Day 10 - Lourdes to Nimes

Today we bid a fond adieu to Lourdes--a town that we have come to know and love over the last three days.  Lourdes is a place where we have truly felt the love and comfort of Notre Dame.  We basked in the love and comfort Our Mother provided us and feel a bit sad as we leave this holy place.  We celebrated early Mass in the Chapel of St. Anne where the gospel reading was from John and included the following:  For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.  After Mass, we quickly visited the Rosary Chapel in the Basilica and then departed on our way.  After some pretty skillful driving by our driver, Fernando, through the tight turns leaving Lourdes, we began our journey east.  We stopped several times along the way to stretch our legs, have a quick bite to eat and see a mid-evil castle near Carcassonne.  Along the route we marvel at how good the roads are here in France and we always take time to ask Jesus to continue to bless our journey and in thanksgiving for sharing His Mother with us and for all the blessings he bestows on us.  We have seen some amazing sights and have have shared much comraderie with our fellow pilgrims.  We are united in faith and in our devotion to Jesus and His Mother, Mary.  Once here in Nimes, several of the group toured the Roman ruins here in the city, including a 2000-year old Roman circus that is now used for bullfights. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and prepared ourselves for another long driving day tomorrow.