Friday Fête!

Well, just in time to leave we are really getting into the food thing in France ... Morning on Friday was in class or hanging in the study hall until ... LUNCH! we enjoyed a group lunch together in a local pizzeria that looked like a medieval castle inside, the "Grimoire". Calling it a pizzeria does not do the food justice, we had pizza with escargot, frog's legs, scallops as well as "just" tomatoes, cheese, peppers ... a wonderful experience for the tastebuds and a nice chance to regroup on our last day in Bruyeres. Walking down the street on our way to Town Hall, some of us were still hungry for pastries! We were invited by the Mayor to a reception at Town Hall that afternoon, and of course once there we had some pastry and drinks! Then we did a scavenger hunt for information about Bruyeres and ... found more chocolates and macarons at a local pastry shop. That evening, the parents put on a potluck dinner for us at the school, with great food. Some of the chorus students sang for us, and another student played guitar. The school chef had made "beignet"s, a sort of traditional carnaval donut, and the children of the teachers Sylvie and Delphine dressed up in their carnaval costumes.

Thursday

Students were in classes today, no pictures and nothing to report. Friday we will have a lunch together in a local restaurant, go to the town hall for a reception, then have a farewell party in the evening. I probably will not post photos, however, until we are back in the states, as I do not think I'll have computer access as we travel on Saturday: from Bruyeres to Epinal - from Epinal to Paris - from Paris to the airport - from Roissy CDG to JFK - from JFK to Laurens!! Long day tomorrow, everyone is looking forward to sleeping in a familiar bed and seeing families again. Many stories to share! See you all soon!!

Weds Feb 29

Weds was our day to go snowshoeing in the Vosges mountains. In the bus we got a sense of going up and up; but when we got to where we were going we were in a cloud. Very foggy and windy time on the snowshoes, but after several hours of rigorous exercise we were happy to see a place to relax and eat good food. As we ate, the sky cleared and by the time we left we saw some magnificent sights, little lakes nestled in valleys, wonderful trees. They say these woods are enchanted, I can believe it! The guide made the kids nibble on needles to tell the difference between conifers! The meal at the refuge was tartiflette, a cheese and potato sort of casserole, with a myrtilles tart for dessert. Very yummy! We saw lots of people enjoying the mountain, skiing, as we left. We were at about 3600 feet. After a few hours rest ... bowling that night! Things are going great, can't believe we have just two days left!! See you all soon!

Monday Presentations

A few photos of the kids making their presentations, and of the surrounding area.

Weekend with families

Over the weekend students spent time with their families ; some went to Nancy for shopping and to visit the sights, some went to visit a lovely tourist spot with a lake nearby. Mrs. Francisco and I spent time with our host teachers Sylvie and Delphine on Saturday in Nancy and on Sunday in Baccarat (famous for the crystal) to watch a big parade for carnaval. Some pictures of our adventures! We are at school today; sat in on an English class so far with Heather, Kathleen and Natalie, more to follow this afternoon.

Friday in Epinal!!

Thankfully our trip to Epinal did not start until 9 am, so people got to sleep a little more. At the museum of the printed image, Heather got to try a press like the one invented by Gutenberg. We got a full introduction to the history of printing, and saw some of the techniques used in the 17 and 1800s to create and hand-color printed images. Free time in Epinal: students explored churches and ruins and of course did more shopping; chaperones lunched in an indian restaurant, yum! Then a trip to the American cemetary where the remains of more than 5000 American soldiers from WWII still reside, some of whom lost their lives to protect Bruyeres; a very moving experience. Back to the families for weekend outings together; the blog is on vacation until Monday when we are back in school. HAPPY WEEKEND!

If it's Thursday this must be Strasbourg ...

Beautiful visit of this beautiful and historic city, then a trip to the seat of the European Parliament building, lunch and souvenirs, bus back to Bruyeres and dinner with families...