Here I Go A-Wandering: Running out of title names....

Today was another great day. We started the day with a class discussion on the image/iconography of Mary and Jesus here in Lourdes. Like stated in previous posts, Bernadette states that she saw a young girl around the age of 12 (or younger). The Mary items all around Lourdes are older (20-30). As well, Mary is depicted with pale skin and brown hair with blue eyes. Historically/Biblically she was from the Middle East...and a Jew...and such would have olive to dark skin with dark hair. We also talked about how Jesus is normally depicted as either a baby or a man...never in between. HOWEVER, when Christina and I were walking around today we made sure to look at the depictions and we did find some (not many though) of Jesus as a child (one even as a toddler)! I had never noticed it before, so it was neat to actually see it after discussing it in class.

I was also able to speak to a 75 year old pilgrim today while we were up on a mountain (some of us took the funicular up one of the nearby mountains to see great views) who was from America (and his partner was from Ireland). I asked him if he came for healing and he said no, he came for the pilgrimage (he used the term, not me). He said that as a Catholic he felt the need to take this pilgrimage and so he and his friend (not sure if it was his wife or friend or what) came. I asked him about the holy water from the grotto, and he said he will be shipping it back home and then giving it to friends in need for healing purposes. He said it was like giving someone holy water, and that they can do what they wish with it (drink, cleanse themselves, use it for blessings, etc). He was very nice and understood we were students and didn't mind answering our questions. He also said that he and his partner went to Nevers (the town that Bernadette went to after the apparitions and later died in) to see the body of Bernadette (she had been exhumed on 3 separate occasions and after the third time was waxed and is now on display in Nevers). He said it was fascinating to see that after 3 exhumations she was waxed in perfect condition without a mark on her. He clearly saw that as a miracle and proof that she was worthy of being a saint. I'm glad I was able to speak to him and get an insider's perspective on some things.

We are here in Lourdes for another day, and then tomorrow we leave in the evening for an overnight train back to Paris. We then head to the Paris airport to fly to Glasgow. We spend about 5 hours in Glasgow and then take a train (or is it a bus...so many modes of transportation on this trip!) to Oban. We spend the night in Oban (a fishing community on the coast of Scotland) and in the morning head to Iona. Once in Iona we will not have free Wifi...not even sure there IS Wifi on the island, so I may not be able to post until Edinburgh. I will be writing my journal via Word processor and then once we get internet will do single posts per day (similar to what I did the train day). So if you don't hear from me for a few days, that is why.