The original plan after VB was to travel South to be in Jurez for the Spanish MotoGP the following week. A planned stop was San Sebastian on the Spanish coast however looking for accommodation was a nightmare with cheap rooms beginning at $400 per night up to $4995 per night. So the Rich & Famous were left to pay those prices and we looked inland.

The comment was made to me had I visited Lourdes before. The answer came straight back "No"So it was decided that would be the overnight stop.

We booked at the Hotel Alliance one of literally hundreds of hotels in the city which ranks third for the most hotel rooms in Europe. Why?

on 11th february 1858 a group of three young girls, two sisters and a fiend were sent to gather wood near to the town. Bernadette Soubirous later made a Saint claims to have an apparation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at a small Grotto at Massabrielle Lourdes.

During that year 1858 a further seventeen other visions were report resulting it the place becoming the sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes following Pope Pius IX giving the Holy See approval on 3rd July 1876.

Well in the following 150 years millions of devote Roman Cathoilics have made the journey along with millions of sightsee members of the public like us.

I didnt know what to expect as all I knew was the large Rosary Basillica existed and people came daily hoping for a miracle cure from the Holy Water at the sight.

We arrived and booked into our Hotel and I was informed a procession took place nightly at 9pm and would I like to attend.

Downtown having dinner i soon realised the enormity of the scene during dinner hundreds were filing past heading o the vicinity of the grotto.

Some were dressed in the most elaborate robes of various religious orders many carried items that they had bought to the site such as statues, flags and various religious articles.

We too moved to the grotto area and soon realised despite the numbers present the line to the actual grotto was moving quickly so we took the opportinity to visit the grotto complete with its running water out of the surrounding rocks.

The procession moved around the square with many holding candles and then formed up near the steps to the Basillica where every night a service is held regardless of the weather so the cold and rain did not deter most but havent ridden in the rain much of the day we decided after a while to head back to the warmth of our hotel rooms. On the return however the commercial aspect of Lourdes was highly evient in the mulitude of shops selling every type of accessories from empty bottles @50c to gather water to very large ornate statues.

Religious or not a worthy way to spend time at different type of event if you are ever in the area.