France 2018
November 6
In France!
Doing homework at 50,000 feet above sea level.
Resting up in Paris. 8:00 AM in France but 1:00 AM in Chicago.
"Bienvenue en Bretagne!"
Heureux d'être enfin arrivés!
november 8
First Full day
Breakfast at College Saint Michel De Liffré
What a great idea. This is so cool!
We learned that the daily menu is prepared using locally grown food. Chef Olivier prepares meals for over 1000 students and the staff.
Jus d'orange ou chocolat chaud? So hard to choose.
Chef Olivier's bread is so good with the salted butter from Bretagne, a local specialty.
Hot chocolate is served in bowls - it takes a little getting used to, and it is easy to spill, but très cool!
We all agree that the bread is good! Can't wait for lunch.
Getting to know new friends with team building games
"No hands?"
"Are you sure there are marbles buried here?"
"You can do it."
"Nothing but sand."
"Babyfoot" and friendships.
November 9
Le Ferme Marine de Cancale
Today we visited la Ferme Marine in Cancale. La Ferme Marine is a famous oyster farm. There are two types of oysters; flat oysters and deep oysters. Flat oysters came on boats from Portugal and the deep oysters that are fished today in Brittany originally came from Japan. Oysters are hermaphrodites, which means they are both male and female. To breed flat oysters, the larva is place on a stick which is fitted in the water. However this cannot be done because the tides are so strong in Brittany. Deep oysters are bred my placing them in a mesh bag in the water. These oysters tend to stick together so it is important for oyster farmers to shake the bag and flip it once per day. The oysters in Cancale are especially salty because the strong tides provide a lot of plankton.
Saiya S.
What a view!
There are shells everywhere.
Sam explains tides.
Group picture but the sun is in our eyes.
Inside the "workshop".
Did you know that you can tell if an oyster is bad by tapping on them?
Can't wait to try oysters. Bon appétit!
It's an acquired taste, and not for everyone.
Saint Malo, La cité d’Aleth et le mémorial 39-45
Today we visited Saint Malo which was the fort that was originally occupied by the French but then during World War II it got taken by the Germans. When we went to Saint Malo we got to see the memorial of Saint Malo which was about the attack on Saint Malo. The Americans were allies with France and so when the Germans occupied Saint Malo the Americans bombed Saint Malo to help the France get Saint Malo back. In the memorial we got to see some of the old uniforms that the soldiers wore and the bedrooms that they slept in. It was really interesting to see the technical and environmental differences between war today and war back then.
Natalie S.
"Let's go!"
"Is this real?"
"What's this?"
Marcel and the Kriegsmariner.
A German medical kit.
"Whoa!"
A view of Saint Malo.
"Bonjour."
"So windy!"
Crêperie in Saint Malo.
Nutella crêpe.
"So beautiful."
"Does anyone have a ball?"
"This beach is huge."
Another Great day.
November 11
WWI Armistice Centennial Ceremony in Liffré
Leading the ceremony procession
Cimetière Liffré
WWI memorial in Liffré
Paying respects
"Bonjour from Liffré."
Potluck Lunch and Bonding BAck at College Saint Michel De Liffré
La convivialité
"Homemade crêpes are the best!"
Shooting hoops with copains.
"Deux v deux?"
"Rennes vs. Nantes "
Roazhon park, Rennes
"Bienvenue dans ton pire cauchemar?"
"Our first Ligue 1 match."
"Go Rennes!"
"When's half time?"
November 12
Historic Centre, Rennes
Today we visited Rennes which is the capital of Brittany. It is the second capital of Brittany, the first was Nantes. Rennes is very important because it was where the dukes of Brittany were crowned. It is situated between the 2 rivers, The Ile and the Vilaine. Old Rennes was surrounded by ramparts. We visited what is left of the original wall. We also visited what is left of houses that survived the great fire which took place in 1720. We also saw the town hall, the opera house, and the parliament. The roof of the parliament of Brittany burned down in 1994 during a fishermen's protest demonstration.
Our tour guide also took us to the main entrance of the city which was made of two drawbridges. The tour guide was telling us how good the defenses were in the past of the entrance. Everywhere we went was full of art and history. We all really enjoyed our trip and had a fun time.
Audrey W.
Bus 9b to Rennes.
"Are we there yet?"
"Yay, we made it!"
We meet our guide from the Office de Tourisme de Rennes and learn more about the old city, the ramparts, and the history dating back more than 2,000 years.
"Deux par deux"
La Cathédrale Saint-Pierre, Rennes
Les Portes Mordelaises, Rennes
Les Portes Mordelaises was the medieval gatehouse and main entrance into Rennes. You can still see vestiges of the old ramparts.
La Place des Lices, Rennes, former site of medieval jousitng tournaments and current site of the Saturday morning market.
We visit the "Town Hall Square", act out scenes from Rennes history, and learn about the Saturday market, which is the second largest in France.
We visit the oldest house that survived in Rennes. It was built in 1505.
Because these wooden houses were located inside the ramparts, they survived. Originally plaster covered the exterior to make them more fire retardant.
L'Auberge du chapitre
A nobleman's villa in Rennes, now a regional cultural center.
"This is a pretty fancy house."
"Is that the front or the back of the opera?" What a unique design! We learned that its novel design was very unpopular when it was first built.
City Hall, Rennes
Le Parlement de Bretagne, home of the Palais de Justice, Rennes.
November 13
Nantes
Today, we went to Nantes. When we got off the bus, we were greeted by a tour guide who showed us around the city for about 2 hours. Our first destination was “Le Château des Ducs de Bretagne”. It is a very big castle where the dukes used to live, and it is a very big tourist attraction as it has beautiful architecture and things for the whole family to do. It even has a slide coming off of it. Another big thing we saw was the cathedral of Saint Pierre. It was a huge gothic style church with beautiful decorations and a huge interior.
From our tour guide, we learned that the Loire river used to run through the middle of the city and that a while ago, people moved it to a different place. We also learned that Nantes became a rich city by participating in the slave trade. Sadly, more than a half million slaves were transported by Nantes. After our tour we were all starving and we went to eat by the Loire river. At the end of the day we visited La Galerie des Machines. It was so cool to see the people working the giant street performance machines and even some of our classmates got to sit in them! Before we went home, we visited the carousel and enjoyed a ride on different mechanical animals.
Mila W.
We are headed Nantes with our French partners. It is the 6th largest city in France! On our way, we learn a French song.
Le Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne, Nantes
We learn about Nantes's history, the local LU biscuits, Jules Verne, and so much more.
In front of La cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul.
La Galerie des Machines
Today we visited La Galerie Des Machines. This place contains Le Grand Éléphant which means “the big elephant” and other mechanical animals. The elephant and other machines are located within warehouses that have been converted into a gallery. There is also a multi-storied carousel containing many different mechanical beasts.
In 2022 they will build a tree over 30 meters tall that will contain all the mechanical insects and animals that they are currently building. Inside the gallery we saw a huge spider, an inchworm, an elephant, many birds, an ant, and so much more. We got to see how they work and some students even got to ride on the machines. At the carousel we got a chance to ride these amazing machines. It was really fun.
Yannie C.
"That's a really big elephant!"
"Better take good notes."
"Tu peux le faire Chloé!"
"It's moving!."
"That's so cool!"
"Whoa!"
"Please let us get on."
"Ouais!!"
"Bye Nantes. A la prochaine!"
November 14
Atelier de Cuisine with Chef Olivier, College Saint Michel De Liffré
"Like this?"
"Bon appétit!"
"Parfait!"
"So good!"
"How long do you cook this?"
"Attention! C'est chaud!"
"Look mom, I made it myself."
"I'm getting the hang of this."
"Joyeux anniversaire Madame Veitch!"
Trick candles!
November 15
Paris
TGV High-Speed Train to Paris. 191 miles in 1 hour 30 minutes!
"I'm on a bus in Paris."
Louvre, Paris
Getting on the métro "Watch for pickpockets!"
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, Paris. "Don't talk to people that come up to you and beware of pickpockets!"
"Make sure to ask for your receipt and count your change at the souvenir store."
"Paix!"
"We saved you a seat!"
"They are coming out of the hole!"
"I"m not scared. I got this!"
Arc de Triomphe, Paris
Seine River, Paris.
Notre Dame, Paris
"Phew! Made it through Paris without being pick-pocketed."
Dinner at the Gare Montparnasse.
Pedaling to recharge your phone battery in the train station
"This is such a great idea. We should totally have this in the US."
"Nuff said!"
November 16
Le Mont Saint-Michel
"Hey, this is our last group field trip in France."
Tourist Information Center at le Mont Saint-Michel
A pilgrimage to le Mont Saint-Michel.
"Whoa. This is so cool. Can we get crêpes on the way back? "
"Is there an elevator? There's so many steps."
"We are almost to the abbey!"
"We're so high up."
"Let's go."
L'Abbaye du Mont Saint-Michel
Abbey cloister - how on earth did the monks mange to keep the vow of silence?
"Can we get a snack in the refectory?"
"This room is huge."
"Aha! So this is how they managed to get everything to the top of the Abbey - a giant human hamster wheel."
"It's sort of scary here."
"Au revoir!"