Day 8&9: A day with our families &Goodbye Angers

Historical theme park, Puy du Fou

Day eight: A day with our families


We got to spend all of day with our french families! Students went to places such as Puy du Fou, Mount Saint Michel, and professional football (soccer) games!






Day nine: Goodbye Angers

Everyone met at the train station to drop off our students and say goodbye. As soon as you walked in, you immediately started to tear up. Everyone was crying and hugging their families. Madame had to take charge and give directions when the train showed up. No one wanted to leave their French families. The train ride to Paris was quiet and sad, and many students caught up on some sleep.




















We arrived in Paris a little after noon. When we got there, the excitement was through the roof! We took a bus to the hostel to leave our suitcases, then took the metro to the Eiffel tower. The metro ride seemed to take forever! We stepped out of the metro, turned a corner, and there it was! The Eiffel Tower, in all its glory! We spent some time finding the best angles to snap some pics, and then we continued on. We got in line to go up the tower, and while we were waiting, we grabbed some snacks! We traveled up 328 excruciating steps to the first floor. The view was wonderful! But many of us and no intentions in going any higher! A few brave souls decided to climb 341 more steps and take the elevator to the very top!

The view from the top was breath taking! You could almost see the whole world from up there! We looked through binoculars and played eye spy!
What did people do on the ground?

When we were done climbing the tower, we took the elevator back down to the ground. The groups that had separated before met in the market by the river. We had time to shop and have dinner. There were so many different cultural foods, along with a macaron shop, candy store, and souvenir store.

When it got dark, we took an open boat,Le Bateau Mouche, down the Siene River. We got a wonderful tour of Paris at night. The boat was lit up, along with bridges, the Observation Wheel, and the Eiffel tower. It was a wonderful way to end our last day in France!

Day 7-The freedom of a French student, A delicious tour.

Day seven- Yummy bakery trip and exploring Historic Angers


We started off the day attending classes with our Frenchies. For lunch, several students got to enjoy a privilege they don' have at home: leaving school for lunch. Depending on their class schedule, French students are allowed up to a 3 hour lunch break to leave school and travel anywhere they'd like for lunch. One student took the tram into the city with her Frenchie and her friends. She was given a quick tour of the city and shown the best places to eat. They chose to eat at a pasta restaurant, where the food was served in a Chinese take out container! They enjoyed their meal sitting in a beautiful garden in front of the Château d'Angers, something you'd never get to experience in the US!

After lunch, the students returned to school for classes.  At 4 o'clock we headed back out again to visit a bakery in Angers. The owner, Monsieur Phillipe, was nice enough to take his time to give us tours. The students broke into two groups, and one explored the city while the other took the bakery tour.  Monsieur Phillipe explained how his bakery makes their delicious bread, step by step. Learning about how long and rigorous the process is was amazing!  He was so enthusiastic about his business that he made the whole tour so much fun! We were given the chance to knead and form our own baguettes and pastries. We were given so many samples of different types of bread, pastries, and éclairs that we were stuffed when the tour was over!

Once everyone had the chance to explore Angers, take the tour, and buy a pastry if they wished, we returned to the school for the farewell dinner. Parents helped out to prepare a fabulous meal for everyone involved in the exchange! We had Fouées, which is a small, airy bread that you can stuff. The bread was freshly made in a wood fire oven they brought to the school. We filled it with meats, hot apples, salted butter, and nutella! The students played games, such as foosball, and talked with all of their friends throughout the night. There was lots of laughter and smiles It was emotional knowing this was the last time our whole exchange group would be able to spend time together in one place.

Day 6- Canoeing trip with a magical ending!

Day six- Canoeing trip with a magical ending!


On Thursday the students arrived to school with their Frenchie for class.  Students got to go to classes such as the French class and try to read from their literature books, and even English classes and watch the Frenchies perform skits in English.

We then left for the Loire to canoe with the Americans and the Frenchies! The course we traveled was about 5 kilometers and the paddling proved difficult for many, but everyone had fun! The canoeists followed the tour guides down the river, stopping every-so-often so everyone could stay together. Everyone was glad to take a break when we stopped of front of the beautiful chateau! Surprisingly, the Loire led us right around to the chateau!  Madame Lapic saved that piece of info so we would have a reward for all of our hard work. We spent some time taking in the view of the magical castle, but then we turned the canoes right around and headed back the way we came! Passers by might have been able to hear the groans coming from the kids, but the groans quickly turned to laughter!






Messing around, the kids would slap the water with their paddles to splash the canoes next to them and a couple goofballs decided to jump in! It was a miracle if you finished and your clothes weren't soaked! We decided that was enough exercise for the whole trip! Working together to paddle their way down the river was a wonderful bonding experience for the kids and their Frenchies! We wouldn't have missed it for the world!

Day 5-A Trip Back in Time, Shopping the Marché, and meeting le Recteur!

Day Five- Another full day out and about.   We started in the medieval town of Gúerande in Brittany,

France.  This is one of the only medieval towns left in France that is actually inhabited.   This very picturesque village was full of cobblestone streets, enticing store fronts and an outdoor market.

First we had a tour of the village.  It was very challenging to pay attention to our tour as we walked by all the enticing shops with Guérande salt, caramels, honey, and all the wonderful regional seashore goods.  It was even market day!  All the beautiful seasonal fruits and veggies were out. A stand made fresh crepes and each student was able to enjoy one! They were so good we had to lick the plates! We walked along the top the walls surrounding the city and listen to our tour guide telling us about the history and some war tactics they used in the fortified city.  When the tour was finished, the students were able to walk around the city and shop for a few hours. Many sat down and enjoyed lunch at a cafe.

After enjoying a majority of the day in Guérande, we hopped back on the bus to go meet the Secretary of Education in Nantes ( He has family in Reading, Pennsylvania). He had cookies and juice that the students enjoyed while we presented him with gifts from Reading. The Recteur was kind enough to give each student a bag with gifts from Nantes! He spoke to the students in as much English as he could, and welcomed them. Madame Lapic offered her translation services to help the students understand what he was explaining about his role in the French government as Recteur.  As well as that, three of the French IV students, Cassi Light, Megan Persiani, and Morgan Reightenour all gave a presentation to him in French.  It was an important day that shown the importance of our exchange.  We were then given a tour of his private home, beautifully built in the a style typical to the Nantes area of France. After our visit with the director, we went back home to eat dinner and spend the evening with our host families. Madame Lapic was rushed away to a special concert to see her favorite singer Christophe Maé!! It was a once in a lifetime event for her offered as a gift from the teachers in France.

Day Four- Did We Step Into a Fairytale and Ride Away Into the Sunset?

Day Four started on the bus

with a trip to Azay-le-Rideau.

 This lovely example of a Renaissance castle looks like something out of a fairytale.   Everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather and all of the gorgeous views.

Even with it's scaffolding, the castle still offered us it's beauty and splendor.

Walking throughout the castle, everyone remarked on the intricate carvings in the ceilings and the salamander symbol of François 1er stamped all over the castle.

It was easier for the students to imagine life in this castle as they were able to see furnished rooms.   While there were parts that were not original, it was interesting to hear how through books, journals and paintings, people were able to recreate the rooms historically accurately.   Fascinating.

Highlights of this visit were our lovely tour guide and the group discovering that Marc was François 1er doppelganger.

LOL, it's François 1er!

Engaged in the tour!

Castle grounds

Stairwell with portraits carved in the ceiling.

Uncovered during renovations, an older section of the castle.

Fairytale view!

Everything was pretty here.

A street in Azay-le Rideau

Just a really cool building.

Leaving Azay-le Rideau, we got back on the bus for the Cadre Noir.  This prestigious riding school only accepts 10 students a year.  They train in dressage( a lot like horse dancing) and compete in events all over the world.  Noteably, one of their riders placed in the last summer Olympics.   

This is a giant horse dryer.  Cozy.

The idea is for the rider to ask the horse to do different moves without the spectator noticing that they are two entities and not one.  It's beautiful to watch.