(Part 1 of 2)
In the company of an all-nurse practitioner, I was persuaded to break out of my shell to embrace new culture, enjoy life like never before, and acquire an invaluable experience in a well-planned European tour. So together with my wife, Venny, her college friend from PWU Jessette Loredo and her colleague Josie Destajo (from Bayley Seaton in Staten Island), and our in-law Helen Latoja with her friend Judith Tatuy (from Woodhall Medical Center), we were all set to undertake a rare chance of a lifetime.
Dateline: Fatima, Portugal (Sunday, Oct. 11- Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2015)
Aboard a United Airlines aircraft bound to Lisbon, Portugal we took off at exactly 8:00 PM amid bone-chilling winds and hazy skies. ..and after an eight-hour leveled flight our aircraft touched down at Portela International Airport in Lisbon at 7:35 AM (Portugal time). (Portugal is 5 hours ahead of NY-NJ although Portugal has two time zones).
From the airport we were picked up by our booking agent that drove us to Fatima, a civil parish in the municipality of Ourem in the Santarem District. Being permanently associated with the Marian apparitions that occurred in Cova da Iria in 1917, the former peaceful village 76 miles north of Lisbon became the most visited and popular urban agglomeration of Leira and primarily relies on religious tourism and pilgrimages, although the place was also known for carving, sculpture, and fineries.
Primarily dominated by Holly oak (Quercus ilex), Portuguese oak (Quercus faginea), Strawberry trees (Arbutus unedo), and Olive trees (Olea europaea), Fatima was an unknown village involved in shepherding and agriculture until the apparitions that occurred between May 13 and October 13, 1917 before siblings Francisco (9) and Jacinta Marto (7) and their cousin Lucia Santos (10) all of Aljustrel, a small barrio where the three children were born.
Both Francisco and Jacinta died due to the 1918 influenza epidemic that hit Europe and their bodies were entombed in the Basilica of our Lady of the Rosary in Fatima after being beatified on May 13, 2000 by Pope John Paul II (who, himself, became a saint) but Lucia survived until February 13, 2005 at age 97 at the Convent of the Discalced Carmelites in Coimbra, Portugal.
Being in the Western part of the Iberian Peninsula, the early Celtic tribe was believed to be its first inhabitants and currently being ruled by a Parliamentary Democratic government. Portugal’s monetary unit, Euro (formerly Escudo), has a higher buying power than our US dollar.
We immediately explored the vicinity after a hearty brunch near our hotel. It could have been a perfect start for our initial sojourn if not for the scarcity of money changers…actually, none at all. Even local banks won’t sell Euros if you’re not a depositor…but still, that didn’t dampen our high spirited escapade. We excitedly scrutinized every single store and eatery for some adventurous finds that made us discover what the place was well-known for among gourmands: grilled fresh sardines fish. One has to really experience its irresistible aroma and scrumptious savor to finally conclude it’s worth the trip.
Tuesday, October 13, being one of the most significant dates of the apparition and the ninetieth anniversary of the phenomenal Marian sighting, the more than hundred acres of well-developed Fatima Shrine looked too small to accommodate the millions of pilgrims from all over the world. After a three-hour solemn high mass during midday, a solemn procession of candles concluded the religious festivity.
We took a local mini-train (which actually looked like a connected wagon) to visit the remote area of Aljustrel where tourists converged at the original birthplace of Francisco and Jacinta, then had a brief stop by an old church where they were baptized and visited the nearby cemetery where the siblings were initially buried before being exhumed and re-entombed at the Basilica.
The place could have been more of an authentic site for a religious pilgrimage had the authorities restricted the building of modern-day structures, commercial stores, and residential houses that totally weakened the efficacy of the supposed religious location.
We went back to our hotel a little past 12 midnight that allowed us only to pack our stuff and took a brief respite for our service was scheduled to pick us up at 3 AM to the airport for our next destination: Paris!
Our three-day stay in Fatima made us feel spiritually reborn, physically recharged, and sanctimoniously sealed with divine grace.
