I can't believe how difficult it is pasting pictures on this site. 

We are in Lourdes tonight. The hotel is really bad. Two nights of hostel caliber living. 

We stopped at the Chateau  Lafitte Winery for a tasting and then ate dinner at a town near the winery. We had a great day until tonight. 

I've been sitting in the bar doing this blog and not one person has asked me if I would like a cappuccino or a drink.  We should of left the French to the German's.

Tomorrow we head to Mass and then a half day tour of Bernadette's family home. The one thing you always see at these sites is the beggars. Most of them are phoney's but they are everywhere. In a town that has a very large support system, you shouldn't need to beg. There are people from everywhere here. It is very sad to see the many who are invalid who are hopping for a miracle from the waters of Lourdes. There are a great number of mentally ill. You can tell by the way they are dressed and are unkempt.  It is places like these shrines where they all congregate somehow looking for a miraculous solution to they're problems. Often they leave disappointed and discouraged. Everyone has ailments of sorts, and to expect a "miracle" if you visit these places is very short sided. God allows our ailments to help you to become close to Him. Ailments and the pain associated with them, should be offered up to him for relief from the punishment for our  sins. It is very clear in Catholic doctrine and even John Paul II said that pain and discomfort is, in itself, an opportunity for us to come closer to God by allowing Him to help us through our issues. I'm certainly not a theologin,  but I do understand God's use of infirmity to help us and Him to become closer. I know , the terribly deformed and sincerely troubled people that come here are important to be helped. There are several infirmaries in this city that cater to those folks and most are free. The people who are mentally disabled are the saddest lot and are the really lost souls who have nowhere to go. 

It's time to head to bed. More tomorrow.