Hey mum,
what a long day. My feet are hurting. But I hope you will like the updates I have for you.
The weather was not so good, but it wasn't raining, so Fabi and her best friend Boris went to Kevelaer with me.
Kevelaer is a famous place of pilgrimage in Germany. They have a lot chapels, churchs and such in the small town.
Fabi wanted to go there, as she was there often when she was younger and missed it a bit. She told us that it is really nice there, even if you are not a Christian.
There were a lot old houses in Kevelaer.
We found two statues. Both are standing for the pilgrims who are coming to Kevelaer for visiting the stations of the cross and such.
And a statue where we don't know what it is...
There is one big church, called Basilica.
The main Kevelaer pilgrimage church was raised to the status of a papal basilica in 1923. The Basilica is where the major pilgrimage services are held.
Next to the Basilica is the Chapel of Grace.
Already in Nazareth, Mary lived among the people, among the apostles and first Christians. She experienced what continues to move many Christians to this very day. In Kevelaer, the faithful of all ages, both men and women, those seeking enlightenment and those in desperation, those acting out of belief and out of trust, all come to her. Shepherds and their flocks gather around her image, which is unusually close to them all, virtually close enough to touch.
The interior of the Chapel of Grace creates the impression that the artists and craftsmen who decorated it were filled with a determination to give of their best for the Almighty.
All of this beauty has been created in honour of the loveliest of them all: Mary, honoured and celebrated not for her external beauty, but also for her internal perfection, as a person full of grace.
And we saw the Candle Chapel.
Fabi lighted a candle for her neighbour, who was like a grandmother for her and died in January this year. She was in Kevelaer with her last time and the neighbour was a Christian.
The Candle Chapel is the oldest pilgrimage church in Kevelaer - therefore most processions still continue to make a stop here. The countless coats of arms, the abundance of candle offerings, the windows and the messages of gratitude are all evidence of the living tradition of pilgrimage here.
Then we saw the Priest's house.
The Priests house, the oldest stone building in Kevelaer, houses the pilgrimage offices. It is also the parish house of St.-Marien.
After seeing all these pilgrimage places, we went around in town a bit and found some shops with candles and other stuff.
And we found a fountain with Noah's ark on it. Can you see the monkey?
That was a long walk in Kevelaer. I really liked it there and I hope you like the pictures and the informations as well.
We didn't went home after that. But you will see in the next update, which I will write right after this.
I miss you,
Adrian