Author: sam_goeuriot

Considering everyone did something different with their families today, I can’t speak for everyone but I can update you all on what I did. This morning everyone got up nice and early so we could get a start on the day. We all ate our usually breakfast of brioche and orange juice together, then we all got in the car and drove 3 hours to Mont St. Michel. It is considered a wonder of the western world, and is located in Normandy, France. At different times of the day, it can be considered an island depending on the height of the water which changes with the tide. We arrived around noon, then took a short shuttle ride to the actually castle itself. Upon arriving we ate lunch at a crêperie before touring the castle. We all got galettes as our entree, then a crêpe of our choice for dessert. I ate a galette with ham, egg, lettuce, and cheese, and I had a nutella crêpe for dessert, which was amazing. After eating, we went on with our tour which consisted of seeing everything inside and out. It was cool to see the water slowly rise and watch the sand disappear around the castle. After spending hours there, we took the shuttle back around 4 and got back in the car and stopped in a town in Bretagne to grab some ice cream and see the town. After spending about half an hour there, we drove to La Pointe Grouin. It is right on the ocean, and has amazing views. After our stop there, we got back in the car for the last time and drove to my exchange student’s grandma’s house where we spent the night. Overall, the day was super tiring, but definitely worth it.

“We began our day at the Hôtel de Ville where we admired the breathtaking architecture of Victor Laloux from the outside of the building and the equally expansive interior of the building, which included historical art, sculptures, and several war memorials dedicated to fallen French soldiers. After this, we travelled by foot, bus, and tram to Galawi, a rope course located by the Lac de Betonnieres. Before we began our afternoon at Galawi, we had a picnic lunch at the entrance, and began the course soon after. This challenging and fun rope course offered several different pathways, all of varying difficulty and time. Finally, our day concluded at Galawi at about 5 pm after a short while of relaxing and talking with friends at the same picnic area that we had our lunches.”

The first part of the day we visited La Mairie. Before we went inside, the tour guide told us a bit about the building and we learned that it was built by Victor Laloux. It had a similar design to the other buildings in Tours, but it was much bigger than I expected it to be.

When we walked inside we saw huge staircase with memorials for soldiers who died during the World Wars. The ceiling above the stairs stood out to me because of the design carved into it. Most of the ceilings either were painted or carved. Next the tour guide took us to a meeting room. I found it interesting that discussions in this room are open to the public and there are chairs for people to sit in and listen. Overall I think the most interesting thing I learned while there was that French people have to have their marriage authorized by the Mayor before they are officially “married”.

After visiting La Mairie we took both a bus and a tram to get to Gadawi (the ropes course). On the tram a little boy tried talking to a few of us. Although he did not make a whole lot of sense, he said a few kind words to us in English before he left. We got off the tram and many of us had a snack while waiting for the bus to arrive. Once we arrived at Gadawi we had lunch. I had a ham and cheese sandwich with chips and I saw a few others eating relatively the same thing. After that, we briefly split into two groups for simplicity: one group for the Americans and one group for the French. Most of the instructors spoke English and the man teaching our group was from Quebec. The rope course was fun but I found it a bit challenging at times. I think most of the group did around four courses, each at varying degrees of difficulty.

 

We spent the first half of the day at school. Classes started at nine o’clock and I went to a double-block class of French. There was a higher student-to-teacher ratio in that French class than there is at Cary Academy; there were about thirty students there. The students first read three poems written by a poet from the Romantic era and answered questions about Romantic poets. The paper handouts that they used were helpful for the Americans in the class because they contained plenty of new vocabulary words for us to use in our list for the project. After going outside during the break, we watched a video called La Parure. Most students had another class next, but my exchange student did not have a class during the third period, so we went to a study hall.

We had lunch at the school cafeteria. The staff could tell that I am American and they seemed considerate and tried to help me. I ate a crêpe with ham and cheese, mashed carrots, rice, bread, and yogurt. 

We walked to the Musée de Compagnonnage after lunch. We explored all the examples of the different arts specialties (woodworker, pastry chef, etc.) by doing a sort of scavenger hunt in which we answered questions about certain works and who made them. The works were very impressive; in particular, those of the pasty chef stood out to me because of the intricate details that were used to create miniature cake versions of buildings from different countries. 

After leaving the Musée de Compagnonnage, we stopped to buy some ice cream from a street-side store, which was delicious. We then continued to the Musée des Beaux-Arts. Outside, there was a giant cedar tree from Lebanon and a stuffed elephant named Fritz. There were many interesting paintings and sculptures; many were older, such as one by Claude Monet, but there were also some pieces of modern art. The exterior of the museum was beautiful as well because it was originally a castle for bishops.

Today I started out with a delicious breakfast! I had bread with butter and tea. After that Penelope’s mom dropped us off at school. I went to Penelope’s French class. French class was great because the teacher handed out poems in French. This is the way we got so many new vocabulary for the scrapbook after. Once we got almost all of our vocabulary done, the teacher put on a French tv show. I did not understand what it was about, but it was still fun. Then it was time for lunch. For lunch I went with Leksi, Grace, Shriya, and all of the exchange students to a place like subway. It was so good, I got a tomato mozzarella sandwich! Once we arrived back at the school Madame Jones led us the musée de compagnonnage. We explored it by doing a scavenger hunt, I proudly say that Liya and I were the first ones to finish! We explored everything for wood masterpieces to cake masterpieces, which looked delicious! After that we walked over to the musée de beaux arts, but on the way we got some gelato! It was delicious I got chocolate mint and vanilla brownie. It was scrumptious! Then, we arrived at the museum, and everyone went into a photo taking frenzy. Everywhere you looked there was a perfect place to take a picture. After that, we all went underneath the museum. It was very cool to see the carving in the rock and how they built this underground city. Then it was time to go upstairs to look at some art work. Usually I don’t like art museums, but this one was amazing. Our tour guide was very enthusiastic and easy to understand. This whole was so much fun, and to top it off here are some photos of the fun!

Today was the second day of the exchange trip and my 16th birthday! It wasn’t my first time spending my birthday without my parents but my first in a foreign country, making it especially memorable. I started off my day going to Fils Bleu with my exchange student Hadjar and her mother; they purchased my card for the tram, which Hadjar normally uses to commute to and from school. I took the tram for the first time! After less than 10 minutes, we arrived at Sainte Ursule where I was met with many joyeux anniversaire’s (happy birthday’s). Afterwards, the American students split into pairs (I was with Shriya) and participated in a scavenger hunt. After eight monuments, Shriya and I got distracted and began looking into shops, particularly the ones on a street called La Rue des Halles which also had a very beautiful open air market. We bought some éclairs and tarts. When we all met up again, the class gave me a card and a very delicious chocolate tart as gift. For lunch, we had Thai at a restaurant in Place Plumereau, a very popular plaza. When returning to school, everyone was very afraid of getting pelted by eggs and milk, a sort of end-of-year senior prank at Ste. Ursule. After that, the American students performed an experiment in an French laboratory with acids and bases (Brooke and Shriya were my partners). When school ended, I went with several other exchange students to La Loire, one of two of Tours’ rivers. In the evening, Hadjar’s family celebrated my birthday at their home with a traditional french cake. Overall, it was incredible and memorable

Our first full day in Tours couldn’t have been more fantastic! Today, a lot of the group went to an English class at 8:00 am, but we technically didn’t have to arrive until 9:00 for the scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt took place in downtown Tours, and it definitely has to be one of the most charmingly beautiful places that I have ever visited. The hunt comprised of all the major points of interest, having everything from La Cathédrale to La Place Plume. It was a wonderful way to get to know the city, and a rather quick way too! After the scavenger hunt, we all met up at an open-air market and browsed the options. My personal favorite has to be the strawberries- they don’t grow them to be that delicious in America! It was interesting to see how different all of the fruits and veggies were, because there were some changes. For example, the melons are tiny and the tomatoes are HUGE! After our excursion in the city, we walked back to the school and had lunch. It was a similar structure to our lunches at CA, but of course the food was gourmet. After this, all of the American students did a science experiment with “chou”- which translates to cabbage. The worksheets and the lab equipment were parallel, and our actual experiment was much like something that we’ve done in our chemistry classes. At 3:30, we were let out of our class, and a group of Americans and French kids walked over to the river to hang out for a while after school. It seemed like a popular thing to do, because there were many young couples and other groups similar to ours surrounding us. Finally, my exchange student and I ran quickly to her bus stop and caught the bus just in time. We went to her piano lesson after, and that brings us to now. I am looking forward to the rest of the trip!

 

Today on the last day I got to sleep in and we planned on doing the color run in Tours. I was very excited to do that because I will be with my friends and their exchange students. Katie Emma and I planned on walking it because it is the end of the trip and we don’t have the energy to run a 5K. For lunch today my exchange family grilled salmon and we hand picked lemons from their garden. The salmon with lemon was the one of the best meals I have ever had. After lunch we ate two scoops of vanilla ice cream with pineapple and bananas for dessert. All the food was so fresh and delicious! After lunch we headed to the color run. The run was amusing yet messy. Not only were me and my friends covered in color, we accidentally swallowed a lot and got it in our eyes, but it was still a great experience. After the run Emma Katie and I with our exchange students headed into Tours to go to a café and get some crepes. Overall the last day in Tours was very fun and eventful!

Today (Sunday June 5th) started with my exchange and me going out for a late brunch with some of our friends. The restaurant didn’t have a name but I ordered a bacon cheese burger, and most burgers in France are less cooked than the ones in America so it was an interesting experience. After eating brunch for about three hours, we walked up and down the river side and noticed that the current in the river is becoming faster and the water level has lowered a few inches, which is good! After that we went back home and packed because we are leaving for Paris in the morning. After a pizza dinner we played multiple card games such as spoons and ERS. As a family we took some time to reflect over the past few weeks and hoped for the best after we depart for Paris. It has been such an amazing trip and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Today, I experienced a typical French Saturday.  Just like the last Saturday, we slept in till 11 am.  Compared to my normal life, this was so different because usually I have activities that occupy my weekend time. Hugo, my exchange student, and I went to a little store called La Petit Fringale to eat Lunch.  While we were there, we talked to the owner of the store and Hugo’s parents. Hugo’s parents were there because they’ve known the store owner for a long time. Afterwards, we left to go back home. During the walk back the four of us had an interesting conversation about the exchange trips experience. Hugo’s mom mentioned how the French students loved how open and spread out everything was.  This was funny to me because one aspect of why I love Tours so much is how close everything is together.