Well, this latest little expedition to Lourdes was certainly different from any before it.
This was intended as a teaching weekend.
Soooooo on Thursday I flew down to London and on Friday afternoon my GodPapa and I boarded a flight to Pau - an airport about 30 K out from Lourdes. Problem number 1 hit us fairly swiftly - there is no public transport from the airport into Lourdes so as I commented to GodPapa we would have to take a taxi into Pau station, then get a train to Lourdes and then a taxi once more.
However that did not happen thanks to a lovely lady sitting in the same row of seats - she had obviously heard us discussing this and said that if we didn't have a lot of luggage, since she was going through Lourdes she would give us a lift if we so wished.
So once we cleared Customs/Police/Immigration or what ever the three of us went off to Lourdes in her Freelander. Now just before we had landed it had been raining, but we had managed to walk to the terminal and keep dry, but by the time we got our luggage it had rained again. It was dry walking to the car park and we had a wee bit of rain on the drive to Lourdes. Needless to say because we were going to Lourdes we had stuff for cold weather and stuff for rain.
However, we hopped out of the car at the door of the Ukrainian Church - well being accurate across the road.
Father Peter had spotted us getting out and came to the gate to welcome us.
We were then taken up to our rooms - very comfortable indeed. In mine was the bed in which Napoleon III had reputedly slept.
We then went down to the Church for the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified gifts - my first experience of this. Now first you have to understand that my GodPapa was going to act as diak for this weekend - so we had to set up the music stand and organised where the overflow of books would be placed and then we moved a few chairs
� well, folded them up and stacked them against a wall
The Service was, like all of them over the weekend chanted in a mixture of English, Ukrainian and some Church Slavonic. It was absolutely wonderful.
Next came supper and I very quickly realised that Sr. Stephanie was a great cook.
After supper we started planning the rest of the weekend - and it was not following the original plan either.
Saturday morning dawned - we were down in the Church for 7 am!!
Strange - the chairs we had tidied away were back - so they were shifted again.
First came the Parastasis (Sorokousty) and it was followed by Third and Sixth Hours and after that the Liturgy of St John at 8am. Again everything was chanted in a mixture of languages as before - except when I was reading Psalms.
Breakfast followed and another guest - a lady from Ireland - had joined us for Liturgy and breakfast.
We were then free till about 4 pm as Sister Stephanie and Fr Peter had a lunch appointment so I took Godpapa for his first look at the Sanctuary and the town. There is a lot of work being done at present in the Sanctuary and more to come. Sadly the shops I had really wanted him to see were not yet open - Lourdes is not yet into the Pilgrimage season. He really did not like some of the Churches in the Sanctuary - they are really just large bare rooms
Once we were back at the Church he started to prepare for the evening. We were going to have supper early so Sr. Stephanie would be all cleared up ready to go down for the Evening Rosary Procession so we decided to leave starting vespers till it was dusk. Whilst we had been talking between us about the service we had had some Visitors to see the Church and I had given them a quick run down on the Church and the fact that they would be welcome to come to Liturgy there every Sunday morning.
So after supper we headed back into the Church and started Vigil. Yes, it was long and I did get tired - but I thoroughly appreciated it. Lights went off and on at approximately the right times - I had problems remembering which switches worked which lights. Again I read some of the Psalms.
Afterwards we again repaired to the Study and chatted and planned for the next day.
Sunday we had a lie in - well sort of.
Liturgy of St Basil was at 10 am so we chanted Third and Sixth hour before it. Some of our visitors from Saturday arrived at the start of Liturgy and Sr. gave them copies of the DL in French.
And so we progressed and suddenly I realised that my GodPapa was whispering in my ear and 'suggesting' that I went and fetched the French DL book so I could read the Pre-communion prayer in French. I was somewhat taken aback but did so. Our French Visitors stayed and chatted a bit afterwards and had obviously enjoyed the Service and wanted to know more so I was trying to help Father explain things a bit to them. I understand that once they went home they were going to be looking for an Eastern Parish near them.
Brunch then followed and we went off to walk it off.
In the evening we had Vespers.
Monday - some of us were up later than others - tiredness was setting in after all.
We had no Services then - the morning was for me to spend talking with Fr Peter.
Sr. Stephanie insisted we had lunch there and the taxi called for us at 1.30 pm to take us back to the Airport for our journey back to the UK.
Once at the Airport we had of course time to kill but discovered FREE WiFi computer connections - so made use of it till it was time to head to the departure gate.
Soon the plane was loaded and we landed back in London on time.
That evening we had a meal and chatted for a bit - but were tired - so our beds called us fairly early.
On Tuesday I flew back up to Glasgow - resolving to practise my Chant and Liturgical French.
In fact it won't be long before I'm off to France again - at the beginning of May.
<scratching head >
