Well back again after a couple of days traveling away.
On Sunday I had a taxi trip at 5am to the airport then a flight to Madrid then one to Pamplona.I was then met as arranged by a shuttle service( no buses or trains on a Sunday) and taken back to France to get my bag. By a massive co-incidence the lady who is the main contributed to the web forum on the Camino was on the shuttle. She had provided answers to all my questions!!!
She is from South Africa . Small world.
I can barely walk even with my new beaut walking stick so could not look far around the lovely village and hobbled to the train station and waited there. I had to get 2 trains then to Lourdes. I got there in pouring rain and had problems finding the hotel.
Yesterday I hobbled around the Sanctuary site at Lourdes which is actually quite small with a Basilica, the rock site where the apparitions were, a park, a hillside path with the 12 Stations of the Cross and not much else. But around this are 1000's of shops selling religious and non related JUNK!!!
It rained again in the day and then all night.
I had another 5am taxi ride today and then 2 flights via Paris to Nice.
there was an Air Traffic Controllers strike today and the first plane was an hour late and I barely made the 2nd flight. I did not expect to see my bag but it was there!!!
I have met Courtney and yes I cried!
We got the train to Monaco which is cleaning up after Sunday's race.
I managed to walk to the Casino then the Palace and was then exhausted and could not do more so we came back and bought dinner and had a drink on our patio. The boats were amazing at Monaco- as were the cars!!!
Tomorrow we will get the train to Italy and will stay in the same place for 6 days originally to walk all over the district- probably not going to happen now!!
Carol