On Saturday I made it back to their house at around 6:00 after I briefly walked around Tours with Elise’s mother (Elise was at a golf tournament). Tommy was with us because his student was at the French Open. I settled in at the house (which was much smaller than I’m used to (as in I had to take the shower head and hold it because I was taller than it)), and when Elise, her little sister, and her father returned we had dinner. We had to pick up her sister from McDonald’s first because she was with her golf team celebrating their tournament. For dinner, We first had a special tomato dish, which is funny because I hate tomatoes, so I had to pretend to like something on the first night. Next, we had turkey with cheese, some cauliflower, and some bread. The bread here is a thousand times better than in America- that’s for sure. For dessert we had chocolate mousse which was amazing. I was exhausted so I went to bed at around 10;30 and slept til 9am the next morning. Because it was still early, Elise and I walked to her family’s ‘boulangerie’ and got some pan du chocolat and a croissant to share for breakfast. After that, Elise’s dad drove us to the city of Tours and Elise and I walked around. She pointed out all the important buildings and shops but we didn’t go inside. For lunch, her whole family and I drove to Thomas Rezaioff’s family’s house (Tommy’s exchange student). They were super nice, and the food was great. We had fake barbecue, melon with meat, Pringles, and vegetables. We played ping pong for a little and then Elise and I went on a long bike ride. We rode through the countryside and I took lots of pictures because it was so pretty and we saw horses and castles. We even got to pick a cherry each off of some cherry trees- they had big pits in them. After this, Elise’s parents dropped her sister off at home and took us to Tours again. We walked around a little and then we met her boyfriend Timothé. He was super tall and nice and we got drinks (apple juice not alcoholic) with him next to Loire and after we walked back to her house. We had to walk up a flight of 130 stairs at one point, but we made it. Finally, we had dinner at around 8:30. We ate pasta, salad, and bread. Then they had me try a variety of different cheeses- but I only really liked one of them… They’re too strong for me. I went to bed around 11:00.
A Quick Update
Bonjour! We made it to Tours on Sunday around 5 o’clock. The trip went fine (plane and bus on time, no suitcase or passport lost…).
CA students spent Monday with their host families and will spend Tuesday in class after having breakfast in the school cafeteria.
Students should be posting on the blog starting Tuesday!
Traveling to Tours, France
In Gallic times the city was important as a crossing point of the Loire. Becoming part of the Roman Empire during the 1st century AD, the city was named “Caesarodunum” (“hill of Caesar”). The name evolved in the 4th century when the original Gallic name, Turones, became first “Civitas Turonum” then “Tours”. It was at this time that the amphitheatre of Tours, one of the five largest in the Empire, was built. Tours became the metropolis of the Roman province of Lugdunum towards 380–388, dominating the Loire Valley, Maine and Brittany. One of the outstanding figures of the history of the city was Saint Martin, second bishop who shared his coat with a naked beggar in Amiens. This incident and the importance of Martin in the medieval Christian West made Tours, and its position on the route of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, a major centre during the Middle Ages.
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