Praise the Lourdes

We stopped briefly in Lourdes on our way to Cauterets. Because we had to as the train stopped there for a few hours. It was everything we feared, but luckily for us, the hordes had gone home for the season.

Reminded me of Disneyland for some reason. Usually there are about a gazillion people about. Not today! 

Apparently, in 1860ish, soon-to-be Saint Bernadette had apparitions of the Virgin Mary by a grotto. She also dug in the ground and water came up. All you see here (and indeed the city), was built on and around the grotto. The waters, it is believed, cure the sick. I myself rubbed the water they had available from a spigot on my face to see if I could be cured of my neuralgia. Alas, it was not to be!

Lourdes is the fourth most popular pilgrimage in the world (an estimated 200+ million since 1860). 

Inside the Basillica.

Bernadette the Musical if you are so inclined.

The Ousse River. Not the source of the miracle waters, but still cool. 

Fun Fact: The Apparthotel on the right is one of many hotels in Lourdes that make the city the second largest in France (after Paris) by number of hotel rooms. (Not hotels themselves though: Nice is 2nd and Lourdes is 3rd.)

The next four pictures illustrate the real reason for coming to Lourdes: souvenirs! St. Patrick's shop is first because I am biased that way.

My lovely bride on the bridge over the Ousse.

Pax my friends!

FFS

 

That's 113 to you scientific Philistines. 

Peace

My Quest for a Carte De Séjour

I need a carte de séjour (residence permit) to stay in France for more than 90 days. So off to the prefecture we went. I had read many horror stories about the experiences of others at different prefectures and was not expecting too much from this first meeting.

It started off on the wrong foot when the clerk said I had no right to live in France if my wife didn't work. Au contraire said the misses! She said she was "inactif" (the not working, but allowed to stay if one has the resources category), and that we had the resources to provide for us both.

He said he was like the police and she couldn’t argue with him and that she had to adjust her attitude! She held her ground and showed him our resources and the email from the French government indicating that the entire family's resources were to be considered and not just the resources of the EU citizen sponsoring the spouse. He decided to process the paperwork and then went back to talk to someone. He came back and his attitude was much better😀. I was very lucky that my lovely bride speaks French!

Then he said we needed to translate one of the financial documents (because not everyone speaks English!) and I had to write an attestation as to why I wanted to move to France. I got my receipt showing I had filed the paperwork. The clerk said to turn in the translation and attestation, and that it would take about 2 months. Au revoir, merci beaucoup!

6 weeks later I picked up my 5 yr carte de séjour. Better than expected!!

We then walked over to the CPAM (French health care) office and my wife was told that I could get health insurance, but that she, because she was not working, could not. This is not true, so the saga continues... 

Peace my friends!