Paris
Paris is the City of Lights so make sure to wait for the sun to set (even if it sets really late in summer). The best way to see the city at night is to go on a cruise at River Seine (about 10 euros or P650). At night, the Eiffel Tower, is also a marvel to watch with its dancing lights.
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| River Seine |
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| Eiffel Tower |
If you want a spectacular view of Paris, you can go up the Eiffel Tower during the day. Queues can be super long though so you have to be patient.
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| Eiffel Tower |
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| View from the Eiffel Tower |
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| View from the Eiffel Tower |
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| View from the Eiffel Tower |
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| Eiffel Tower |
Museum entrance fees are usually free every first Sunday of the month. We were lucky that our visit to the Louvre fell on that day. Yay! But whether entrance fees are free or not, the queue at the main entrance of the Louvre is always long. Try using the Carrousel du Louvre entrance - it's the same entrance which Silas took when he killed the museum curator in the book "Da Vinci Code".
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| Louvre |
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| Inside the Louvre |
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| Inside the Louvre |
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| Inside the Louvre |
We were also able to visit the Museo de Orangerie and saw paintings of Monet, Renoir, Matisse and Picasso. Paintings that I also liked were that of Utrillo, Derain and Lawrencin -whose works I only discovered at the Museo de Orangerie.
We also strolled along the Tuileries Garden and I enjoyed watching people enjoy life.:) Too bad, my camera battery got drained while at the Louvre so I wasn't able to take photos anymore at the Museo de Orangerie and Tuileries Garden.
While in Paris, we were also able to visit the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. It is the place where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St Catherine Laboure in 1830 and requested the creation of the medal which came to be known as the Miraculous Medal. The Chapel is also the mother house of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul.
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| Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal |
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| Incorrupt body of St. Catherine Laboure at the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal |
BTW, if you're not familiar on how the Miraculous Medal looks like, here's a photo -
Meals cost about 10-20 euros (P650-1,300). For a universal benchmark, a McDo value meal costs about 8 euros (P520). Bottled water and canned softdrinks in restaurants & tourist places are about 2.50 euros per bottle (P160!). The best place to buy bottled water is in supermarkets – it’s only 0.25 euros. :)
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Lourdes
We were also able to visit Lourdes. Just like Fatima, Lourdes is a place where you will be moved by the pilgrims' unwavering faith.
A sight I couldn't also forget was that of a boy pushing his sister's wheelchair while his dad carried 2 gallons of Lourdes water. When they reached the uphill climb going to the basilica and the boy couldn't push anymore, the dad had to push the wheelchair and carry the gallons of water at the same time. I felt my petitions were nothing compared to everyone else's.
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| Lourdes Grotto - the spot where Our Lady appeared to St Bernadette and where water sprung from the ground. |
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| Area where you can get some miraculous Lourdes water. |
There's also a section for Lourdes Bath where you will be quickly dipped in a tub of Lourdes water. I actually tried it - the water is super cold, about 11 to 12°C, but amazingly, after getting dipped, I felt so warm all over my body! đŸ˜‡
We spent 2 days in Lourdes and I kept coming back to the grotto. And just to share with you, one of my friends with cancer whom I prayed at that time, is on remission now.:). And two others who've been wanting to conceive for years got pregnant. :)
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Liseux
We were also able to visit the house of St. Therese the Little Flower (one of my favorite saints) in Lisieux.
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| House where St. Therese grew up. |
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| Rose Garden |
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| St Therese's bedroom |
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| St. Therese's childhood stuff |
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| Inside St. Therese's bedroom |
In the garden, you'll find the statue depicting the scene where St Therese was begging her father to allow her to enter the Carmelite monastery - one of the most important turning points in St Therese's life.
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| St Therese begging her father |
While in Lisieux, we were also able to visit the Basilica of St Therese the Little Flower which houses the incorrupt body of St Therese.
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| Basilica of St Therese the Little Flower |
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| Basilica of St Therese the Little Flower |
St Therese's incorrupt body isn't available for viewing (not sure when they expose it, maybe during her feast day) but there's a bone relic of St Therese in the altar.
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Photo of St Therese's incorrupt body |
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| Photo of St Therese's incorrupt body |
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| When St. Therese passed away. She just looks like she is sleeping! |
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This trip is part of a 20-day, 7-country Best of Europe adventure. Budget requirement is approximately USD3,500 (including airfare, accommodation, land arrangement and travel taxes).
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