URS!

So there's a bar down the street from the Kartause called Urs. And pretty much every night you'll hear someone in the Kartause saying the words "Wanna go to Urs?" or "I'm going to Urs." I've never been to Urs. I don't drink and I have this image in my head of bars as evil places of doom. But, it's my last week in Europe and I'm pretty much one of the only people who hasn't been to Urs. So this evening I headed down to Urs with my beautiful household sister Chrissy and our friend Devon.

We got there and there was the usual crowd of Franciscan people. So we grabbed a table and Franciscan's resident drink advisor came over and heard it was my first time at Urs and began to advise me. So I got a frog. Yes, that's the name of the drink. It was actually quite delicious but I have this paranoia about drinking so everyone thought I hated it cuz I wasn't drinking very much. It's funny though, I actually would've liked it better if it didn't have alcohol in it cuz I liked all the fruity tastes but I HATE the taste of alcohol!

But anyways, then Chrissy started this story-telling game and then Devon told us her glory story and I discovered that bars are not necessarily evil places of doom. They can actually be pretty fun if you're with friends and stay sober. And as Devon was telling us her glory story about the train ride back from Lourdes and her insane evangelization I was reminded of something that my dad has told me on several occasions. Apparently there's this song that Imus played on his show one time and one of the lines is "And when you go out drinking with your friends, would you mind if Jesus came along?" And my dad was always like, we wouldn't have minded cuz our conversations always revolved around pro-life and the Church. So I'm sitting there listening to Devon talk about Lourdes and evangelization and I was like DADDY! It made me happy!

And then Chrissy, Devon, and Annie helped me finish my drink cuz Chrissy refused to let us leave until my drink was gone. She was quite adamant that it could not go to waste. And then we headed back. And I've finally been to Urs and it was a blast!

Farewell Vienna!

So this past Saturday my roommate, Amy, and I headed out for a last jaunt in Vienna!

Our first stop was at the world's oldest Ferris wheel for which Vienna is famous! We even got to see a little one-room museum about the Ferris wheel which was kinda cool. We then got on line for the ride and it was pretty darn cool. It's one of those where you actually sit in a nice little enclosed box which is nice cuz you don't feel like you could at any moment fall out of the sky. And these were classy little ferris wheel cars, with tables and benches, we even saw one classy box go by with a table cloth and wine glasses! I think that one costs extra. So then we got in our box and Amy was pretty psyched and I was starting to get nervous. See I'm a bit claustrophobic so being stuck in a box for who knows how long kinda freaks me out. And with my luck I'd have a panic attack at the very top when you're farthest away from safety and it would take forever to get back down and I'd die. Or that's how my mind works when I start to get nervous. So the door closes, we take off, Amy's on the other side of the car taking pictures, and I start whipping out my medicine and my sour patch bunnies and I'm like "AMY! I'm nervous, tell me jokes!" But apparently it's hard for people to be funny on command so she wasn't much help. But then the medicine kicked in and I felt much better. So then I was up, bopping around, taking pictures. It was pretty darn cool! I'm really glad we went! And it wasn't as long a ride as I thought it would be! So that made me happy. I actually would've been happy if we had gone around a second or third time. But yeah it was really cool!

So then we hopped off and booked it to St. Stephan's Cathedral for Mass. We were kinda late but it was okay cuz it was Mass at St. Stephan's which has actually come to be one of my favorite Cathedral's in Europe (aka the world). And they still use the altar rail and you can kneel for Communion! That made me SO happy! I wish we at least had that option at Mass, it just makes it so special.


After Mass we headed to the Naschmarkt or open air market where I bought a plethora of scarves and a couple other miscellaneous souvenirs. And the next thing we knew it was time to catch our train.

While we were in the Stephansplatz metro station we found a chapel that had been discovered when they were building the metro station. Yeah there's just this random some-hundred years old Chapel chilling in the metro station. Welcome to Europe!

And then of course we got off the train at the wrong stop and have to train it all over Austria to finally get back to the Kartause at 10 p.m. It was good a last trip!

" . . . I Hope You Had the Time of Your Life"

We walked out of our cabin Saturday morning and discovered that Grindelwald is GORGEOUS! We had not been able to tell the night before because it was so dark but the town is completely surrounded by incredibly beautiful mountains!

We had a lovely little breakfast at our hostel: cereal and some delicious soft bread smothered in orange marmalade! I then had a few minutes to e-mail my family and let them know how I was doing before we headed down to the tourist office to find out what there was to do in Grindelwald. The woman in the office directed us to a free hiking trail along the river. Before heading out, however, we stopped at the coop to grab the necessities for a picnic lunch by the river.

We then headed down, taking tons of pictures along the way! We reached the river and it was lovely! There was even an adorable little bridge across a babbling brook that flowed into the river! And there were cows! We were always very excited when we saw animals!

So we followed the path along the river until we came to one point at which we decided to climb down the rocky riverbank and dip our toes in the river. The water was FREEZING!!!! But it was so much fun! We spent about a half hour just climbing along the riverbank and I got to live my dream of being Pocahontas! Ever since I was little I used to dream about doing crazy stuff like climbing along riverbanks and I would even pretend that my hallway was a river and I would jump across it but I never thought I'd get to climb around an actual river! So i got really into it, to the point that I actually managed to fall in twice! I wanted to get to the other side of the river but there was no way I could manage it so that didn't happen.

We continued along the river a little farther until we came to a spot that seemed like a good place for a picnic! So we sat down and puled out our bread, grapes, pistachios, potato chips, and chocolate bars and had a lovely picnic by the riverside. I decided that I'm going to continue having picnics over the summer! They're just so lovely!

We then headed around the river and back toward Grindelwald. Maude and I began singing the song Landslide and then Maude was like "I don't think we're singing the same song." And I was like What are you talking about of course we're singing the same song! And she was like "Who does the song you're singing?" And I was like "Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac." And she was like "Oh thank goodness, I was afraid you were gonna say the Dixie Chicks!" Hahaha The song Remembering You by Steven Curtis Chapman also came into my head and Time of Your Life by Greenday. Disclaimer: I am not a fan of Greenday. However, the three lines of that song: "It's something unpredictable/But in the end it's right/I hope you had the time of your life" just totally described this weekend for me! Hence the titles of these blog posts. We even got to frolic in a field on our way back to Grindelwald!

We then took a train to Interlocken which was ok but not as cool as Zermatt and Grindelwald. We walked down the main street and then attempted to find the lake but to no avail. We did find several rivers though so that was cool. We then stopped at a kiosk and got sandwiches and ice cream for dinner. We then took the train to Zurich and then got on a train to St. Polten on which we actually got a compartment all to ourselves! And yet I still didn't get a good night's sleep. Alas. But I took a nice long nap when we got back to the Kartause. And that was Switzerland!

" . . . But In The End Its Right . . . "

When last I left you I was sleeping peacefully on the train to Zurich. Until, of course, the conductor whipped open the door to our compartment and babbled loudly at us in German! I was so confused! Eventually I figured out that she was the conductor and wanted to see our tickets. Sigh, I didn't get any more sleep on that train. However, I did get to see a gorgeous sun! It was big and orange and beautiful and reflected in the lake!

We then got on the train to our next destination and I did get to take a nap then. After that we had to take a train up the mountain to the small town of Zermatt. And, of course, because it was a special train, they didn't accept our Eurail passes so we had to buy tickets. But we made it to Zermatt which is the important thing.

Our first stop was the Tourist Office where we picked up a map and asked the lady what we could do that was cheap. So she pointed us in the direction of a free hike that we could take. We stopped at the Coop (grocery store) first to get some lunch. Combined we got bread, cheese, grapes, pistachios, cookies, beef jerky, and nutella. Oh and I got a giant thing of peach iced tea. So we walked to the bottom of the trail and found a bench to have a little picnic on. You wouldn't believe how filling bread grapes pistachios and cookies can be! It was one of the best meals I ever ate!

We then headed off on our hike which I was really dreading cuz my physical stamina totals a whopping ZERO! But it was so gorgeous I ended up loving it! And we took it pretty slow so I never felt overwhelmed and I didn't even care when I did get exhausted cuz I was so busy looking at all the beauty around me! It turns out we actually took a different trail then the one we had originally intended to but it was obviously the work of God cuz we ended up on the religious (aka Jesus) themed trail! It was so cool!

We had been hoping to see wildlife on our hike and so we were very excited when we saw a whole herd of sheep! And they baa-ed!!!! And the little ones were so cute and fluffy! I wanted to buy one and bring it home as a pet! But I don't think I could've gotten it on the plane.

The trail actually reminded me a little of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Island which our family usually visits on Good Friday. Obviously I wasn't able to go this year but Jesus apparently really wanted me to have that experience so He made it happen in SWITZERLAND!!!! I prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet as we walked. We eventually got to a spot where we decided to stop. So I began my Rosary and, once rested, decided to continue a little way along the trail. I just wanted to see what was around that next bend. And that next one. And that next one. Yeah I definitely went further than I meant to but it was so gorgeous I just couldn't stop! And it gave me time to finish my Rosary and to just be alone with Jesus and His Mama in His beautiful creation!

I eventually turned around and returned to our rest stop where I found my friends standing on top of this giant boulder like they were on top of the world! We then hurried back to town so we would have time to grab dinner before we had to catch our train.

However, we necessarily stopped at the Church first which was beautiful. There was actually a very interesting painting of Noah's Ark on the ceiling.

After visiting Jesus we stopped by some souvenire shops and then went in search of dinner only to discover that everything in Zermatt is ridiculously expensive - a cheeseburger at McDonald's was 11 francs! So we went to the coop and got sandwiches.

We then took a couple trains to get to the other small town of Grindelwald. Yes, Harry Potter fans, Grindelwald, as in the dark wizard that Dumbledore defeated. I took a picture of the sign for my brother Raymond. We then got to our hostel which was actually made up of a bunch of cabins like campground cabins. And we had a six person room all to ourselves! It was really nice!

"It's Something Unpredictable . . . "

So I was planning on going to Barcelona this past weekend. But we would've had to take a 24 hour train ride there and then we couldn't get a reservation for one of the trains and it was getting ridiculous so it didn't work out. (But don't fret, it looks like I still might get to go, say a prayer that it works out!)

I found this out Wednesday night and the weekend started on Thursday night. However, earlier that day I had discovered that two of my good friends, Maude and Christa, were going to Switzerland for the weekend. I had not had any particular desire to go to Switzerland and I wasn't planning on getting there at any point this semester. But, for some reason, even though I thought I was going to Barcelona, I immediately had this desire to join Maude and Christa on their trip. So when I discovered that I would not be going to Barcelona I asked Maude if I could join them in Switzerland. So I spent Thursday throwing clothes into my backpack and e-mailing my family so they would know that I was gallavanting through Switzerland.

As a sidenote we had a lovely, impromptu, MOS/Disciples dinner on Thursday which was wonderful! And then, as my household sister Chrissy and I were walking across the courtyard Chrissy apparently noticed the swingset and was like "Can I make a request?" and I was like "Sure, what?" and she was like "Can we jump off the swings?" and I was like "Now?" and she was like "Yeah" and I was like "Ok but we have to run cuz I've still gotta pack!" So we ran across the courtyard, jumped over some hedges, got on the swings and swung until we were high enough to jump off! Oh my gosh I haven't done that in years! And I've never had a sister to do it with before! I LOVE SISTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyways . . . so I packed really quick, ran downstairs, met up with Christa and Maude and we walked to the train station. As usual, a walk with Christa and Maude takes longer than a walk with anyone else cuz you've gotta stop and take pictures. So we made it to the train station about 3 minutes before the train departed. The train to St. Polten was fun, especially when the door between the cars flew open and scared us all.

We then had a 45 minute wait in St. Polten where we met up with our other travelling buddy, Julie. Our next train was a night train to Zurich. Unfortunately we had to share a compartment with a couple who I don't think were very happy to have us join them. But it was kind of cramped so Julie and Christa went to another compartment with only one person in it. I was having trouble falling asleep and then the couple in our compartment got off at one of the stops so Maude and I each had 3 seats to sprawl out on and I was finally able to fall asleep.

To Be Continued . . .

" . . . Let It Be"

On Monday we were up early to get the shuttle to the airport. Yeah, that shuttle driver was crazy! We were going SO fast! I was a little concerned. But we made it to the airport alive. We were pretty early so I had time to eat a lovely breakfast of apple turnover and orange juice. And then I froze in the stupid little gate area until it was time to board. I'm pretty sure I slept on the flight.

Once in Vienna we got a bus to the train station and a train to Gaming. We met up with a whole bunch of Franciscan students on the way so we got to hear all about everyone's trips.

And then we got off the train in Gaming and it was cold and rainy and we had a 45 minute walk to the Kartause but I've discovered that that walk is a great opportunity for prayer - I can usually do a Chaplet, a Rosary, and a nine-minute Novena and have a little time left over.

And yeah I think that's it.

" . . . There Will Be An Answer . . . "

On Easter Sunday we went to the diner next to our hostel and had a glorious breakfast! Pancakes, sausage, and orange juice! Praise the Lord!

We then headed to Merrion Square Park which - no joke - is named for our friend Christa Merrion's great-grandfather! And it is a beautiful park! I wish we had parks like that in the states! So we sat for awhile in the park and then Maude had to run and catch her bus to the airport so she could get on her flight back to Austria. Kathleen, Sarah, and I then went to O'Neill's pub because O'Neill is Kathleen's last name! And I tried my first guiness! I only had a sip and I didn't like it very much. God has given me the wonderful grace of never being tempted to get drunk cuz I have yet to find a single alcoholic beverage that I enjoy enough to drink more than one sip of! So we chilled at the pub for awhile then did a little souvenir shopping and then went back to the park.

We then went back to the hostel and then Sarah and I went to Burger King to grab some dinner and of course managed to get lost on our way back. But we made it and then we ate our food, played cards and went to bed.

" . . . There Is Still A Chance That They Will See . . . "

We had a nice little breakfast at our hostel on Saturday. And we got to check the internet and found out that we would FINALLY be meeting up with our friend Maude that day in Dublin! So we hopped on the train and headed back to Dublin. Once there we walked to our hostel and checked in then headed to a Chinese Buffet and FEASTED! Ahh, it was glorious! They even had ice cream and apple pie filling for dessert! Sigh, it was lovely.

We then headed back to the hostel and began to play cards in the lobby while waiting for Maude to arrive. But we didn't have to wait long. Suddenly Sarah jumped up and I followed her and we were there to meet Maude at the door! We walked with her to an ATM and then came back to the hostel and were chilling in the lobby when in walked another Franciscan student - Kathleen! She pretty much freaked out when she saw us! Apparently she and her brother had stayed at that hostel the night before but her brother was leaving that day and she hadn't decided what she was going to be doing cuz she would be all alone once he left but she wasn't all alone cuz she found us!

So the four of us eventually headed to dinner. We actually ended up going to this weird restaurant that was half Mexican and half Italian and is located in Ireland. Weird, right? But it was cheap. We then headed back to the hostel to get ready for Easter Vigil Mass but stopped at the Spar (grocery store) on the way to get food for our Easter party! We got crispy m&m's, nutella, oreos, cookies, twix, milk, and other goodies that I can't remember. We then arrived back at the hostel, got changed and headed to the Cathedral.

So, we totally went to Easter Vigil with the ARCHBISHOP OF DUBLIN!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was so crazy! And we met up with two other Franciscan students there! It was so cool! And, yeah, it was Easter Vigil so you know it was intense! And the Archbishop's homily was wonderful. Oh and for one of the psalms this adorable little kid sang the solo and he was sooooo good! It was so beautiful! And for the end they sang the Hallelujah Chorus which is SO intense! I love it!

We then walked back to the hostel, along with the two Franciscan students we had met up with, and had our Easter party. Yeah we ate WAY too much junk food! But it was great!

Oh, and I have two things that I keep forgetting to write: 1) The whole time we were in Ireland - and especially because it was Holy Week - I was thinking of the beautiful song Our Lady of Knock about the apparition at the Parish Church in Knock, County Mayo, Ireland. Especially the line that says "And the Lamb will conquer and the woman clothed with the sun will shine her light on everyone!" It just seemed totally appropriate for the week! 2) After our discussion on Protestantism in Lourdes I remembered the second verse of Let It Be which says "And though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will see there will be an answer let it be" which is totally our prayer for our separated brothers and sisters!

" . . . And Though They May Be Parted . . . "

On Good Friday we had a long and miserable walk to the train station. It was rainy and gross outside for which I was glad because it was appropriate for Good Friday. And it was only right that we should have this opportunity for suffering on the day Our Lord died for us.

There were no seats on the train so we had to sit by the door in the cold hallway. About halfway through the journey some seats opened up and I was able to get in a short nap before we arrived in Cork. By the time we got to Cork the day had become rather nicer which was very nice of Our Lord and Lady to do for us. I said the Chaplet as we walked to our hostel and sang some Good Friday songs.

Our hostel was so cool! It was a pub with a hostel attached to it. But we were immediately informed that the bar was not allowed to open until later because it was Good Friday and when they did open it was only for the benefit of those staying at the hostel! Oh my gosh!!!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How insanely cool is that?! The BAR couldn't open because it was GOOD FRIDAY!!!!!!!! I LOVE IRELAND!!!!!!!!

We then went for a walk around Cork and stopped in a bookstore because it's the only bookstore we're gonna visit this semester that will actually have books in English! So we had some fun checking out the bookstore and then continued our walk. We were about to pass this little street when we noticed a Church down it and since we're fans of Church hopping anyway and since it was Good Friday we decided to stop in and say hi to Jesus. Well we had been kind of bummed cuz we had missed the 11:00 train that morning and so hadn't gotten to Cork in time for Veneration of the Cross. So we walk into this random Church and on the bulletin board is a sign that at 5:00 there will be a Good Friday service . . . IN LATIN! And it was literally about 2 minutes to 5! Oh my gosh does Mama Mary take care of us!!!!! We basically went to a High Latin Service. The Priests and Deacons and Altar Servers were all wearing the intense Latin Mass vestments. There were two cute little altar servers in the red vestments and then the regular altar servers in the black vestments. Father's homily was beautiful. It was about being ready to receive Our Lord and how so many in the Passion account were not ready to receive Him - even His friends.

There were then the intentions which are special on Good Friday - I forget exactly what it's called but it's when the Priest reads the intention and then the whole congregation kneels and then rises and then the Priest recites a prayer and then goes to the next intention. I love that!

And then there was veneration of the Cross and then Communion. Oh my gosh I love Our Lord and I love receiving Him! Isn't He so good to us?!

After the service we got to walk around the Church for a few minutes which I always love doing because these European Churches are all so beautiful!

We then went to Mike's Diner for dinner and had fish 'n chips! I was excited. And it was so funny - the diner was totally like an american diner from the 50's - they were even playing Elvis and Johnny Cash! It was hilarious! It's so endearing how these European places try so hard to be American and yet just can't pull it off. And it's so cute but at the same time it's like no, you're european, be proud of that, trust me, America needs to become more like Europe not the other way around. But it's so sweet you just can't help loving them for it.

Then we went back to the hostel, played cards, and went to bed.

" . . . She is Standing Right in Front of Me . . . "

On Thursday we woke up early (like 5 in the morning early) and walked to the train station where we took a train to Toulousse (I hope I spelled that right). We began by playing our 20 questions type game and then went to sleep. In Toulousse we switched to our train to Nice. Sarah was freaking out because when we had bought our reservation the guy had given us a first class reservation but our eurail is a second class ticket. But apparently Mama Mary wanted us to sit in first class cuz the conductor didn't even care! So we had a nice long ride to Nice during which we slept, played card games and our 20 questions game, read Chesterton, prayed the Rosary, prayed the Chaplet, and slept some more. Oh and watched the French countryside fly by! I think I could spend my whole life looking at the French countryside. Like if I had to spend the rest of my life on a train speeding through the French countryside I think I would be ok with that. Oh my gosh and then we saw the beach!!!! It was SO GORGEOUS!!!! And the water was this beautiful teal color! It was GORGEOUS!!!!

Unfortunately our train arrived late in Nice but we had plenty of time to get to the airport for our flight to Dublin. So we hopped on the bus to the airport and the bus took FOREVER! To the point that we were actually worried we might not make our flight. And I was just not in a good mood at this point and then this lady stomped on my foot with her four inch heel! I mean it was an accident, she didn't do it on purpose or anything, but it hurt like heck! But we finally got to the airport and only had the easiest check-in ever! Security took about 1 minute. Maybe 2 tops. So we got to our gate and still had about 45 minutes before we began boarding! Which was just enough time for a little dinner.

We then got on our plane and had 3 lovely seats all to ourselves and I got the aisle seat which always makes me feel better - the window seat makes me claustrophobic. So I said my Novena, read the Bible, did evening prayer, and read some Chesterton and before I knew it we were in Dublin.

So we stepped off the plane and the signs were in English and Gaelic!!! I thought that was so cool - I took pictures! And we thought it was just to be cool like we're Ireland we have our own language woot woot! but no, people in Ireland actually speak Gaelic!

So then we hopped on the bus to the city center and when we got off there was a store right in front of us called "Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces!" Umm "She is standing right in front of me!" I was so excited! And then we were walking down the street and there was a sign in front of this diner that said "Reminding you of Good Friday for Fish 'n Chips!" AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I LOVE IRELAND!!!!!!!! Can you imagine that?!?!?! You could never see something like that in the U.S.!

So we got to our hostel and headed to bed. And that was Holy Thursday.

" . . . And In My Hour of Darkness . . . "

We got to sleep in a little on Wednesday which was lovely. Our first order of business was to go to the train station and get a reservation for our train to Nice the next day in order to avoid any more fiascos. After that we stopped for brunch and continued our twenty questions game. Here are pictures of some of the sights we saw on our walk:

We then headed in the general direction of the Basilica, stopping at souvenire shops along the way. As we were exiting one shop we looked across the street and saw someone who looked like our friend Rebecca. And someone who looked like our friend Kat and someone who looked like our friend Molly. No it wasn't a coincidence, it was them! Some Franciscan students did a mission trip to Lourdes over their ten-day and they were on their lunch break at this point and just happened to be looking in the souvenir shop across the street from us. So we had a wonderful reunion. They were even wearing their adorable little uniforms that look kind of like old fashioned nurses uniforms. And when Molly found out we hadn't been to the Basilica yet she said something along the lines of "Why are you talking to me?! Go see Our Lady!! Go! Now!" She and Rebecca literally pushed us toward the Basilica!

Umm, yeah, the Basilica's incredible. I'm really mad that I can't put my pictures up yet cuz they depict the Basilica much better than I can. But it's ginormous and incredibly gorgeous! Like there's stairs you have to go up so you can go up more stairs so you can enter the Church. And there's this huge golden crown and Cross which I just thought was gorgeous! And at the top of the stairs are statues of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist like they're guarding the Basilica. And I was terribly excited cuz I love St. John the Evangelist (St. Jean L'Evangeliste in French)! The Basilica was closed at the moment so we went to the crypt where I said my novena.

Then we went to the Grotto. What can I say? It was the Grotto! Mama Mary stood there! Obviously we stopped and prayed. I feel like my words are so inadequate but I have no way to explain the Grotto. In a sense I can say it looks just like the pictures but at the same time I can say that being there is incredible and I would encourage anyone who has the opportunity to make a pilgrimage.

We then crossed over the river - THE river - the one that St. Bernadette ran across! I mean we didn't get to step in the river or anything, we went over a bridge, but all I could think of was the little kids movie we used to watch about St. Bernadette and her running across this river and I was there!!!!

And on the other side of the river we found the water way! This is a path along the side of the river with 9 water fountains containing water from the spring. Each of the fountains has a name from the Bible and a meditation. I had read about this on the Lourdes tourism website and I was pretty excited to actually be able to do it. The first fountain is named Beer-sheba and focuses on Genesis 21:25-34 and Our Lady of Alliance. The second fountain is On the Road to Gaza and focuses on Acts 8:26-40 and Our Lady Mother of Good Counsel. The third is Meribah which examines Exodus 17: 1-7 and Our Lady of Penance. Number four is named Engedi and is based on Song of Songs 1:13-14 and Our Lady of Joy. Number five is called Living Water from John 7:37-39 and Our Lady Queen of the Apostles. The sixth fountain is named Nazareth after Luke 2:51-52 and Our Lady of the Beatitudes. Number seven focuses on Jacob's Well from John 4:1-26 and Our Lady of Living Water. The eighth is named Bethesda after John 5:1-18 and Our Lady of Good Health. And the ninth is called Siloam and focuses on John 9:1-41 and Our Lady of Light. I stopped at each fountain and read the meditation and blessed myself with the water. It was really peaceful and beautiful.

We then headed to the Adoration Chapel and visited with Jesus. I got to say my Rosary which is very important especially at a place like Lourdes where Our Lady encouraged us to pray the Rosary as she does wherever she appears. It also made me happy to see the two nuns, in habit, kneeling at the front of the Chapel. The sisters each take an hour of Adoration to make sure that Jesus is never alone. And they were just so beautiful. And when one sister's hour was finished another came to take her place and it was so beautiful how they interacted with each other and Jesus and I thought it was really cool how they both knelt simultaneously, one saying good-bye to Our Lord and the other saying hello!

By the way it was a GORGEOUS day!!!! Part of my prayer during Adoration was thanksgiving for the day we had. Our Lady was so good to us!

We had a little more time before the baths opened so we went back to the grotto and I got to actually walk up into the grotto and see the spring! And touch the stones Our Lady touched! It was so incredible!

We then headed for the baths and I had thought that we would be in line for hours but it only took about 2 minutes. Lourdes was actually really empty the day we were there. I mean there were people there but definitely not the crowds I expected. We think everyone was arriving the next day, Holy Thursday, for Holy Week and we went on the perfect day! It was so nice and peaceful! But anyways, back to the baths. You go into a little ante-room with about 7 to 9 other women and the "mothers." You have to undress entirely to go into the bath and the mothers have a blue cape that they hold around you while you're undressing so that not even the other women in the room can see you and as soon as you're done they wrap the cape around you and show you how to hold it so you'll be completely covered and then you sit down and wait your turn to go in the bath. You then go through a curtain into the room where the bath is and there are three helpers there. One of my helpers was a girl from Franciscan - Maria! It was so nice to have someone I knew helping me. When you enter the room you have to take off the cape but are immediately wrapped in a towel. You then stand at the foot of the bath, facing a statue of the Blessed Mother and tell her your intentions and then make the sign of the Cross. Then one helper stands on either side of you, holding your arms, and one behind you, to make sure you don't slip and fall. You then step down the first step into the water and then the second step and then you walk in a little and then sit down so you're completely submerged except for your head. The water is FREEZING!!!!! As I stood up I wasn't sure if I was breathing - not like I was gasping for air but my brain was just not registering whether or not I was taking in air because of the shock of the cold water. You only sit down for a second and then the helpers assist you in standing up and turning around and they ask Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette to pray for us and then walk you back out and wrap you in the cape. You then go back in the ante-room where the mother again holds the cape around you while you change. One of the things that really struck me was that there was absolutely no rush. I was trying to get dressed as fast as I could so the next person in line could come in so I got dressed and just grabbed my coat and was gonna run out all frazzled - as usual - and pull myself together once I got outside but the mother took my coat and insisted on helping me put it on and on me getting all my stuff pulled together before I left.

We always talk about de-personalizing experiences but this was the most PERSONALIZING experience of my life. I don't know if that's even a real term but I feel like it must be cuz if you have de-personalization you must have personalization but I've never heard the term used, all we ever talk about is de-personalization. Which is totally legitimate considering how much de-personalization there is in the world but as I walked out of there I really felt that I had the dignity of a human person. The mothers were so protective of your dignity, in making sure that you were always covered and that you weren't rushed, they were just so focused on you and on treating you with the dignity due to a human person. I've never felt more human than when I walked out of the baths.

Sarah said later that with the blue capes it was like we were really and truly wrapped in the Mantle of the Blessed Mother! It was like she gave us a hug!

Sarah came out a few minutes later and we headed down the side of the river where we thought the Stations of the Cross were. The Stations weren't there but Narnia was. It was actually kind of ridiculous - we passed the bridge and on the other side there was just this little wooded path along the side of the river and it was so beautiful and Sarah was like "It's like Narnia!" And there was even a lamp post! And then - no joke - we saw a beaver! Yeah - a real, live beaver! In Narnia. They're actually smaller than I expected. But it was amazing we were just talking and then Sarah freaked out and was like Oh my gosh look! And I looked and I thought it was an otter or something at first and then I saw a tail and we freaked out and took pictures - it was incredible! And then he started swimming away which led to one of my favorite quotes of the trip: "Hey you! With the tail! Get back here!" Oh and then we saw a rose that totally looked like the rose in Beauty and the Beast. That little peaceful place didn't have anything special about it, it's not on the Lourdes tourism website, but it was Narnia and it was so special for us!

We then stopped in the smaller Church L'Eglise de St. Bernadette and I said the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. We then headed back in the direction of our hostel, stopping at souvenir shops along the way (I had to get something for my Mommy whose Confirmation Saint is St. Bernadette). And along the way we saw the Cafe St. Jeanne D'Arc (Cafe St. Joan of Arc)! I was very excited!

Sarah was exhausted though so we went back to the hostel and she took a nap while I walked down the street to keep looking for the perfect souvenir for my Mommy. I finally found it but still had time before dinner so I continued my walk and saw signs for the Cachot de St. Bernadette which is St. Bernadette's house which I had really wanted to visit! So I took a little detour and got to visit her home! St. Bernadette's family had originally been somewhat affluent and she was born in a fairly nice home. They then fell into financial trouble however and had to live in the Cachot which used to be a prison. There's a very small entryway and then one small room. It's even smaller than in the movies. Just the one room. You walk in the entrance where they have a sign explaining that this is where the Soubirous family lived and several relics of St. Bernadette - her clothes and shoes - and then the one room with a barred window, a fireplace, two benches and a few chairs, and then you walk to the exit where there is a sign with different beautiful quotes from St. Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes and then you leave. It's so small but it's so beautiful! I was so happy I got to visit there!

I then went back to the hotel and read a few pages of Chesterton before we headed to a pizza place for dinner. After dinner we stopped at Sacre Coure (aka the Parish Church). I had wanted to visit the Parish Church because it contains the Baptismal Font where St. Bernadette was Baptized. However, the Lourdes tourism website didn't give the actual name of the Church they just called it the Parish Church and there are a lot of Churches in Lourdes so I didn't know which was the right one so I didn't think I would get to see it. However, when we arrived in Lourdes the night before Sarah and I had seen this one Church which was lit up like the castle at Disney World! So we had decided to visit it. So we went in and knelt down and prayed and then I was looking around and I saw the Baptismal Font and it was roped off and I was like oh my gosh that's it! So I got to pray at the Baptismal Font and touch it! God is so good!!!!!

We then stepped outside and it was raining! At the end of the day, after we had finished everything and were on our way back to the hotel, that's when it started raining! And this is what happened almost every day - God held the rain off until we were done! He is so good to us!

" . . . Let It Be . . . "

Tuesday morning we made a quick visit to Versailles Palace just outside of Paris. Versailles was where the French monarchs lived before the revolution and all that and it's kind of insane. We didn't actually go inside cuz that costs money and we were kind of low on funds but even just from the outside it's ridiculous. Like, this place is huge and gold. That's actually pretty much the best way to describe it. However, it was also pretty cold out so we didn't stay very long.


So we went back to the train station and grabbed some french pastry for breakfast!


However, train stations are also cold. But, they have hot chocolate vending machines! I pretty much thought this was the coolest thing ever! You put your money in the slot and a plastic cup pops out the bottom and the machine dispenses hot chocolate into it! It was the greatest thing ever! And it was good hot chocolate!


My other solution to the weather situation was to go into the bookstore even though all the books were in French so I had no idea what they said.


But I eventually had to face the cold and so I joined Sarah in waiting for the train. We had a long wait though so I got out my cards and mini chess set which kept us occupied for quite some time. And then we discovered the joys of hangman which continued on the train. However, what really made the ride enjoyable was the break we took from our games to say the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. We then played some more cards and then I attempted to take a nap but it didn't work out so well so I turned to that wonderful book - Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton.


Now, Sarah and I had made a point of checking to see if we needed a reservation for this train and the ticket machine definitely said nothing about reservations. But then the conductor (Jacques) came through and was like "Do you have reservations?" And we were like the ticket machine said we didn't need them! And he was totally about to charge us fifteen euro and then he asked where we were going and we said Lourdes and then he was like "Just this once you don't have to pay." Oh my gosh! God is so good and Mama Mary takes such good care of us!


So then I was sitting by the window and all of a sudden there was the Basilica! It was incredible! I can't even explain it! We were just riding along and suddenly there it was! It was ginormous and gorgeous and incredible! I kind of freaked out!

Once we got off the train we had to find our hostel and once again had terrible directions. So naturally we got lost again. And the street signs were really confusing cuz they had signs for the grotto pointing in about 3 different directions! So we stopped at a gas station and got a map and directions and finally found our hostel! I was very excited cuz the reception area was pretty much covered in religious objects! Which is pretty much what you'd expect in Lourdes but still it was pretty exciting!

After checking in we headed down the street to a lovely little italian restaurant where I had a wonderful lasagna! And Sarah and I played this really fun twenty questions type game. It was great.

We then headed back to the hostel and I started humming Let It Be and we ended up having a whole conversation on that song, why it was our theme song, and on Protestantism. It was an interesting evening.

" . . . Speaking Words of Wisdom . . . "

We were originally planning to go to Domremy, the hometown of St. Joan of Arc, on Monday but the only train back to Paris got cancelled so we ended up spending the day in Paris instead.

I knew it was gonna be a good day when we were standing in the metro waiting for our train and one of the street performers started playing Ave Maria on the accordion. I was standing there and I was like I know this song and I turned to Sarah and we looked at each other and she was like Is this? and I was like YES!

We took the metro to St. Michael, the stop for Notre Dame! So we get off the metro and we don't see the Cathedral. And we're like what the heck it shouldn't be hard to find. And then I poked my head around the corner and there it was! And I was like "I found it!"









Oh my gosh Notre Dame is incredible! I absolutely loved it! My favorite part was actually when we got toward the front and you look straight up at the ceiling and right over the altar is a little circle with an image of Our Lady. Which is perfect cuz Notre Dame is french for Our Lady so it's literally Our Lady's Cathedral! And the windows are incredible! So gorgeous! And - God is so good - there was a statue of St. Joan of Arc! So even though I didn't get to go to her hometown I still got to spend a little time with her! So yeah basically Notre Dame is even more incredible than it sounds. I would go back there in a heartbeat.

Oh and as we exited the Cathedral there were all the statues of the saints and there's one of John the Baptist and he's holding his head in his hands. Which is because he was beheaded but it was just so weird and kind of hilarious.

We were then heading in the general direction of the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal but it didn't open till later so we had plenty of time and we kept seeing all these churches so we just stopped in. The first Church we stopped in was St. Germain which was the same style as Notre Dame but much smaller. We also stopped by St. Thomas Aquinas.

We then found the Chapel but it wasn't open yet so we wandered around looking for a cheap parisian cafe. We finally found one and had a lovely lunch. We discussed our philosophy paper which we are quite excited about. We have to take a response to a situation and explain whether the response is appropriate or inappropriate to the situation. So our situation is taken from the movie Up - the situation is Carl Frederickson's being told he has to enter a nursing home and the response is his tying a billion balloons to his house and flying away. We decided this response was inappropriate and our papers are gonna be AMAZING!!!!! And it was so cool cuz we were discussing philosophy over coffee and hot chocolate in a Parisian cafe! That is just so epic!

After lunch we went back to the Chapel. The reason I was so set on visiting the Chapel is because last year my mommy had given me a novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. I kept wanting to pray this novena but it kept not happening. And then I realized that the place where the apparitions of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal took place was in Paris. And I knew I was gonna be in Paris over ten-day and a novena lasts for nine days so I decided to say the novena over ten-day and make a pilgrimage to the Chapel where the apparitions took place!

Oh my gosh it was so beautiful! When I went on the Chapel's website to get directions it was described as a "grotto in the heart of Paris" and that is the perfect description! You walk through the entrance and you just leave all the crazy city-ness of Paris behind and enter this beautiful peaceful place! We actually stopped in the gift shop first and I got this postcard with a picture of the chapel explaining the significance of different places in the chapel. Above the altar is a statue of Mary in the exact place where St. Catherince Laboure had a vision of Our Lady resplendent - as "the woman clothed with the sun." There's another statue of Our Lady right next to the altar in the exact place where Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine Laboure and showed her the image of the Miraculous Medal and instructed her to "have a medal struck in this image." At one of the side altars is the body of St. Catherine Laboure and on the wall above the altar is a painting of the first apparition. It is absolutely incredible!

I also got a pamphlet in the gift shop which explains the apparitions. I almost burst into tears when I read this pamphlet because it said that the tabernacle which is in the Chapel to this day is the same tabernacle which was in the Chapel at the time of St. Catherine Laboure and it is the very tabernacle THAT OUR LADY BOWED BEFORE WHEN SHE APPEARED TO ST. CATHERINE LABOURE! OUR LADY BOWED TO THE TABERNACLE!!!!!! Our Lady is SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!

We then entered the Chapel, which was packed with people, just as they were beginning the last decade of the sorrowful mysteries. And then there was Benediction. It was the most perfect timing - Our Lady just totally guided us! And after Benediction I got to say my Novena in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal!!!!!! That is just beyond belief!!!!

Sarah and I left there just feeling so wonderful. It was like the whole first half of our day had been a pilgrimage and because of that we were able to go to the secular stuff - the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe - that afternoon. I feel like those things wouldn't have even been worth it if we hadn't done our pilgrimage first.

The next place we visited was the Eiffel Tower. Umm, yeah, it looks just like the pictures. Honestly, it was not that exciting. Actually it's kind of rusty. Like, literally, this thing is made of steel. So you look up and you expect it to be all perfect like in the movies and it's rusty. Kind of disappointing. But we sat on a bench across the street and just chilled for a while and it was nice.

We then headed to the Arc de Triomphe which also looks just like the pictures. I am writing a paper on the Arc so it was nice knowing the symbolism of different sculptures and stuff on it but yeah - it's an arc.

As we were heading back it began to rain and then we saw St. Augustine's Church! So naturally we went in. In the back of the Church are statues of St. Augustine and St. Monica (his mother). I was so happy to get to pray by them! And there was another statue of St. Joan of Arc! I was so glad we stopped at that Church! And it was perfect cuz we began and ended the day with Jesus!

We then grabbed kebaps and ate them at the hotel while watching Top Chef in French.

" . . . Mama Mary Comes to Me . . . "

Ok, first of all, I know the song says "Mother Mary" but I prefer Mama Mary. I thought I should clarify that for any Beatles fans.

So, day 2. We had decided to sleep in so we got up at 9 and checked out of our hostel. We then went to the metro station and had a heck of a time trying to figure out how to get to St. Lazare train station where we had to get our train to Lisieux. But Sarah finally figured it out and we headed on over. Unfortunately, we had missed the last morning train and so we had to wait till 2:45 for the next train.

So, being short on money, we headed to the nearest cheap food place - McDonald's. Now, as ashamed as I am of the fact that I was eating McDonald's in Europe I must say they're bacon chicken sandwich is quite delicious!

We then spent about an hour in the train station which was cold. I don't really have much else to say about that.

But, finally, our train arrived and we headed to Lisieux, the hometown of St. Therese. The train ride was beautiful! I could spend hours just sitting on a train watching the French countryside fly by - it is so gorgeous!

Our first order of business in Lisieux was to find the Basilica so we could make it to 5:00 Mass. Well we certainly had no trouble finding the Basilica - we saw it before we even got off the train. It's pretty much situated at the top of the slope on which Lisieux is located and it is HUGE! So we hopped off the train and were trying to figure out how to get to the other side of the tracks so we could get to the Basilica. So I was just like "Lord, please let us get to Mass on time!" and lo and behold a crossing appeared! So we climbed toward the Basilica just as fast as our little legs could carry us. My favorite quote from St. Therese is, at the end of her life she said "It has come to this, I can no longer suffer because all suffering is sweet." I think she decided to make me live that quote while I was in her hometown.

Well we got up to the Basilica and there was no one there. And it was 5 till 5. So we were like what the heck? So I went to the little nun at the information desk and found out that Mass was downstairs in the crypt. So we hurried downstairs and got there about 30 seconds before Mass started. Praise God! It was Palm Sunday so Mass was especially beautiful. And the wall behind the Altar was one of the most beautiful I've ever seen! I'll insert pictures later but it was basically a mosaic of St. Therese holding roses with angels around her carrying garlands of roses and . . . a RAINBOW! I need to explain: two years ago I was at the March for Life with my uncle and cousins and after the March we had stopped by the Church where our diocese always gathers for refreshments following the March. As we were walking away from the Church, heading back to our hotel, someone behind us was like Oh my gosh look! and we turned around and there was a rainbow that landed right on top of the Church! It was incredible and totally pointed to Gen. . Since then rainbows have kind of been my sign. Like God will send me a rainbow when I'm nervous or upset to remind me . . . So I get very excited when I see rainbows especially in unexpected places. So I was so excited to see a rainbow in this mosaic of St. Therese!

After Mass we took a few minutes to look around the crypt which contains relics of St. Therese's parents - Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin! We also saw that there were beautiful statues personifying the Beatitudes.

We then ran up to the main Basilica which is also incredibly gorgeous and managed to get a few pictures before they closed. Pretty much everything in Lisieux closes by 6:00 p.m. But we got to pray in front of a relic of St. Therese! And there was a beautiful statue of her!

We then found a souvenir shop which was definitely on my list of things to do cuz my household sister loves St. Therese and, as usual, Jesus and Mama Mary helped me find the perfect gift for her!

At this point pretty much everything was closed so we just headed back to the train station. It's funny, I didn't get to do most of the things I wanted to in Lisieux, like see the parish Church or St. Therese's house or Carmel, but I wasn't really disappointed. I mean, obviously, I would love to go to those places but just the fact that I was in her hometown was incredible! And I am so thankful just for that! God definitely blessed me with a good attitude throughout this trip!

We took the train back to Paris where we were staying in a different hostel from the night before because apparently everyone and their mother was going to Paris that weekend and there was not a single hostel that had two beds available for all three nights we would be there. So we got back to Paris and, once again, had terrible directions and got lost. But we did manage to procure a map and I improved my French skills. We pretty much went in entirely the wrong direction then headed back and missed the street and went way too far in the other direction. But I discovered that Sarah is a good person for me to be with when I'm in a bad mood cuz we both just clam up when we're annoyed so neither of us was getting on the other's nerves and we just kind of walked off our frustration so by the time we got to the hotel we were back to being happy. We picked up kebaps while we were wandering so once we did get to the hotel (where we had a lovely room all to ourselves!) we pretty much just crashed. It was actually quite lovely, I was snuggled under the covers, eating my delicious kebap, and watching a weird french movie.

And that's day 2.

"When I Find Myself In Times of Trouble . . ."

So at 5 a.m. on Saturday morning (March 28) I had to be awake to walk to the train station with my friend Sarah so we could embark on our ten-day trip to France and Ireland. Unfortunately, I had a ton of stuff I needed to get done the night before and when I finally got to bed I couldn't fall asleep. So at 5 in the morning I headed out on our 45 minute walk to the train station running on 0 hours of sleep.

Then we got on the train and I went to buy my ticket at the little machine. But the machine wouldn't take my card. And I was getting really frustrated. So of course I did the really stupid thing and forced my card in the slot. Only to discover that that was the money slot, not the card slot. In my defense, Sarah thought it was the card slot too. So the machine pretty much ate my credit card. Which, of course, is also my credit card. So at this point I have 100 euro to get me through ten days. Oh and we tried to talk to the conductor, who, naturally, speaks very little english. But he finally figured out what we were trying to tell him and he said that I would just have to leave my Austria address and the train people would have to come and open the machine and they'd mail my card back to me. Thankfully, Sarah was incredibly generous in lending me money throughout the trip.

We got off the train in St. Polten where we had to pick up our reservations for the next two trains. But the confirmation number for our reservation was written on the one piece of paper that I didn't need for this trip so I had left it in my room in Gaming. So they couldn't give us our reservations. So we just had to wing it. On the bright side, I was able to validate my Eurail pass in St. Polten.

We had some time in St. Polten before we had to catch our next train so, I shamefully admit, we stopped at McDonald's for breakfast and also picked up lunch to take with us on the train.

We then got on the train to Frankfurt and there were no seats and even the floors were starting to get crowded. So Sarah stood by the doorway while I grabbed a patch of floor in the hallway. I started out reading but considering I still hadn't gotten any sleep that was just not gonna happen. So I curled up on the floor and took a nap. Sarah told me later that everyone was looking at me funny but I really don't care cuz I was exhausted and I did in fact get some quality rest on that train ride.

Once we got to Frankfurt we had to switch to our train to Paris. I was completely freaking out cuz this was the train that we really needed reservations for. So we were praying Emergency Novenas and I was imploring the intercession of St. Jude and I was just so nervous! But we got on the train and grabbed two random seats by the luggage rack and we were so happy just to be on the train! And we were actually really lucky to get those seats cuz there were a whole bunch of people stuck standing. And as we started off on our journey to Paris I turned to Sarah and was like "You know what song I just thought of that I think is totally appropriate for everything that's happened today?" and she was like "what?" and I was like "Let It Be by The Beatles" and she was like "Oh my gosh I've had that stuck in my head all day!" We later determined that Let It Be was pretty much our theme song for this trip - hence the title of this and future blog posts. But more on that later. In the end we ended up having to pay 20 euro because we didn't have reservations but that was actually not bad considering we've heard horror stories of other students who've had to pay up to 60 euro.

Once we arrived in Paris we hopped on the metro, got off at our stop and promptly got lost. Yeah, hostelworld pretty much gave us the worst directions ever but we finally found our hostel just in time! The hostel closes at 11 and we got there at 10:30! The receptionist actually locked up right after we checked in.

So we went up to our room, I did the first day of my novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, and went to bed.