Day 3 in Evreux.
Today our students went to school. To school during mid-winter break you say? Yes, but they went to a French “lycée” (high school) and were a great asset in Mme Ravier, the English teacher. Classes started at 8:00 and ended at 5:30!
While the students went to school, we, Mme Garceau and M. Banton, visited the town of Giverny, the site of Claude Monet house and garden. We also visited the church and the cemetery where Monet is buried. The small town is all closed up for winter but you can only imagine how magnificent the gardens must be in the spring and summer. On the way back to Evreux, we stopped in the town of Les Andelys for lunch and visited the Chateau Gaillard, 1000 year ruins of an old castle on the bank of the Seine that controlled the commerce along the river.
Late in the afternoon was a real treat, we met with all the students, with the exception of Erik who was leading an American football game with his new French friends, for a “pot” (coffee) sponsored by the school. We had the pleasure of meeting Mme Ravier, the French students and some of the French parents.
The American and French students were all buzzing with excitement. They were all having a fantastic time and were full of stories already. They were taking of the various visits they did, the new food they tasted and how nice and welcome they felt. We also spent some time talking with some parents and we could feel immediately how caring and welcoming they were and how much they also are enjoying the visit of our students.
Tomorrow we will spend the day with our students discovering the town of Evreux, enjoy a typical café lunch and do a little shopping in the afternoon.
|  | 
|
