On this vacation, follow in the footsteps of the devoted through France. Start your trip in Paris with a welcome dinner and a guided sightseeing tour featuring all major sights: Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, and the Eiffel Tower. Visit Notre Dame Cathedral; the Basilica of Sacré Coeur; Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Shrine, where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Catherine Labouré in 1830; and St. Vincent de Paul Shrine. During an excursion to Lisieux, visit Les Buissonnets, family home of St. Therese, and the basilica. St. Therese was known as "The Little Flower" and for her charming autobiography The Story of a Soul. Also visit St. Peter's Cathedral, where her family attended Mass, and the Carmelite Convent, where she lived as a nun. From Paris, board the high-speed "TGV" train to Lourdes, one of the world's most famous places of pilgrimage. Visit the Grotto where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858, Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, and St. Bernadette's birthplace and family home. You may wish to bathe in the healing waters and attend the "Blessing of the Sick," or join the evening's rosary and candlelight procession. You also have a full day at leisure in Lourdes. Admire medieval Carcassonne, a medieval town and UNESCO World Heritage Site, on your way to Avignon, where you enjoy a walking tour of this pretty town where the papacy resided in the 14th century. In Paray-le-Monial, visit the Chapel of the Apparitions and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. In Nevers, visit St. Gildard, where St. Bernadette spent her life as a nun. Finally, in Chartres, visit the magnificent cathedral, one of Europe’s most celebrated shrines. Return to Paris and enjoy a farewell dinner—a perfect way to end this vacation to France!