Nous sommes des pèlerins

We began our pilgrimage at St. Aloyse in the Neudorf neighborhood of Strasbourg, the parish church of our daughter Emily and her husband Marc, who arranged for us to join them on this trip.  Lizzie made the pilgrimage as well.  Our leader was Père Regis, an Abbott of the Catholic Church, and the spiritual mentor of Emily.  He is a cultured and learned man who lived in Rome for two years while studying for the priesthood.  Our fellow pilgrims were members of the parish and of Père Regis’ family.  We were 28.

We boarded a large bus at around 7 p.m., and drove until arriving in Rome about 13 hours later.  Immediately after boarding Père Regis provided a champagne toast and a blessing so we were well armed for this rather long road trip.  He has been making these trips for 17 years.  

The seats on the bus converted into couchettes, so we were able to stretch out during the night and try to sleep.  The couchettes were such a hit that half of the travelers opted to stay in their seats all night on the return trip.  Although the couchettes took some getting used to--they shook and provided the sensation that one would bounce right off--I appreciated being able to stretch out and did get some sleep.
The bus stopped every three hours or so at rest plazas along the route.