Kangaroos are from France

We left Ambialet bright and early this morning and headed out for our long weekend in Barcelona, Spain. Along the way, we stopped at a few places. The first was the medieval city of Carcassonne. On the early morning drive to Carcassonne, I spotted a yellow sign with a black kangaroo symbol (think of the deer crossing signs we see in PA). John (the faculty and student assistant) told us that kangaroos originated in France and were introduced to Australia to help them populate. I plan to write a children's book about the subject. (Although, really, the sign was for a nearby zoo and John is HILARIOUS!)

Carcassonne was pretty cool. It's the largest medieval walled city in the world. The structure is pretty magnificent and the history behind the built in defenses is very interesting. The basilica within the walls is also rather fantastic. Our tour guide/students' professor, Eric, pointed out the carved faces lining the top of the church. There were a few that were a bit out of whack with the others, almost silly.

The explanation made perfect sense, though. When the church was built, much of the "new world" had yet to be explored. Stories of people with huge ears they used as shields against the cold, one legged men with a large foot used as shade, etc. were passed along as proven fact of the existence of such people. In an attempt to appear accepting of all people (at least those willing to convert), the church included portrayals of the mythical people on their walls. It is an interesting concept that makes perfect sense regarding the time.

We had a nice lunch at one of the restaurants in Carcassonne before going to the Abbey of Fontfroide. Now privately owned, we were granted permission to tour the facility. Although the buildings have been gutted and are showing the inevitable deterioration through time, the stained glass windows are breathtaking. They have such bright and rich colors. I was very surprised to see them in such a seemingly dark, old place.

My favorite set of stained glass windows are rather new additions to the facility considering its age. They were created with the fragments of windows from churches that were blown out during the war. Remarkable pieces of history that could have been lost forever... and beautiful to boot.