Today we started from our gorgeous hotel in Gruyeres to the cheese factory where we saw Gruyere swiss cheese in the making. Then we got to taste the cheese. There were 4 different types and of course some of us had to buy more to take home! Then as if we didn't have enough to eat, we were served unlimited amounts of chocolate at the Cailler chocolate factory. This was an incredible visit for people of all ages. There was animation and a story about how chocolate came to be.Then we went back to Gruyeres for lunch and a stroll around the castle wall. Then we headed to Lausanne to enjoy the lake and city. Finally, we drove to Geneva for our last dinner together at Les Brasseurs. The day was beautiful and we got to see Mont Blanc, which is only visible 50 days a year. It took us a long time to reach the restaurant because of the traffic in Geneva. We checked into our hotel by the airport at about 10pm and had to check out at 6 for our flight back home.
Amazing that two years in a row, we have trouble with the TGV, the fast speed train in France. We got up early- 5am to take the train to Basel, where a bus would be picking us up. We arrived at the train station to discover that the train was delayed 2 hours. Luckily, we were early enough to take the normal train to Basel. Or at least we thought it was normal. Before we arrived in BAsel, Switzerland we learned that we would have to change trains in St Louis, the border town in France, because of work being done on the tracks. That was simple enough with 38 of us and now heavy luggage. We were told that we would have 10 minutes to transfer to the other side of the platform. SO we all got out and waited, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes later the train came. Finally, we arrived in Basel and had to change money for some. We were expected in Fribourg at noon but arrived at 1:00 pm instead. We had lunch at the university restaurant and then went on a tour with Dr Bruno Behr and his friend, Hans Werhonig, friends of mine from my previous school, both of whom live in Fribourg. We walked through the city with explanations of how Fribourg came to be and why it has maintained its structure since the middle ages. Fribourg is the city where the language of German and French divide in Switzerland. Then we climbed 384 steps to the top of the cathedral for a stunning view of the Alps and the region of Fribourg. Then we stopped for a drink at a famous cafe and then went on our way to Gruyères to settle into our hotel. Wow! what a great guest house. Some of the rooms had balconies and some had views of the castle but all rooms had spectacular views of mountains and fields. Then we went to the local restaurant where we were served Fondue and a delicious dessert of strawberries or raspberries and double cream, straight from the cows of Gruyeres. We then settled into our hotel, because the following day we were off for more touring and to Geneva, where we would spend our last evening of the trip
Day 5 in France and we have a walking tour. First we begin with a stop at the shopping center to get water and other things. Then we went to Place Kleber which is a pedestrian center. From there we ate lunch and then hopped on the bus to the Chocolate museum. On the return we were let off at the area called la Petite France. It is a very quaint area near the river with shops and restaurants and very old houses from the German times. Then the students had some free time to record conversations with shop keepers. Our evening meal was at a very friendly italian restaurant called le Rimini. There was so much food that nobody walked away hungry. We got back to hotel to pack and get ready for the journe to Switzerland by train tomorrow.
Today we woke up at 5 am to take the train from La Gare de l'Est to arrive in Strasbourg by 9:15. Once in Strasbourg we went to our hotel and dropped the luggage. At 11:00 am we had an appointment at the Conseil de L'Europe where we learn about the role of the council compared to the parlement which is part of the European Union. Then we went for lunch in the area near the cathedrale. Many of the students tried some food of the region and it was great to see how much they enjoyed trying new food. We then got on the bus for an hour ride to the Chateau de HAut Koenigsbourg in the Alsace region. It is a medieval castle created during the time when Alsace was German. We had to return to Strasbourg for a visit with the mayor's office and were able to meet one of his counselors. They treated us to some Kugelhopf, a traditional cake of Alsace and some juice and water. It was a very interesting visit. For dinner we had the traditional tarte flambée, traditional , with cheese and an apple one for dessert. All in all it was a great day and the weather reached 16 degrees. 9:00 pm: back to the hotel for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow walking tour of Strasbourg
Today we took the metro to L'Hôtel de Ville, the city hall then we crossed the river Seine to reach the Notre Dame Cathedrale. Its majestic rose window and architecture representative of the gothic period amazed everyone. There we ran into the SAS high school group lead by Julia Steele and Karen Chernoff. The students then were set free to find a restaurant in the Latin Quarter where they could have lunch. This area is a pedestriam area with restaurants and souvenir shops everywhere. Then we made our way to the Champs-Elysees for some sightseeing and shopping until 4:30 when we climb the 284 steps of the Arc de Triomphe. We were very lucky with the weather as one could see for miles. We had dinner at Monte Carlo restaurant where there was a buffet and we were able to choose a salad, dessert, and main dish with a drink. We were able to get back to the hotel by 8:30 because the next day we had to wake up at 5:00 to take the train to Strasbourg.
It is now Monday and Sunday flew right by. We started off by not getting up so early and we made our way over to La Tour Eiffel. It was so much better with reservations that worked and we got up to the top in no time. The students indulged in hot dogs, fries and waffles while they waited patiently to get to the top of this beautiful structure. The weather was gorgeous and the view spectacular. After that we went to the area of the Latin Quarter where we had lunch. Everybody seemed to like their lunch and some were talking about snails that they ate. In the afternoon we went to the north of Paris to visit the area of Montmartre and Sacre Coeur. It is the artistic district where some had caricatures of themselves drawn. It was about 13C degrees and it seemed everyone in Paris was out and about. Then we went to the area of La BAstille to enjoy a great dinner at Chez Clement. Just when you think we had enough for the day, we still needed to go on the boat cruise on the River Seine. It was cold out and there were not many tourists this time. We arrived home about 1130, so it was a very long day. Good news is that we got to sleep in until 8 on Mondoy. We did manage to get some great pics though. Ms Rene
Bonjour, here it is about 3:25 am. Hopefully I am the only one awake. It was a tad noisy in the hallway earlier. Update for Saturday. We started off with breakfast of croissants, pain, cereale, cheese, juice, coffee or hot chocolat, milk and yogurt. It was a typical breakfast for Ibis- the hotel we are lodged at. Then we headed for the Louvre museum, one of the largest museums in the world. SInce last year's visit, they have created conference rooms for groups to meet and audio speakers so that you can actually hear what the guide is saying. A very nice improvement indeed. Then we ate at the food court in the Louvre and got to walk around La Galerie for posters, books, souvenirs, gifts, etc. From there we walked through the beautiful Jardin des Tuileries, where in the distance, we could see the obélisque of La Place de la Concorde and L'Arc de Triomphe that we will visit on Monday. Then we took the métro to the aréa of La Défense for some french style shopping. We spent a couple of hours there and everyone was truly ready for a break after that. We then took the metro to eat at Le Pot de Terre in the Mouffetard area. For dinner we had a beautiful salad with smoked salmon and it was enough for a meal, but then we had steak cooked to order with a green pepper or blue cheese sauce. To top it off, there was Tarte aux Pammes for dessert. You can imagine the day of walking from 8;15 am to 8;00 pm for dinner and we still had the boat cruise to do. The kids were fading fast so we decided to go back to the hotel and reschedule the cruise for tonight. Look at the photos on the photo page. We will be adding reflections and more photos today.
Signing off for a couple more hours of sleep.
Judy René
Judith Rene
Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:42:15
Well, it is about 24 hours later and we have arrived safely at our hotel and all are tucked away for the night. We ate at a creperie tonight and it was delicious. It was raining but now it is clear and expected to be that way tomorrow. Here is something to be proud of: The restaurant told the guide that they were quite impressed with the self-discipline that the kids had. They commented already on their politeness and manners. Great way to start our trip! There are a few protests going on and we have people who are looking out for the places we are going to. If we hear that a place is not safe, don't worry we will not go there. We managed to get a few pictures of the group eating dinner and will post tomorrow.
A demain, Judy