A day full of surprises....
After a French breakfast at the hotel, we headed out to the Abbaye Des Hommes, where we got to visit the Cloitre area with the gardens, followed by a long walk along the river to the port. We had lunch around noon and then slowly headed back to the hotel to get our luggage and take the bus to the train station. We experienced the cancellation of our train and the change of itinerary, making us take a 2 hr train ride to Le Mans, followed by a one hour wait (during which we had dinner) and then another 1.5 hour ride to Paris. We finally arrived to our hotel....went straight to our rooms (it's 10:30pm) and called it a day.
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Distance makes the heart grow fonder.... There were tears this morning as students said goodbye to their host families, and hopped on the mini van to Caen. It was quiet on the 3.5hr ride. Everyone slept! We arrived at Omaha beach around noon. It has been usually mild and sunny this whole week, making it just gorgeous for us to enjoy a coast that is usually known for its wind and rain! We were able to enjoy the beach almost entirely by ourselves which was very pleasant.
After the beach we went to the cemetery, for a somber and humbling visit. We took to heart the atmosphere of the land and what it symbolizes. We then drove another hour to the city of Caen, where we settled into our hotel rooms, and then promptly headed out to the city castle and cathedral. We took many pictures near the fortifications and then walked down to our restaurant. It was a small rustic restaurant in the old city, in a very Normand surrounding. We walked around a bit more and then came back to our hotel at 10pm. So little time, so much to see! We took the train to Hazebrouk, and then connected there to take another train to Lille. Once there, we walked to the Old City and strolled around the cobblestoned streets, stopping here and there to try various delicacies. Then we went to the center plaza and divided up for 1.5hrs free exploring/lunch time.
Each group went their way to shop, explore, and enjoy the nice weather. After that, we headed to the mall for a couple of hours of shopping and more exploration. The day started off foggy but the sun pierced through quickly and the wind turbines in the area seemed to blow the fog away throughout the morning. We left the school around 8:45 to go to the WWII bunker named La coupole where we visited the museum. In past years, we would typically complete the visit in about an hour. This group took particular interest in the exhibits so we let them explore and took a good 2 and a half hours to tour the whole bunker. It was a somber visit as the exhibits did not sugar coat the occupation, deportation and concentration camps. I think students got to really feel the impact of history today. We ate lunch at the museum, and then took off to Arras, where we visited the quarries, an underground network of tunnels built as a strategic plan for the battle that occurred in 1917. It was an insightful visit, again reminding each of us of the tragedy of war.
After this, we took about 30mn to walk around the city, where some purchased local chocolates, and others strolled around the cobblestoned plaza. We got back to school around 5pm, for students to go home with their host families. Today we spent time at the school. Students joined a few English classes, in which they spoke to students and answered questions. We also presented on native Americans and a variety of other topics requested by the teachers. Lillian did her "a day in the life of Lillian entirely in French, and I was completely blown away! That takes courage and she did amazing!!! The French students got to discover a bit about each of our kids' personalities, interests and ambitions.
Students ate with their host in the school cafeteria, and then met up again to present in another English class. Most were done by 2 or 3pm. Some went to the local fair and others went home directly. Today was sunny and warmer. It was a nice change from the windy weekend! Tomorrow is our WWI and WWII day. . Since each one of your children is home with their host family, I wanted to give you a bit of content from my weekend. I went to the sub station of the Louvres in Lens, near my parents' house!
We left Denver with a delay of about an hour, which was much better than what we had anticipated. We flew to Cincinnati with considerable turbulence, due to thunderstorms along the way, and had to rotate around the Cincinnati airport for an extra half hour because of a tornado warning. Finally, we arrived with only an hour and a half to go for our connection, just enough to get a bite to eat and board on hour next plane.
Our flight to Paris was uneventful, and we arrived early, waited in line for immigration for about an hour, and got our luggage to go through "customs", again, uneventful. We had about an hour to wait for our bullet train, We sat at a small café/supermarket and enjoyed some snacks until our train platform was announced. We got on the bullet train at 11:30, and enjoyed our ride with some quite giggly conversations (funny how jet lag affects your mood), until we all crashed for a quick nap before arriving in Lille. Our chaperones were waiting for us upon arrival. We got in two cars to our school, another 45mn ride, during which every single students succumbed to jet lag, promptly dozing off. We arrived at the school at 12:45pm, and went to the cafeteria for a lunch of French fries, sausage, vegetables and dessert. Families came soon after to pick up each student. We recommended to the families to let the students rest and take it easy for the evening. I am confident that all are well rested this morning and probably already on their way to new adventures. Our flight to Cincinnati has been delayed by an hour, but we aren't too concerned since our connection is 3 hours long. We are glad to be here safe and sound!
SNOW DAY!
DCSD called for a snow day today due to a "bomb cyclone" winter storm. This has given all travelers a chance to finish packing and preparing for departure tomorrow, but also to worry considerably. We hope that today's flight delays will not impact our flights tomorrow, and that we can travel safely to our destination! |