The Pilgrim Traveller
True Stories and legends
by
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It is our first night in Lourdes, France. From the open window of my hotel room, I could glimpse the tiny flickers of candle lights slowly moving in the dark. The church bells are pealing loud into the cold night. Then, I hear the chanting of "Ave,Ave, Ave,Maria" by a multitude of pilgrims. I feel like I have gone back in time. Lourdes gives you that timeless feeling. Perhaps it is because the Catholic faith is fervently alive in this town; it is the central focus of life which, for me, is remarkable considering our modern, secular world. As soon as I enter my room at La Solitude Hotel and see Van Gogh’s painting, Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, hanging on the wall over the bed, I begin to understand why no one comes to Lourdes by chance. How can I explain the coincidence of finding the exact reproduction of Van Gogh hanging in my own bedroom back home? It is no accident that I am here in Lourdes.
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About the Book
This book is a collection of inspirational travel stories that span seventeen years of travel by the author, including human interest stories of people she interviewed. In a special chapter of “Traveling Back in Time,” it also includes stories of genealogy and legends. While tracing her multiracial ancestry, Mary Elaine uncovered legends and stories associated with her family tree and realized that although unique, the values and lessons are universal. Every family has a story waiting to be uncovered.
About the Author
Mary Elaine Friend is a freelance travel writer and a real estate broker based in the Philippines. Writing and travelling are her passions. She finished a freelance travel writing and photography course with the Australian College of Journalism in 1998. Her published article “Overseas Filipino Workers: Australian Style” won the Australian Ambassador's Choice Award in the Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ANZCHAM) Journalism Awards in 1999. In 2001, her published article “Living and Studying in NZ” won the New Zealand Award in the ANZCHAM Philippines Journalism Awards in 2001. In 2004, she took up a course on writing for children and teenagers with the Institute of Children’s Literature in Connecticut, USA.