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.

Les Chars à voile

Today students went to an hour of class in the morning before our field trip today to Quiberon - about 45 minutes from Vannes.

We were blessed with another beautiful day to do the chars à voile - land sailing.  The instructor gave the students a lesson on how to handle the carts - how to steer, how to speed up/slow down and how to adjust for the wind.  Students were split into two groups of 12 - including a few French students who joined the outing today.  Some students got it right away, cruising around the course marked on the beach.  Some needed a bit of coaxing to get around the turns.  Overall, Christian and Olivier were the two flying around the course with ease.  A few students caught a little air when one wheel lifted and there were one or two who toppled.  Overall, it was a fun adventure.

After two hours of les chars à voile - it was lunchtime.  We settled in on a local beach in Quiberon for  our picnic lunches.  Students had two hours to eat, play on the beach, get some sun, buy some snacks or just walk around.

After lunch, we took a quick tour of the côte sauvage - untouched rocky beach/nature preserve.  Then it was back on the bus, back to meet up with their correspondants. Some still have class until 7:00 while others are done for the day.

Restaurant School

Today, students went to an hour of class then we met up to go to Lycée Guéhenno.  On the walk to the school, students shared their activity-packed weekend adventures such as kayaking, visiting local islands, Carnac (which has a Stonehenge-like structure), soccer games and even a weekend in Paris.  I'm still waiting on photos though!

At this technical high school, student are trained in the hospitality field - either as cooks or service personnel.  Students can start their training as early as 15 years old.  Here, they receive training that will ultimately lead them to a career in hospitality.  They are expected to go on a few stages, or internships during their training.  We got a tour of the kitchen and the restaurant that is open to the public.  We had a small apéritif before lunch of cidre and buckwheat crêpe pinwheels.

Then it was time for lunch.  The chefs prepared a selection of specialties from Brittany.  The first course consisted of langoustines, scallops and oysters.  Several students had to be shown how to eat the langoustines.  The oysters scared a few students away but those who ate them enjoyed them.  The next course was sea bass along with mashed potatoes and andouille.  After that, came dessert - a beautiful presentation of local strawberry sorbet on top of cream on top of a shortbread crust topped off with a chocolate tunnel covering.  Lastly, coffee and cookies.  Overall, it was an incredibly delicious meal with a very elegant presentation.

(The Chardonnay was offered to adults only!)

After our lovely meal, we walked back to school where some students went back to class depending on their correspondants' schedules. Some students planned on shopping after class.  Then of course - time with families or their new French friends.

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Château de Josselin

Today students went to class for an hour.  A few lucky students didn't have class this morning.  French high school schedules are a bit more like college schedules where students have different courses on different days and they start and end at different times.  Students typically start at 8:00 and may go as late as 6:00.  However they typically have a lunch break of 1 hour and 45 minutes.  Haven students are still quite surprised by the difference in teaching styles in France and the US.  On the whole, the French style is more lecture driven with less interaction between the teachers and students. They have also remarked on the differences of certain subjects like science and math that are taught differently.

After an hour of class, we took a coach to see the Château de Josselin about one hour away.  We drove through some lovely countryside scenery before arriving in the charming village of Josselin.  We got a tour of the Château.  The tour guide led us through the privately owned 1000 year old castle.  She gave an interesting history of the castle owners through the centuries and significant moments in the history of Brittany and France.

After the chateau, students met up with their correspondants for lunch.  On today's menu: omelets and fries.  For some students, they are finished for the day while others still have more class.  A few students said their correspondants had oral exams in English this afternoon that the Americans helped them with last night.

Overall, we've been lucky with the weather.  Everyone tells us that we brought the beautiful weather with us since it was rather cold before we got here.  Hopefully the sunny weather holds out.

This weekend, students have free time with family and friends.  I asked for some photos of their activities so I will post them if I get them.  Otherwise, the posts will resume Monday when we go to the restaurant school.