Old Hands from HCPT Groups 35 and 729

Bernie, Paul and I who travelled with HCPT The Pilgrimage Trust for more years than I can remember, decided at Paul's instigation, to attend mass together at Westminster Cathedral and then adjourn to a suitable dining room for lunch.

After  holy mass we decided upon the Ivy in Victoria Street SW1 though previously we had been unable to dine there as we had not booked in advance and the restaurant was full. At the door, Bernie's charm worked like magic and we were shown a terrific table away from the crowds and noise:

The lunch together was fun as well as being excellent, possibly encouraged by the  bottle of white wine consumed together.

We reminisced of course about the various pilgrimages made to Lourdes, including that after  retiring from HCPT; see Old Hands at Lourdes.

 Some more serious issues of which at this time  sadly there are many, featured in our conversations though overall, our talks together were light hearted.

Very pleasing was the news that an HCPT Easter Pilgrimage was held in 2022 for the first time since the pandemic. I gather only a few groups travelled but it is a start or should one say re-start?

After lunch we decided that meeting every two or three months would be a great idea.

The summer holiday season meant that London was not as crowded as usual though there were many tourists around.

After bidding Paul farewell, Bernie and I boarded a bus to Waterloo station. A young veiled Muslim lady offered us her seat which we declined. Upon my enquiring where she was from she signified Syria. I asked Bernie whether Syrians speak Arabic as Bernie who was originally (40+ years ago) from Baghdad is fluent in the language. She told me that Syria, Iraq, Iran and most Middle Eastern states, apparently have Arabic as a common language.

Bernie and the Syrian lady then began a lengthy conversation in Arabic. The Syrian lady's life seemed hard. She  is now 32 years of age but was married at 17, had four children and was taking an uncle's baby to St Thomas' Hospital for treatment to his bandaged head. 

Still, children in England used to work in coalmines and live dreadful lives in orphanages, so who are we really to judge?