Aux Châteaux !

Aux Châteaux ! To the Castles!

Update: Evie has quite a few photos of students that I was not able to photograph during the excursion and I have updated the blog accordingly.

Good morning to all the parents and followers of the blog back home! This post is a bit lengthy so I apologize in advance, but it contains dozens of photos of your students!

On Friday, we had our first excursion to see several castles in the Loire Valley. In my previous post, I mentioned the three we were to visit: Chambord, Clos Lucé, and Chenonceau. Friday was an incredibly hot day with temperatures topping out at 102 (cooler than Saturday which hit a record 108... I think we were all missing AC yesterday), but the students were well prepared with light clothing and a refillable water bottle each.

We left Saumur early Friday morning at 7 am, and I think we were all a bit tired right out of the gate, but some of us took advantage of the 2.5-hour bus trip to our first stop... some us more than others!

Yara made a funny comment upon seeing a group of cyclists. She said, "Oh! Le Tour de France!" Naturally, I had to loan her a hat I bought in 2013 for a photo to accompany such an exclamation:

Our first stop on the tour (no pun intended) was Chambord. This castle, which first began construction in the mid-1500s, is the largest castle in the Loire Valley. Used primarily as a hunting lodge for the next few hundred years, it is notable for its hundreds of depictions of salamanders, often topped with a crown that bears the motto: Nutrisco et Extinguo, which translates loosely from Latin as "I feed on the good fire and extinguish the bad." Aside from the salamanders, it is also famously known for its double-helix staircases that wrap around one another— one person can descend while another ascends and the two would never pass each other. 

One of the many salamanders depicted throughout the castle

Photo courtesy of Evie

Interestingly, the castle was used as a staging point for the evacuation of France's great art collection during WWII, which was moved from the Louvre in Paris to southern parts of the country at the height of the war.

    Here the group poses for a photo outside the massive castle and walls with the IU Flag! Work is currently underway to renovate various portions of the castle, which, unfortunately, obstructs some of its view.

Hannah, Cassie, and Camille examine layouts of Chambord before entering

Just inside the walls, Victor pauses to take a picture of the immense structure

Students taking in Chambord and discussing where to go first just inside the entrance

Luka just inside the walls of Chambord
Photo courtesy of Evie

Instructor Evie takes a picture of me taking a picture of her... I'd rather not see her photo of me as I much prefer to remain hidden behind the camera!

Evie and Shane pose for a quick photo before entering the castle

The students were given 2 hours to explore the castle in groups of three and then visit the gift shop before meeting us outside the walls to return to the bus and move on. Upon entering the castle, most students climbed to the topmost floor which is accessible to visitors. There we took a variety of photos!

Abby, Monick, Rachel Claire, and Brooklyn pose for a picture in front of the tower/spire

Summer and Yara pose for a picture with instructor Evie in front of the tower/spire atop the castle

For reference to its size, here is the opposite side of the tower/spire in its entirety

Victor and Avery pose for a picture at the top of Chambord

Mara poses for a photo near the spire

Photo courtesy of Evie

Aminata poses for a photo within the castle
Photo courtesy of Evie

Evie has guilted me into including a picture of myself at Chambord

Photo courtesy of Evie

Grace pauses to take a picture of the grounds

Emily poses for a photo overlooking the countryside
Photo courtesy of Evie

Well known for its magnificent grounds, gardens, and forest surrounding the estate, visitors can see large swaths of it all from the top of the castle.

Chambord's gardens and forest as seen from the top

Ruby, Mara, and Grace pose for a picture at the top of Chambord

Inside, Shane found a lovely Warthog

Victor and Avery pose outside of a window looking in

Photo courtesy of Evie

Camille, Cassie, and Hannah pose for a photo in front of a window

Photo courtesy of Evie

Camille and Cassie take a selfie in one of the many mirrors throughout the castle

Photo courtesy of Evie

After our visit to Chambord, we relaxed for an hour in the AC of the bus while we traveled to the neighboring city of Amboise. There we found a shady area on the Loire river to enjoy our picnic lunches. Some of us took the opportunity to lay back on the grass and close our eyes for a little while.

The students and instructors enjoy a picnic lunch packed by their respective host families on the banks of the Loire

After lunch, we went to Clos Lucé, a castle (though more the size of a "manor") located in Amboise where Leonardo da Vinci spent most of his life. We visited in the heat of the day and the castle was absolutely packed. We were all feeling a bit claustrophobic and exited the interior at the first opportunity to hunt down cold water, some ice cream, and a shady bench or two on which we could rest. Because of the heat and the general exhaustion we were all feeling, I did not take any pictures, so I am going to borrow a picture from Google to show what it looks like.

After Clos Lucé, we went to Chenonceau, the general favorite among the group of students and instructors. Chenonceau, built over the water of a small river flowing underneath, is well-known for its gardens, labyrinth maze, and the beautiful tree-lined road leading to the château. Given the heat, the students spent the majority of the time in the various shaded areas of the grounds or within the castle itself where temperatures were a bit more manageable thanks to the stone construction.

We took a group picture at the entrance to the road leading up to the château, and I've cropped the image below so that you can see your student's lovely faces a bit closer!

The group enjoyed the shade provided by the trees as we walked down the road to the gardens and entrance to Chenonceau

At the end of the road leading to the château, we took one final group photo with Chenonceau in the background. It is somewhat misleading as the castle extends back over the water, which you can see from the side in the image below.

This is my favorite spot on the grounds to view the castle. The reflection extends out onto the water and gives an excellent perspective to anyone who ventures to this corner of the gardens. For anyone with an interest or knowledge in photography, this is an HDR image and a composite of about 30 different images, ideal for landscapes with direct, and sometimes harsh, sunlight.

I made a beeline for this spot in the gardens, and several students who are interested in photography followed me to see what I was talking about when I said it was the best place to view the castle.

Christian, Dawn-Cheryl, and Annalyse pose for a picture in front of the château

Annalyse asked me to take a portrait of her in front of the château as well, to which I happily obliged

From right to left: Yara, Molly, Summer, Evie, Jean-Luc, Mara, Aminata, and Grace
Photo courtesy of instructor Evie

Aminata, Mara, Hannah, Grace, Ruby, Emily, Camille, and Cassie pose for a picture within the gardens of Chenonceau

Photo courtesy of instructor Evie

Inside Chenonceau, a great hall spanning the length of the building greets visitors. Used primarily as a location for royalty and nobility to throw lavish parties, the design of the castle is the perfect venue for such occasions. During WWII, the castle served as a hospital for the wounded. 

Illuminated by the 18 windows on either side overlooking the river below, the main hall makes up the vast majority of the château

Evie, Yara, Summer, and Molly pose for a photo within the grand hall

Hannah, Camille, and Cassie pose for a picture inside Chenonceau

Photo courtesy of instructor Evie

Following our visit to Chenonceau, we all returned to the bus at 6:00 pm to head back to Saumur. We arrived back at Saint Louis at 7:30 and the students reunited with their host families thoroughly exhausted and ready to eat dinner and then sleep. 

I know I still need to upload a photo of Saint Louis, and I promise to do that this week along with uploading some photos that families have sent me over the last week of the students doing a variety of activities with their host families. Additionally, if I did not capture an individual photo of your student outside of the group photo, I promise I will do that on our next excursion and at various times in between. Because students had the liberty to explore the castles in groups of three, I did not always see every single group outside of the group photo, and some students stuck closer to the instructors than others. Hopefully, this post gives you some insight as to the nature of the excursions we will go on. Our next excursion is in two weeks and will be to Normandy in Northern France!

À bientôt !

Chasse au trésor !

 Chasse au trésor / Scavenger Hunt

Hello all! We are all doing quite well here in Saumur. The days are becoming a bit hotter (today's high was 95, and tomorrow and Friday will be in the 100s), but our water bottles are remaining full at all times! This Friday, the 17th of June, we will be touring three major castles here in the Loire Valley. Chambord, Chenonceau, and Clos Lucé are quite well known in the region with the latter being rather famous for housing Leonardo da Vinci for the majority of his life. Dozens of his inventions and blueprints remain for all to see. 

Located near the Château de Saumur, this flower arrangement is created every year and is a source of pride among many locals as it depicts the blason (coat of arms) de Saumur (see below for reference)

On Monday, the instructors put together a scavenger hunt for the students to discover various parts of the city. It began at school (which I realize I have neglected to photograph, and will, therefore, do so tomorrow and upload some pictures), and then progressed to the downtown area and the various landmarks that the city is known for such as the theater, the city center, the large church, and it ended with everyone climbing up to the castle! 

At each stop, the students took a selfie with a landmark and then answered a question. Some questions were easy and the students could find the answer by looking around, but several involved finding out who, for example, the famous fashion icon born in Saumur was, who Molière was, and who wrote a famous piece of literature. To answer these questions, students had to ask passersby who may have known the answers-- a daunting task to be sure, but the students managed it flawlessly and put their awesome French skills to good use!

The church at the center of town located in Place St. Pierre 

I meant to take a picture of every group who found me on the third leg of the scavenger hunt, but we became a bit pressed for time with the last two groups, so I do not have a picture of every single group, but fear not, the students had a great time! 

Christian, Avery, Grace, and Mara

Evie, Summer, Katrina, and Monick

Annalyse, Jean-Luc, Dawn-Cheryl, and Abby

Yara, Rachel-Claire, Victor, and Emily

Cassie, Brooklyn, and Aminata 

Here, Evie is helping a group to find the correct location that they need to photograph

During the last leg of the hunt, we all climbed to the top of the city to meet up with Shane and Evie waiting at the castle. 

Château de Saumur, first constructed in the 10th century

At the top, we relaxed for a little bit in the shade (for some) and in the sun for those that wanted to work on their tan, enjoyed some cold water that our fantastic on-site coordinator brought up, and we all took in the panoramic view of the city.

Before heading back down, we took a group picture!

Classes started officially yesterday and the students have been learning quite a lot about French literature and culture, linguistics, and grammar. Almost everyone seems excited about the prospects of learning this summer! 

You can expect 2-3 blog posts a week here, more if I can manage it. This first week and a bit into the next is incredibly busy and I know that many parents have been patiently waiting for my next update, so I apologize for the delay. For the last four days, the instructors have arrived home between 8 and 9 pm every evening as there is much that needs to be arranged for the coming weeks! In any case, you can expect another update sometime Saturday (or Sunday at the latest) as we will not return to Saumur until around 9 pm Friday evening after our visits to the three castles in the Loire Valley.