Author: sam_goeuriot

Today was our second to last day in tours and my 16th birthday! the day started right as the clock turned to midnight by face timing friends even though it wasn’t yet June 10th in America! Time zones are a crazy thing!  The day actually began by sleeping in, something that I’ve learn to cherish on this trip. This followed by breakfast, some sort of cookie biscuit thing. After a traditional relaxing morning, we ate lunch and then headed out for the day! We decided to go back to the ropes course, Gadawi, that we went to the previous Friday. We went back with the few who didn’t experience it the first time and was something that i greatly enjoyed so i wasn’t mad about going back! We stayed here for several hours where we traversed through ropes courses and zip lines, and then drove back, and quickly got changed and cleaned up. People started arriving and we had a small get together of dancing and cake and food and friends. Altogether, it was a great day:)))

5/29/17

We all began our journey to France by checking in, saying goodbye to our parents, and walking into the customs line. After entering the main shopping area at the terminal and finding our gate, we had a 45 minute break where we could look at the stores, buy food, or sleep. Most of us opted to buy food for the plane since we were warned about plane food quality. After choosing from multiple restaurants, we waited excitedly until they finally called our zone. While boarding the plane eagerly, we talked to our fellow classmates as well as the german class that was seated near us. We all chatted about how excited we were to see our exchange correspondents and what we were looking forward to see in the different countries we were visiting. When the plane began to move along the runway we all looked outside of the windows to watch the ground slowly grow smaller. The flight was slight bumpy at first, but a half hour after the plane took off it started to smooth out again. Once the lights turned off we decided between our two options: sleep or watch movies. Many chose to binge watch their favorite tv series or movie that was provided on the plane. Eventually, all of our efforts to stay awake was for nothing since soon after we ate our dinners we began to fall asleep anyways.

5/30/17

Waking up in a different country is one of the most amazing feelings. The light switched on the plane and an announcement was made that we would be landing in about 20 minutes in Paris. We all packed out stuff and listened to the french speakers around us quietly begin to talk as they began to get excited about returning as well. After collecting our luggage from the baggage claim we walked outside to our bus. We continued to climb onto the bus, sleeping if needed, until we stopped briefly to get food. Then when we got back on the bus and drove all the way to tours. When we first saw the french architecture, beautiful gardens, and cobble stone streets in tours we all collectively gasped. It was so beautiful!!! Finally we parked the bus and impatiently dragged our bags behind us as we walked to the school where our correspondents were waiting. The reunion was absolutely perfect. Hugs, laughing, and introduction ensued when all of our students temporarily left class to say hello. Almost directly afterwards we walked a couple blocks away to tour a historical church. Its was amazingly beautiful; the stained glass windows and the intricate stone carvings was even more impressive when we saw how tall the cathedral was. Afterwards we returned to our exchanges and either went home or continued to explore the city with them. It was an amazing first day!

Today we got to sleep in as we had to be at the train station at 9:30. We all met up at the Train station in the middle of Tours. We took the train to Chenonceaux where we walked around the village there. We found out that there’s only three hundred  people that live in the village while there’s almost a million visitors that come and visit each year! We were guided around the village where we saw the church, the five hotels, and the town square. After that we proceeded to watch a potter work and we got to learn how he built his business up. We then got to eat our picnics in a park nearby where we relaxed for about an hour. To pass the time we played ninja and climbed on the playground. After that we went to Chateau de Chenonceaux where we had a guided audio tour, in English, and we got to wander around the gardens until we had to leave. While the castle was fun to explore I’m sure that most of us would agree that the gardens were the best part of the day. To finish the day off we took the train back to Tours and arrived back home around five.

Today was a very eventful day in France, we woke up first thing in the morning and got to the bust station. I was excited for the castle and to taste some authentic French biscuits that I heard so much about. The hour long drive was long but fun as we listened to some French music and Taylor swift (of course). Once we finally reached the biscuit store we were all refreshed and happy to be greeted by the smells of delicious butter and sugar. It smelled delicious!!! Once we got inside we were given a small introduction and we’re split into two groups. We went and saw the behind the scenes of Saint Michel biscuit factory. The meticulous detail even in a factory setting was incredible to me. Definitely unlike anything in the States. After the factory tour we purchased some baked goods from the store (for an unbelievable price) and wandered inside. We learned that all the butter and ingredients used on the factory were made on site, all organic and natural. We then made our own butter and flour. After that we stopped for lunch in a park near the castle. We had our homemade butter with some French baguettes and spent some time relaxing and taking in the beautiful green landscape. The castle was up next. We entered into a Tin Tin themed room and walked through that part of the castle, we learned all sorts of cool things that inspired the books. We then saw the famous Cheverny hunting dogs, almost 70 in a large cage. The tour of the castle was amazing, the beautiful gardens, immaculate architecture and stunning preservation of everything was so cool. The best thing I saw was a 6000 year old moose head which was immense and overbearing in size. Before getting back on the bus we stopped at the chateau gift shop where we purchased classic French drinks , Coca Cola, and then we returned to Tours.

After an amusing hour riding in a bus to Verrier Saints Maure, we officially started our adventures for the day. First, we went to the glass blower where he showed us what he does for a living. He showed us how he makes new designs with plaster powder and how he adds color. He already has plaster powder in his kiln. So in order to make the designs, he drew what he wanted into the powder and melted the glass into the design. For coloring the glass, he has a powder that he paints on and fires. He makes an assortment of glass objects such plates, bowls, and window protectors. His pieces of artwork are very original. Whoever was  interested was allowed to try and cut off a piece of glass.

After seeing this artistic artwork, we were given some Sainte Maure de Touraine, a type of cheese, to taste with bread. This cheese is creamier than some other cheeses. After tasting the cheese, we were led to a cherry tree in the glass blower’s backyard to taste some delicious, fresh cherries. For lunch, we headed down a hill to another cherry tree. A common trend in everyone’s lunch was that it consisted of a sandwich, some fruit, and chips or dessert. Many of us shared our chips and dessert, which allowed us to try a variety of foods.

After lunch, we went to meet the goat cheese maker. She started her own business a couple of year ago, and it has grown tremendously in size. She has grown from making 20 cheeses a day to over a 100 and she now owns 280 goats. We got to meet these cute goats, some of which were adorable billies. After meeting the goats, we went into the goat cheese maker’s store and saw the kitchen. Lastly, we got to taste some goat cheese. Some say the cheese was a little like Parmesan cheese but with a really strong taste. Today was a very fun and exciting day.

Bonjour from France. The focus of today revolved around discovering France’s artisans. In the morning we visited a stained glass artist who restores the cathedrals and châteaux (castles) in Tours. We learned that glass was discovered by the Egyptians, that the coloring/staining process was difficult to perfect, and that none of us excel at cutting glass (except maybe James). We also visited a french fromagerie where we learned about the making of Saint Maure Goat Cheese, and also got to try it. The lady that owned the fromagerie has been building it up for years, taking it from 20 blocks of cheese a day to 150. That scale of production became evident when we walked into a room with enough goats to make one say “oh lala”. Outside of the group time, I spent most of my time at a café with friends, and finished the day off with what can only be described as French Tacos.

 

Today, all the Americans and the French students went to play laser tag at Lasermax Tours Nord. It was a lot of fun, but all the french kids seemed to keep beating us. It was my 16th birthday today, but that didn’t mean that anyone treated me differently when the game began. I was shot down just the same. Next, we headed off to lunch with our exchange students. Then we reassembled at the school, and made our way to the opera house in Tours. To say it was beautiful is an understatement! Fun fact: the opera house was built in the same year as the Eiffel Tower. Afterwards, we headed off with our exchange students. I got to go shopping!

Today, we slept in a lot because we spent yesterday in the two parks at Disneyland Paris: we had a long day of walking and rides and didn’t come back until about 3:30 AM. After waking up and eating some lunch, Emma and I walked around Tours for a little bit. We were both wearing our UNC sweatshirts so a few people stopped us to ask if we were American, and we saw some people from North Carolina which was cool. We went to one store for a few minutes but then realized that most of the stores were closed today, so we decided we’d go back another day when they’re all open. We went and sat by La Loire for a while and talked and enjoyed the view. My host family had told me earlier that our activity for the afternoon would be a surprise, so I was kind of nervous while we were driving there, but as soon as we arrived I knew that I had nothing to worry about. We got to go in a small plane and see Tours from above. It was so pretty: we saw Le Chateau D’Amboise, Villandry, La Loire and the golf course where Emma plays. It was really cool to see everything so small and all at once. We took a lot of pictures and videos, and it was definitely one of the best things that I’ve done so far on this trip. Afterwards, we went home and had some pizza for dinner, which was very good, and after dinner Emma and I watched Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in French (but with English subtitles!). This was nice since we’re still kind of tired from Disneyland Paris and it was a good way to end a great day.

Today everyone was doing activities with their host families. My correspondent, Sophie, took me with the family of Grace’s correspondent, Jeanne, to an amusement park. The park was called “Puy du Fou”. In the park there weren’t any roller coasters, instead there were amazing shows where people preformed, danced, did magic tricks, did tricks with fire, and worked with trained animals. There were also a lot of cool special and sound effects. Most of the shows or “spectacles” were themed around French history and had really cool stories. My favorites were one that took place in a Roman collesium and one that was like being in a trench during WWII. Overall it was a really cool experience.

This morning we started things off by sleeping in until 10 o’clock. Once everyone was awake in the house we ended up eating breakfast together. I ended up eating toast with strawberry jam. I have discovered that any fruit or vegetable that you buy here in France is much fresher than what we buy in the USA. Anyway, after breakfast everyone got ready. After that we got ready to go to Chateau d’Amboise. It took about 30 minutes in the car to get to the Chateau. While driving I got to see how different people drive in France compared to the USA. Like everyone uses manual transmission and they think it is funny that we all drive automatic cars. Once we got there, we walked around and ate lunch at a little cafe. After that we went to Chateau Clos Lucé. It is the chateau where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years painting, inventing, and writing. Something really cool about Clos Lucé was that there were models of Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions made by IBM. There were also very pretty gardens that we walked through as well. After that we walked around Amboise. Once we were done we walked back to the car, and drove home. We spent the rest of the afternoon talking, and I even got to talk to my exchange students little sister. After that we ate dinner and watched a movie. So far I am loving France, and all the amazing things it has to offer.