Tour of Vannes

Today was the day to tour the downtown part of Vannes.  Mr. El-Amiri, the French teacher who organized our outings, introduced students to Christine Joucla, a former English teacher at the high school who gave us a guided tour of Vannes.  We started at the Porte St. Vincent - the door by the port through which you enter the oldest part of the town.  She gave us a detailed history of the town and its role in French and Britton history.  She passed out a questionnaire for students to answer as they toured the town.  She was very impressed by the students and how well they paid attention during her tour.  After the tour, students had an hour of free time to meander through the town and do some shopping in the market and shops.

Then, we met up for lunch at the Vieux Port Crêperie.  Students had a choice among four savory crêpes, or galettes as they are known in Brittany (which specializes in crêpes). Many got the local specialty of ham, cheese and egg on a buckwheat galette followed by a chocolate crepe and vanilla ice cream.

After lunch, we were greeted at the town hall.  We had our picture taken and were interviewed by two local newspapers about our experience here.  Then, we were welcomed by the deputy mayor who spoke about the necessity of these types of exchange experiences and their role in creating international understanding.  She also hoped that students would came back to Vannes in the future with their families.  A recent college grad serving as the deputy youth mayor also explained how young people are the future and these international exchanges facilitate international relations.  The deputy mayor asked students about their impressions of Vannes and she was delighted to get a few responses in French from Sophie and Malcolm.  After a short video about Vannes, they presented us with refreshments and souvenirs from Vannes.

Finally, their correspondants picked them up for a free afternoon to enjoy the beautiful weather and see some last sights since tomorrow is the last full day and they are fully booked.