We tried our best to get our first taste of Pyrenean rock climbing today, but the weather had other ideas. It was still warm, but the low clouds eventually couldn't hold onto their cargo any longer. There were low clouds up in the mountains, so we tried our luck by driving further down the valley to the crags around the town of Lourdes. The mist gave way to rain just after we found the crag!
Luckily, there's plenty to see in Lourdes - with the main event being the whopping series of Catholic Cathedrals. When Clare had visited here nearly twenty years ago, she remembered crowds of people packing the main square. Today, the rain had thinned things out a bit.
In through the grand doors and out of the rain we went...
It's a remarkable work of art as much as a place of worship. All the decor was made from tiny mosaics.
There is another church, basically on top of the main one, with huge stairs, lined with madonnas leading upwards and into it. Down in the square, nuns were pushing folk in wheel chairs and tour guides with matching bandaners and shirts jostled for photo positions.
The rest of the town is literally awash with souvenir shops all selling ornaments and basically loads of tack - just with a religious theme. Candles of every shape and size (one weighed 35kgs!), all manner of porcelain figurines, fridge magnets, tea towels, place settings - you name it, there was a 'lourdes' branded item for sale. The most popular purchase seemed to be empty water containers, (all sizes, from 50ml pots to 10 litre jerry cans, all with 'lourdes' printed in the side), that people seemed to be snapping up, to presumably take home some of the healing waters that the town is famous for. It was all rather extraordinary.
After a look around the town, and a quick food shop, we weaved our way back uphill, where the weather was slightly improved. Lourdes had been a very strange experience, so we debriefed over another round of golf in our quiet little garden!
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