Revisiting Baguio City: A Step by step to Lourdes Grotto

(Day 4, March 16, 2015)

After our La Presa hype, we then went over to our next destination, the Lourdes Grotto. The Lourdes Grotto is one of the Catholic Shrine in Baguio. The place is located uphill in the Western part of the city. Uphill is the image of the Lady of Lourdes and is a conducive place for meditation as well.

The Grotto is said to be one of the favorite pilgrimage site during the Lent season. You can reach to the top of the Grotto either by driving through a winding, narrow and steep asphalt-paved road or climbing the 250+ steps uphill. We opt to climb those steps going uphill.

Devotees go up to the grotto to meditate, to pray and some just to take a look at the place. Devotees who prayed usually light up a candle and offer flowers at a n altar below the image (there are designated places for lighting candles and for flowers).

Like most of the religious shrines, there are also vendors who will offer to light up a candle for you and say a prayer for whatever personal intentions you might have.

There are candle and flower vendors just below the Grotto. We bought the set of colored candles to light up . According to the vendor, each color has corresponding meaning like health, love, peace, etc. Too bad, i didn’t memorize which color stands for what. Along the road going to the steps going up were some natives offering the tourists to try wearing their native costumes for small amount.

(You will be treated with this view at the entrance of Lourdes Grotto)(This is when the vendors offered their colored candles to us)(Excited much to climb the steps going up the Grotto?)(The climb has started, but wait let’s pose for the camera for documentation :))(Thank you to Ate Flower vendor who took this group picture of us. Yay, everyone is in the picture!)

Upon reaching the Grotto, we say our prayers and light our colored candles. One of us offered flowers as well. (Lady of Lourdes image on top of those 250+ steps)

(Colored candles lighted by one of us)

(My lighted colored candle. Look! there’s 2 pink candles i didn’t notice it when i bought it.. the vendor said pink is for love, does it mean I will have 2? hahaha)

(Aside from lighted set of colored candles, Michelle offered these flowers as well.)

Near the Grotto, there is a chapel also if you want to meditate and say a prayer. (Perfect place to meditate right? – the chapel near the Lady of Lourdes image)

Spent few more minutes on the place and took some pictures before going over to our next destination. (Someone stole this snapshot of me. Thanks Norms)

(Thanks Michelle for capturing this one.)

Few more pictures of the place as we went downstairs.

(The gents were having a little talk and plans – boys talk? :))

(The ladies as well, seems something was going on!)

(The only disadvantage of owning a camera when no tripod brought with you, is you won’t be in the group pictures most of the time esp when nobody’s around to ask for a favor to take your group picture..)