If it's Monday, we're tourists!
Today is Pentecost Monday --- a school holiday in France --- so, all the Americans and their partners met up with Madame Robillard, Madame Coadou (the history teacher who is Madame Robillard's direct partner on the Oklahoma Soldiers' project) and Madame Hamard (one of the English teachers at Lycee Jean Racine). We went on a road trip! Our first stop, after the public restrooms, was St. Valery-sur-Somme where we walked along the Baie de la Somme and ate a picnic on the boardwalk. Madame's legs were really sore from all the recent walking, so she waited by the sea while the students and teachers walked up to the old city and visited what is essentially a medieval town. (We look forward to reading the girls' descriptions of this experience here at this blog.)
Then, we left St. Valery-sur-Somme and on our way out of town we came across an amazingly beautiful field of poppies, so we stopped for a photo shoot --- the pictures should fit well with our project since poppies are associated with remembering those killed in World War I. We drove a bit to get to the coast and we visited the beaches at Cayeux.
The beaches are made of smooth stones rather than sand. Several of us gathered stones to keep as a souvenir. Madame's most morable souvenir has to be the sunburn she got! All the girls except Jessie decided to dip their feet in the English Channel (freezing!). 
After the beach, we drove for about half an hour to the castle at Rambure. This is a beautiful castle that began in the Middle Ages during the 100 Years' War and was added to and improved successively over the years. We got to have a guided tour and we took many wonderful pictures. We also went on a tour of the grounds and found an American Sequoyah there! The girls were impressed with the "moat" and drawbridge and perhaps we all felt as though we had traveled through time a bit. 
It took another hour to get back to Montdidier from the castle and each girl went home with her host family.
Sounds SOO WONDERFUL!!! Thank you for letting us hear about your day and sending pictures! It's really special to be able to keep up with some of your travels in "real time!" Much better than postcards! All of you look beautiful in the poppy fields!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy! Catherine Lynn
Très bon, merveilleux! We too look forward to reading the girls' descriptions of their experiences.
ReplyDeleteThis is Jessie.
ReplyDeleteIt was very cool to see the medieval walls of the city. There were old doors, and the towers are completely in tact. There were multiple plaques that marked Joan of Arc's passage through the town as a prisoner of the English. There were also some beautiful views of the river, so we all have great pictures.
This is Jeanne.
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing the castle! It was so cool to see all the different parts of it still intact and beatiful. And the guide was so nice; if one of the American girls didnt understand what he said in french, he would repeat it in english! Awesome!
Today was so much fun, despite the slight sunburn I got. (Yes, mom, I forgot sunscreen) At least my sunburn wasn't as bad as madame's...
ReplyDeleteAfter a nice sandwhich lunch, we walked all over that picturesque little village that is St. Valery-sur-Somme. It was nice, but ridiculously hilly for such a small town. On the informal tour, we saw buildings that date back to the middle ages, gorgeous rose bushes (Northern France is famous for its roses), and the ancient mini fortress at which Joan of Arc was held prisonner by the English. We took lots of pictures and drank alot of water, as we were all as hot as a hamburger right off the grill. :)
After that, we drove to the beach of the English Channel. It was cold and somewhat dirty, but enjoyable nonetheless. Alyson, Stephanie, and I were the first to venture into the sea (with our pant legs rolled up). We played around and took pictures on the sand bar some meters out until the tide began to rise. At that point, we were forced to either go back to the beach or stay and swim back later.
The beach was abhorrently rocky. On the day it was created, God must have been in a prankster mood, preferring thousands upon thousands of pebbles instead of grains of sand. I guess he thought it'd be funny to watch American tourists walk awkwardly across the beach, slipping and sliding all over the place. (Good job, God, your goofy plan for a good laugh worked! :D )
Next, we visited the grand and ancient Chateau of Rambure. It was beautiful, but cramped, slihtly stuffy, chilly, and had the wonderful aroma of old. The tour guide was very courteous, as he would re-explain in English the description of a room he had just said in French. It was very helpful!
After Noelie and I got home and had dinner with the family, I presented my Oklaoma gifts to them. I think that the dad liked them most of all. he looked through every single brochure and book that I had given them. He asked questions about may things, and laughed as I explained how cowboys were often full of themselves. He loved the pictures of the rodeos, cowboys, Indians, and wildlife. We talked about all the diverse food available in Oklahoma, and tornadoes too. Victor, the youngest child, absolutely loved the little 'pet tornado in a bottle' I had bought. I was so very pleased that my family genuinely liked all the gifts I brought, and I can't wait for all the fun we're going to have tomorrow!
Rambures, St-Valéry, Amiens, Montdidier...all places familiar to me. I can't wait to get back "home" to Picardie next week.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're loving it as much as I do!