"There's a danger sign, but it's just for decoration." (Day 11)

Today in class we talked about the Virgin Mary and how she's evolved as a part of culture and in art and we talked about symbolism. She originally became such a large part of society to replace the pagan gods of fertility and in some places, to enhance the women's importance in society. Mary was depicted as the "Throne of Wisdom," where she looked like a throne for Jesus to sit on. In other styles, she was dressed in the clothes of the time or she was ornately decorated in gold and silver. When the Black Death occurred, killing many people, the statues started to look grim to depict the struggles people of the time were going through. The troubadours even sang about the Virgin; this was called Mariolotry.

Then we talked about symbolism. I find this really fascinating. The lilly represents purity and immortality, which is often associated with Mary. It's often in portrayals of the Annunciation. An apple symbolizes the acceptance of our sins, and is usually held by Mary or Christ or is near them. The pomegranate symbolizes fertility and eternity, and because the stem is shaped like a crown, it also symbolizes royalty.

For lunch we had duck breast and mashed potatoes. Then we went to the Chateau de Puilaurens. It was a castle built by the Cathars. It was either a bit steeper than the one from the other day, or we were just sore, I dom't really know, but it was a much quicker walk up, so we really had the time to soak it in and enjoy it. We wandered around the castle and explored all

the different rooms. After we did that, we walked around to the back, where there was an eve better view. We were brave and climbed up just a

little so we

could all site and look at the mountains. If it was the US, there would have been fences and signs all over the place saying to be careful so they couldn't get sued, and it would have completely

ruined the moment. (Don't worry Mom and Nanny....I was VERY careful.) We all didn't want to leave. Every day I say that that day was my favorite. This trip just keeps getting better and better and I can't believe we have to leave soon.

We had cous cous and egg omelette for dinner. We had really good cherries for dessert. After dinner, we had College Night. Caldwell performed tonight. We all had a lot of fun. This trip has had a lot more acting in it than I had anticipated!