Author: sam_goeuriot

Today we went to chateau chinon on the morning. After our guided tour of the former symbol of the power of the French monarchy, we were given a chance to look around the grounds for ourselves. I decided to go take pictures of the view of the town from the towers. Take a look below! After that we went to the goat farm. Here we ate, played with goats, and even tried some of the cheese the farm produced. After school a lot of people, including myself, went karting with their exchanges, and we all had a great time.

Today we visited Clos Lucé and visited the nearby town of Amboise. Clois Lucé is the last home of Leonardo da Vinci, and is where he ended up dying. We toured his house, but then got to see the more interesting part, which are replicas of his inventions that are throughout the house and in the park outside. The park was full of lots of inventions with many interactive parts. Because it was raining, moving around was tough, but we still managed to see most of the park.

We stopped for lunch in the park before walking into downtown Amboise, where we shopped for a while before going to the Chocolaterie. We watched a demonstration of how to make different types of chocolate, beginning to end, taste testing along the way. Afterwards, we went into the main store and had the opportunity to purchase some of the chocolate we tasted.

In the morning we took a bus to Amboise which is a city that is 45 minutes away from Tours. Sadly the weather this day was rainy and cold. The first place we visited was a old house , which used to be a house where Leonardo da Vinci lived. The house itself was plain but it was filled with many of Da Vinci’s inventions. We were then allowed to walk around the garden. After we ate lunch we walked around the town of Amboise. We then visited a chocolate store where someone demonstrated how to make different chocolates. After the chocolate store we then went back to Tours. Once school was done we went with our exchange students to go to someone’s house. We then took a tram back into town and ate at Mamie Bigoude, which is a restaurant inside of a town house that has been renovated so that each room of the house is a dining area.

Today we went to the Clos-Lucé and a Chocolaterie which is place where chocolates are made. Because my exchange student lives close to Clos-Lucé, I was able to sleep in. The Clos-Lucé was a very beautiful building with an amazing garden in front. Unfortunately, it was raining so we were not able to see how beautiful the Clos-Lucé and its garden really were. We got to go inside the Clos-Lucé which had very old furniture and paintings inside. In the basement, there were recreations of many of Leonardo Da Vinci’s creative ideas such as a tank, parachutes, and a machine gun that were many years ahead of their time. Because of the rain, we did not visit the beautiful gardens. We traveled further and found a lake next to the Clos-Lucé where we settled to eat lunch.

After we finished lunch, we walked over to downtown Amboise where we were given a couple minutes to shop. I bought cookies and soap for my family.

After, we went to a Chocolaterie and got the chance to meet a professional chocolate maker who taught us a lot about chocolate making and gave us many samples to try. After, we went to the chocolate store where I bought a bag of chocolates for my family. Then we left Amboise and headed back to school.

Today it was slow day and it started to rain towards the end of the school day. We started with attending classes with our exchange students. After that we had the surprise of a quiz where we walked around tours and took pictures and answered questions about important landmarks. Next with a group of friends we ate lunch at a burger placed called Upper. To finish the day we all came together for a Renaissance dance class with Monsieur Guiton.

Today was mainly spent at the school doing things. In the morning we went to class with our exchanges, which in my case was Spanish. After, we did a scavenger hunt around Tours answering questions about some of the main attractions/historic places. Next was lunch and I went off campus and got tacos. After lunch we all participated in learning some of the main dances during the renaissance period. After school I went with my exchange and had coffee at a café and then went shopping a little bit with some of my friends.

Today was Mother’s Day in France! I spent the whole day with Salomé’s family and it was really fun. Her grandmother rode the train over to spend the day with us as well. In the morning we ate breakfast and played games, and in the afternoon, her dad cooked a big lunch in celebration, and we had cake afterwards. Later in the day her family and I went for a walk down by La Loire, and then we walked around in town as well. I had a great time!

My Sunday was very relaxed, a welcome break from action-packed weekdays of sightseeing. My exchange student Marie and I spent the weekend at her grandparents house in Tourriers, a small town in the country about 2 hours train ride from Tours.

Marie’s grandparents were amazing hosts. Her grandmother is a wonderful cook; making us delicious home-cooked dishes for every meal as only grandmas can. She is also a great painter, and showed me her many paintings that hang in their house. Marie’s grandfather plays the saxophone: he played the soprano, alto, and tenor sax for me and Marie! He also makes molds, and showed me many things he made molds for around the house, like a chess set, small figurines, and even a statue that’s taller than me! Marie’s grandparents are quite the artistic couple. They also have a super cute cat named Tao.

After lunch today, we took a walk outside to see the French countryside. It started raining a bit, but it was worth it – it was so beautiful! The houses had charming red shingles and shutters while the green fields stretched on for miles. I was sad to leave, but I had lots of fun on this short excursion and am ready for the busy and exciting week ahead!

Today was a quieter and more relaxing day on France. In the morning, we had breakfast with my exchange student’s friend, as he is moving soon.

After breakfast, we went for a walk in the park and saw an authors festival in which local writers sold their books. Afterwards, we took a walk down to a small farm and saw some animals including a pig, rabbits, some small birds and a peacock. Afterwards, we went to a small meat shop to buy food for dinner.

For lunch, we had salmon and a salad, followed by a homemade apple tart.

In the afternoon, we played some foosball, ping pong and video games. We also played a game called Exploding Kittens, and my exchange student turned out to be very good at it!