The octagonal 14th Century Bell Tower on this Romanesque Parish Church is one of on Vielha's…read moretrademarks. It's also in the center of this handsome town and sits on a pretty plaza. Gayle and I wandered inside Sant Miguel and enjoyed the quiet simplicity within. Actually there's more as the 15th Century Gothic Altar and the 12th Century wood carving (Cristo de Mig Aran) were impressive. The later is displayed under glass, and brings out an interesting sense of mortality and humanity.

A sacred place, but hard to access from other parts of the country (we flew in from Barcelona and…read moretook a bus from there). The grounds are huge and it took several days to explore everything (from the grotto, upper/lower basilicas, stations, etc.). Unfortunately, this place is also referred to as the "Catholic Disneyland", with shops and carts selling food and souvenirs all up and down the street. The town itself is pretty walkable. Make sure to see the candlelight procession if you can 2025 #74

Beautiful Basilica in honor of the Virgin Mary. Had the privileged to attend a mass with most…read morecardinals present.

We had a tour Friday and arrived on the mountain around 10:30 via Bus and Rack Railway (Cremallera)…read morefor the last 10 minutes. You get some breathtaking views as you climb towards 1236 ft. and also experience the railway car that has been around since the 1800s with the original car on display at the station. Once we got to the main area of the mountain, there is quite a bit to do and you can spend a full day if you took the time to take it all in. The jagged rock formations of the mountain range give a few photo ops. The main event was the Basilica/Abbey with the Black Madonna and hearing the Escolania Boys Choir. Peaceful, serene and listening to this choir for a few minutes before bed has to help with insomnia. There are plenty of hiking options with a 15 minute hike to the top for more breathtaking views. Would recommend visiting the museum. Many shopping and food options (Cafes) with our tour guide recommending a Buffet restaurant. I tend to stay away from Buffet spots and should have followed my instincts. It was ok and really was at a disadvantage after the meals we had in Barcelona-stick with the Cafes. Overall, well worth the time and visit!

Beautiful monastery, located against the backdrop of the Montserrat mountain where the peaks are…read moreliterally surrounding the monastery. The Cathedral that is at the heart of this monastery is very ornate and gorgeous with classic European craftsmanship from an age gone by clearly visible throughout the cathedral. As beautiful as the monastery is, the elevated views from this location are drop dead gorgeous and worth the trip alone. Unfortunately, on the day we visited, there was a mass going on where they closed viewing of the black Madonna for the day to not be in conflict with the mass which is standard practice. So you need to keep an eye on this if you plan to visit this site. The other negative thing is that the place was slammed with tourist and I felt that the outlying buildings were completely commercialized to sell trinkets to the tourist that visit. I personally am not a fan when places of worship do this, but I do understand that this type of operation probably funds the maintenance and operation of monastery year-round and is probably a necessary evil in this case. All in all, this is one of the main attractions in the Barcelona area and should be included on any itinerary during your visit here. Opportunities to see beauty like this along with it's historical relevance are far few and in between and should be taken advantage of anytime you're given this opportunity.

Faith and religious belief, or the lack of it is private. There are billions of believers in multi…read morefaiths and today here there were folks from all over the world. To see so many people on trolleys and hospital type beds here lying in line to go into the baths here and many clearly at the end of their lives is truly humbling whether or not you believe in life hereafter.

A unique church in the complex of churches in Lourdes surrounding the grotto. It is buried…read moreunderground so I did not notice it for several days. It is large and very roomy but also feels like bunker compare to a traditional church. it is very roomy with no pillars in the way of the altar.

I am an Aerospace Engineer and my work took me to Toulouse for 4 months. All of my work colleagues…read moreexcept one were French so it was total immersion. My ancestors were from France (near Lille) and even with my poor French, France felt like home. Toulouse is the aerospace capital of Europe so there are lots of foreigners who live and work there and the locals are very tolerant of poor French. The local accent is somewhat different from Paris. What a fantastic experience. I was accompanied by my wife and our teenage daughter and we had a small apartment a few blocks from St-Aubin. I must admit I never set foot in the church but the weekend farmers market nearby was our go to. Fantastic selection of cheeses, meat, vegetables, wine, and the absolute best rotisserie chickens I have ever eaten. Our Sunday ritual was to go to the market buy a chicken, bread, cheese and a bottle of wine and return to our apartment for a long lunch. The roti chickens are sold with wonderful potatoes They also sold roti rabbits and game birds but we always had chicken. I really miss the whole experience.

This was one of my favourite churches to see in Toulouse. It looks absolutely stunning inside and…read moreoutside. I just sat down nearby and looked at it to be honest. I don't know what it is about it, but I loved it. The architecture, the windows, the area, loved it all.

Saint-Etienne is along with Saint-Sernin one of the two largest churches in Toulouse. Whereas…read moreSt-Sernin is the largest example of a Romanesque church existent, the current St-Etienne is actually two buildings in one. The first is an early example of Gothic style and post dates St-Sernin by at least a couple of centuries. The other, a later addition, is a somewhat later example of the Gothic style. The two are cobbled together in a rather bizarre combination. It is as if one added a ranch style addition to ones Victorian home and botched the job. St-Etienne is the home base for the local Archbishop. To me it is far from a beautiful building but certainly worth seeing as a lesson in architectural history. See both St-Sernin and St-Etienne on the same day to emphasize the contrast. I miss them both and apologize to St-Etienne for my caustic comments.