Vendredi - un jour de l'histoire

Friday was another exciting and educational day. We started with a journey to Bayeux to see the Bayeux tapestry. This work of art is actually a work of embroidery and not a tapestry at all. It tells the story of the events of 1064 through 1066 of the death of the English king Edward the Confessor and the struggle for power that resulted between Harold Godwinson and William, the Duke of Normandy. The tapestry concludes with showing the Battle of Hastings at which William kills Harold and assumes the English throne. The tapestry stretches an incredible 68 meters long. The museum visit was quite interesting. We walked along the length of the tapestry with an accompanying audio guide to point out each part of this important story.

For the afternoon we were off to the D-day museum in Normandy and to see the D-Day beaches. We were fascinated to learn about the marvels of engineering that led to Allies' critical success at this battle. We watched a film that explained the design and strategy behind the Allies' plan and saw models of the floating causeways that were towed across the English Channel to create the makeshift wharf that allowed the Allies to gain a foothold in France. We looked out over the beaches and saw the remnants that remained from this momentous battle.

Finally, we finished the day with a visit to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial that commemorates the lives of those who fought and lost their lives in the effort to liberate Europe from Hitler's control.

We really enjoyed our day. We learned a lot about the history of our country and the world.

jeudi - un jour au lycée

Today we spent the day at school. We started with a brief lesson on Arabic calligraphy. Next we were off to a class of SVT (biology), where we looked at the cells of our check cells under a microscope and then learned all the vocabulary in French for the parts of the cell. C'etait tres util et interessant! After that we went off to other classes with our exchange students and finished off the day with a sports tournament.

Etretat

Today we took a morning hike along the cliffs of Etretat. It was an invigorating hike that allowed us to experience the beauty of the cliffs up close. We explored little caves along the top and gazed down at the city beneath. After a fortifying stop at a neighborhood patisserie for pain au chocolate we toured a goat farm that produces goat cheese (chèvre) and various products using goat's milk such as ice cream and chocolates. It was a wonderful morning.

Mardi - un voyage a Rouen

We had a lovely, but rather chilly day, touring Rouen today. We took a guided tour of the city and learned all about its history. We saw many medieval wooden houses made of oak, which we learned when properly cured will never rot. We also saw the Notre Dame cathedral, an example of gothic architecture and which has the tallest spire in all of France. We walked through the Aitre Sainte-Maclou, a plague cemetery which dates back to the Great Plague of 1348. We saw the site where Joan of Arc was tried, and later where she was martyred. Finally we toured the house where the author Gustave Flaubert was born, which in addition to housing some historical information on the author, also contains a museum of 18th and19th century surgical and pharmaceutical instruments.

Monday's Trip to Musée Malraux in Le Havre

Our students reflected on the composition of various pieces in the gallery and presented their thoughts to the group.

Les crepes!

Ce weekend

Ce weekend, je suis allée à Paris avec ma corres. On est allée en
train. J ai fait la connaissance de sa tante et son oncle et leurs
petits enfants. La famille est très gentille. J ai vu le bâtiment de
l'Opera, et le magasin Repetto. J'ai mangé un macaron chez Ladurée.
J'ai vu le grand magasin Printemps. Dimanche on est allé à Disneyland.
J ai fait beaucoup d attractions. Cétait fantastique.
Anna

This weekend I went to a high ropes course near Etretat. We went with
my correspondant's little sister, her friend, and her friend's little
brother. It was very similar to the one at Holiday Valley. Later that
night we went to a restaraunt in Etretat and visited the cliffs when they were lit up and very beautiful. When we came home we watched Harry Potter in French.
Shawni

Ce week end, je suis allee au cinema et j'ai regarde Spring Breakers. J'ai
marche dans le centre commercial avec Marie et ses amis. Nous avons fait
du shopping. J'ai mange lasagne, pizza, et eclaires. Ce sont tres bon.
Olivia

Ce weekend, j ai eu un bon diner! J ai mangé la nurriture d Indie qui
était authentique. Cétait fantastique. Aussi, j ai vu un match de
rugby avec ma corres et son père. Dimanche, j ai vu le film Wadjda
avec ma corres et sa soeur et sa mère. Après le film, nous sommes sorties
pour le pizza. Cétait un bon weekend.
Tory

Ce weekend, nous avons fait beacoup des choses. Vendredi, nous avons
fait une pizza. C'etait très bonne. Aprés, nous avons regardé un bon
film. Dimanche, nous sommes allées à Versailles. C'etait très grand et
c'etait très beau.
Julia