Last Supper

Well friends, alas, our grand adventure is coming to a close. :( The last day was spent shopping and making the pilgrimage to the Louvre. We all went out one last time to have a big French meal together and the kids stepped up to the plate ordering things like escargot (snails), steak tatar (raw steak) and the exotic French fries. :) Now we are all packing and trying to figure out how our bags doubled in size and nothing fits (including our pants!). We have a private shuttle coming to pick us up at 5:30 tomorrow morning to take us to CDG Paris airport where we catch a non-stop (yipee!) flight back to Utah. Funny to think we'll leave Paris at 9:25 am and our flight gets into Salt Lake at 1:40 pm. So short! I'm sure we will all just sleep for two days when we get home, and then go on a month long fast. So, for now, bonne nuit et avoir mes amis!

parisparisparis

Sorry for missing the last two days! Paris is a whirlwind and it's hard to find the time to breath, let alone blog! We've been having a great time here as we've learned to navigate the metro, have seen several views of Paris (from the top of Notre Dame, from Sacre Couer, from the top of a bus. . . ) and have enjoyed exploring the city. There is so much to see and do! We've gone to the Musee D'Orsey which was so lovely, visited several churches, walked through the Louvre complex (the inside visit will come tomorrow) and today we spent the entire day exploring Versailles, which was amazing. We are tired, but having a great time. I think right now everyone is going swimming! :)

Paris, Je t'aime

After a very early start out of Chasteuil, and a long drive to Aix-en-Provence, and then a 3 hour train ride . . . we made it to Paris where we took a taxi drive through town to our amazing hotel that's a 10 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower. So after we'd gotten some food and rested, that is just what we did. When we got to the Eiffel tower I realized the line to climb the stairs up the tower was about 1/10 of the length of the one for the elevators, plus it's way cooler to say you've climbed the Eiffel tower! It took some convincing, but each and every one of us made it to the very tippy top where we enjoyed spectacular views of the city at night. It was breathtaking, and worth every step! We stopped by for some street side crepes and made it back to the hotel ready for sleep and excited for more adventures tomorrow. Bonne nuit!

Sleepy Saturday

Today has been a rest day to catch up from all the activities we've been doing, and make sure our batteries are charged for Paris tomorrow! We slept in, and then my sister and I made Pain Perdue (lost bread, or as we know it French toast). We had bought some delicious bread at the bakery the day before, and cut it up the night before so it could get a little stale. Then we soaked it in vanilla infused milk for an hour, then dipped it in the egg cinnamon mixture before throwing it on some butter in the frying pan. The result? Delicious custardy inside and crispy outside, add homemade apricot or quince jam, or some Nutella and voila! The most delicious breakfast to be eaten while looking out over the lovely valley today. Then we took a short drive into the nearby town of Castallene where we gave the kids time to explore and we did some serious food shopping at the Saturday market for the feast tonight. We bought cheeses, olives, sausages, tons of veggies (fennel, carrots, lettuce, tiny potatoes, onions, etc.), bread at the bakery, three tarts at the Pattiserrie (chocolate pear, apple, and pine nut- a local speciality), and some fresh chickens at the butchers. We came back and did laundry, read, slept (the kids slept most the day!), and gathered fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage in the nearby hills. The last hour or so we've been cooking up a storm and are now waiting while the potatoes and chickens roast. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is! Tomorrow we have an EARLY start to get to Aix-En-Provence where we will drop off the cars and take the train to Paris! I think all the kids are very excited to get to the big city. While I have loved being in this tiny village surround by glorious mountains, I think they have been a bit bored with a more simple and slow pace. But, I told them this is a very real part of France and now they can say they've experienced real French living, and cooking!

France at it's best

I can't believe that I'm here in France, I love France so so much, the things that Ms.Bennoin and Mrs.Johnson and everyone have shown me and given me have changed my view of the world and put them in a new light. I'm so greatful that I've had a chance to go to places that not everyone get to go to, the out in the middle of no where places and the posh places. Every where we have gone has been wonderful.

-Chandler

Medieval Times

We got up early and took a hike to a tiny chapel nestled on a cliff in the Alps. The hike was about two hours, and we enjoyed spectacular views of the Alps, the deep canyon, and saw a Chamois sheep in the wild! Then we took off to the Medieval town of Entreveaux, which was formally on the boarder of the Provence kingdom and Italy. It is still a fortress/walled city and you have to cross a huge drawbridge to get into the city that is topped by a magnificent zigg-zagg trail to a citadel. We had our first crepe lunch with some delicious local Secce de Beouf (dried beef like Speck). Tonight we are back at the Gite making a traditional Provencal dinner of green lentils with bacon, carrots, and topped with lamp sausage, a salad of arugula, endive, and mache, and an assortment of French cheese and of course- bread. Ah, life is rough.

Bienvenue a Chasteuil

Today we left St-Cyr and took a scenic route to Chasteuil stopping for an hour or two at a cool Abbey built in the 1100's, and then a long Provencal lunch on the shores of a lake. The drive was really spectacular especially as we drove along the Gorges du Verdon, known as the Grand Canyon of France. The kids are adjusting to the Gite in this tiny village of 28 people where there is only ONE internet connection and NO wi-fi (it's a rough adjustment for them, but I think they'll survive) :).
This village really is so secluded and out of the way, totally off the map. We are nestled in the Maritime Alps, which are spectacular, and surrounded by amazing wilderness, Medieval towns, and plenty of hiking and exploring opportunities.

Relax Day

Today we decided we needed to just have a relaxing day enjoying the gorgeous beach our hotel is literally 100m from. So we slept in, and then explored the beach and played. Alysa, Gracey, Moffick and Lawrence built a big sand castle and actually got in the water! Eric built a new waterway from a stream coming into the sea, and we all enjoyed the sunny warm weather. We got sandwiches for lunch and then took a drive toward Cassis and picked up a winding narrow road that skirts along the edge of the dramatic cliffs of Les Calanques. We stopped and hiked and looked out at some breathtaking views. We came back to St Cyr where we played more on the beach, enjoyed the sunset and had a great dinner. Now we are all getting packed up and ready for a morning departure to Chasteuil, our next destination!

Hob Nobbing in St Tropez

Today was a gorgeous sunny day with temperatures around 19 C! We drove to St Tropez, which took longer than expected (which we are finding is ALWAYS the case) due to CRAZY French traffic. It was a beautiful drive though, lovely winding roads up and over mountains, and along the coast. St Tropez has long been a hideaway for the rich and famous on the Riviera and we were pretty blown away by the amazing homes, huge yachts, and fancy stores. The town itself is old, and filled with colorful orange, yellow and pink buildings, that are stunning next to the amazing green blue Mediterranean Sea. We all walked around, shopped, ate, and then enjoyed a boat ride out into the harbor where we saw some celebrity homes, enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine, and had an unexpected splash from the waves! We drove home and enjoyed a big dinner all together at a local restaurant. The students are getting very good at ordering in French and learning new words all the time. Time for bed! Bonne Nuit!

Une Bonne Jour

Yesterday we had a wonderful day starting with a drive up to Avignon where we toured the incredible Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) where the Popes lived during the 13-14 hundreds. It was an amazing place to visit and Avignon was a darling city where we found a delicious (and cheap!) lunch.
From there we drove through Provence (passing tons of vineyards, olive groves and darling villages) to Vaison la Romaine, a tiny hillside village that dates back to Roman times. We explored and climbed up to the old fortress, being amazed that people still lived there.
We then drove (with many 'scenic detours' aka getting lost) to Isle Sur la Sourge, a town known as the Venice of France for all it's canals and rivers. We enjoyed some coffee and hot chocolate before heading back to St-Cyr. Now we are off to St Tropez and Nice! A domain!

Nous Sommes en France!

Bienvenue a France mes amis! We made it! After a long day (or two days was it?) of travel, we arrived safe and sound in St-Cyr. The flight was good, and on the leg from JFK to Paris we were on a airbus that had two stories and held 600 people! Huge! Let's just say the boarding was a little crazy. Getting through customs, getting our baggage (none was lost!) and getting to the train was a breeze and we slept as we sped through France leaving the gray skies of Paris for the brilliant blue of the Riviera. It's gorgeous here and we checked into our darling hotel and took a walk on the beach to watch the sunset. We were pretty tired at that point, and starving, so we had a lovely dinner of fish, calamari, goat cheese, pizza, and other delicious food. Everyone fell asleep pretty quick and slept soundly till this morning. We woke up to blues skies, sun, and a fresh sea breeze. We are off to explore a Sunday market, some nearby seaside towns, and more food!

Itinerary

So here is the basic itinerary of our trip. I will update each day with what we do but this will give you an idea of where we will be when:
Thursday 3/11:

• 6:30pm bag checks and packing the bus

Friday 3/12:

• 6am departure from campus

• 8am arrive at SLC airport and check-in

• 10:15am flight departs for JFK, arrives 4:59 pm

• 7:10pm flight departs JFK for Paris CDG, arrives 8:35 am 3/13

Saturday 3/13:

• 8:35 am arrive at Paris CDG

• 11:47 am TGV train from CDG to Marseille, arrive 1:17pm

• Get rental cars and drive to St-Cyr-Sur-Mer to hotel
  

• Stay up as long as we can, then sleeeeeeep. :)

Sunday 3/14- Thursday 3/18:

• Stay in St-Cyr and spend the days exploring the French Riviera and Provence (St Tropez, Cannes, Aix-En-Provance, Vaison la Romaine, Isle-Sur Sourge, Avignon, Marseille, etc.)

Thursday 3/18-Sunday 3/21:

• Check out of hotel and drive to Chasteiul

• Spend time in Chasteiul hiking, visiting the Gorges Verdon (the Grand Canyon of France), drawing, reading, relaaaaaxing. Take drives to nearby villages and sites of interest.

• Saturday attend the market in Castalene and buy food to make a large French dinner at the Gite.

• Sunday drive to Aix-En-Provance to catch train to Paris.

Sunday 3/21:

• 7:30am leave Chasteiul

• 9:30am arrive in Aix TGV train station, return car

• 10:42am train departs for Paris

• 1:37pm arrive in Paris
  

Sunday 3/21-Friday 3/26:

• PARIS!!! (Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Versailles, Eiffel tower, Sacre Couer, Notre Dame, Seine boat trip, shopping, eating, listening to accordion music, etc.)

Friday 3/26:

• 6:30am leave hotel in shuttle bus

• 7:30am arrive at Paris CDG

• 9:25am flight departs from Paris for SLC, arrives at 1:40pm

• 5pm arrive back on campus

• SLEEEEEEEEEP.

bon voyage!

48 hours until departure! We are all busy packing and I'm running around making sure all the details are ready- getting copies made of all documents, changing money, putting together the first aid kit, etc. etc. I cannot believe it is almost time for our great adventure, thank you again for your support in this endeavor! It will be a wonderful trip and I can't wait to share it with you via this blog!