed diary

Wednesday at Lourdes was without any planned activities. Mass was celebrated at 9:00 AM ( at the same chapel ) and we did the stations of the cross together at the hill beside the basilica. Some of the old ladies had some trepidation about the exertion but we did it slowly enough so that everyone could participate. Every station had life-sized statues. To me, the fourteenth station was the best: "Jesus is laid in the tomb". They actually had a natural cave there. And that wasn't the finale as there was a fifteenth station to represent the resurrection, a round rock that is supposed to be the rock that was rolled over the mouth of the tomb. A must do in Lourdes is the holy bath so we quickly went for that. Luckily for us, we caught the tail end of the morning session and there wasn't a queue at all. Outside the baths was a row of chairs to wait and we were given a pamphlet with the history of the holy baths. Before I had the chance to finish the...

Just a couple of nights in Barcelona and we left for France in the morning. Switched buses and bus drivers which was for the worse. The previous Frota Azul bus had WiFi, while the replacement didn't. The previous driver was friendlier and more fluent in English while the new guy just gave a few grunts. Worse of all was that he had a jerky style of driving. Oh my. During our comfort stop, bought some cold cuts and sausages from the supermarket connected to the petrol station. Seemed like 60% of their products were alcohol! Perpignan is a quaint, little city at the South of France some 190 KM away. A beautiful river lined with flowers flows through the city and there's a section behind old city walls. We were a little too early so there was time to explore. Admired the beautiful Cathedral of St. John the Baptist before heading to lunch at Grand Cafe de La Bourse . Europeans were enjoying al fresco dining but our group asked for the shade. The waiters were at a l...