Pilgrim not tourist. It started in Paris.

It started in Paris. The whirlwind love affair with the City of Love. Half of the group of 60 pilgrims took the route through Paris. It presented a day tour opportunity that took us in a breeze through the streets of Paris. The view from the bus is better than not seeing the place at all. But the charm of the place summons one to consider a visit again. 

It was a long flight from Cebu to Paris. Long flights challenge the artistry of toss and turns and viewing of countless movies. And just when sleep set in then these gracious attendants come down the aisle to offer food and drinks. Sleep interruptions all the more blur the time zones in the mind.

We landed at Charles de Gaulle airport and hurriedly looked for our guide. The flight was a bit delayed but time was precious as we only had barely a day to breeze through the sites. Utmost in the itinerary was the Sunday mass and everything else had to adjust on the schedule. 

We trouped to our bus which took us to a whirl around the city. We did not go down the bus except at the Eiffel. The tour was basically a 'to the right' and 'to the left' volley as our heads obeyed the directions narrated by our guide. With minimal blinks, we looked out the bus windows and took on the sites as what the bus speed allowed us. Click, click, click, as fast as the fingers can muster with the blur that was the tour. 

But Paris will not be Paris without Eiffel and so with very limited time, the troupe had to do the customary shots with the tower as the backdrop. Then the little time spared were spent to do quick purchase at the nearby souvenir stall.

Then with no time left, we were ushered back to the bus to catch the mass at Miraculous Medal Church where Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine Laboure. Her incorrupt body is also on glass display besides the altar. The mass was in French and it was the first of many masses in languages we barely understood. Yet the beauty of the Eucharist is that regardless of the language used, one can follow and still be spiritually attuned to the rites. 

The pilgrimage had barely started and we have a long way to go. We rushed back to the airport to await our flight that will take us to Madrid. It was a day well spent albeit our backs have not tasted a kind bed for a day. 

Le Madeleine

Louvre Palace, Paris

                     

Arc du Carrousel, Paris

                                 

Paris City Hall

                               

Ubiquitous Parisian Cafe

                         

                                      

Life musings: 

Everyday, life has surprises. It could be the beauty of an unexpected site. Life may go so fast but every minute is an opportunity to create  beautiful and lasting memories of the hustle and bustle of daily living.