All roads lead to Lourdes

Haircut done and walk abandoned.... What to do now?  Roger had become obsessed with the English/French mountaineer Henry Russell.  We discover there is an exhibition of his exploits in the Castle of the Comptes de Bigorre,  in Lourdes.  The weather is heating up but up the hill we go, only to find they have never heard of Henry Russell.  Ah well, fate of us all I guess.  

We decide to visit the castle anyway.  A strange concept, gentry on one side of the stairway and locked doors keeping prisoners at bay on the other side.  The views from the top are amazing.  Lunch is munched among the miniature villages that have been recreated in the gardens and then rashly we decide to wander down and have a look at Lourdes itself.  

Our walk down is really pleasant, not too many people because of the floods and then suddenly we were in amongst it.  Its like a religious Blackpool, a sort of religious theme park, but sad because for so many people its their only hope.  The stats are 1 in 3 million people are 'cured' and of course the definition of 'cured' is fuzzy.  Not that I mind that, the placebo effect must impact and I'm sure lots of people go home feeling 'better'.  Its the tackiness.  The 'make a buck' kind of attitude.  People were desperately buying candles for 200 Euros and a litre of water from the spring for 100 Euros.  True they had lots of fountains where you could fill your container, but it all just seemed so dodgy.

Ah well I just don't get it I guess.