As previously mentioned, Friday was the day to visit the Eiffel Tower! It was a bit gray, but much less wind and no rain, so we thought it would be best to take the opportunity rather than chance it this Friday :)
We took the RER (which is similar to the metro, but allowed us to have a direct route) to the Champs-de-Mars/Tour Eiffel stop. It's easy to be distracted by the numerous vendors trying to sell rinky-dink souvenirs.... but once we rounded the corner, the students were in awe at seeing the Eiffel Tower so close for the first time!
There were plenty of tourists and groups, so it took a while to get to the elevator, but we made it and enjoyed some time on each level. There is a restaurant, Jules Verne, at the base, another on the first level along with a cafeteria. Unfortunately, we have noticed a LOT of tourist places offering brownies, donuts, and muffins- tres americain! It makes sense that they would want to appease to the tourists, but it seems to contradict one of the best reasons to come to France, the food!!!!!! At the same time, I think about the weekly almond croissant from Kowalski's and how happy I am to have a little taste of French pastries in the states.... Perhaps it's more evidence of our global society.
At the top of the Tour Eiffel, students were able to take in the panoramic views of Paris: the Seine, Louvre, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, and Sacre Coeur to name a few. We rendez-vous'ed at the base to take plenty of group pictures. It seems that our group is quite popular, as you'll note in the "paparazzi" photo :)
We had just enough free time to take the RER back to the hotel, grab a sandwich or snack, and load up the bus before arriving at the Gare Montparnasse. We enjoyed a nice, calm ride on the TGV train through the countryside to Rennes. Most students took the opportunity to rest or nap, but you could sense the excitement (and some nerves...) as we got closer. Some students asked us "Comment dit-on 'freaking out!' en francais?" but we reassured them that they were about to embark on an amazing experience and that they may be just as sad to leave on Thursday as they are nervous to meet their families for the first time.
We meet the families at the entrance and it was fantastic to see the looks on everyone's faces. The families and our students were equally wide-eyed and smiley as names were called. Some students practiced "les bises" (kissing on the cheek) for the first time, some hugged, some shook hands. Before we knew it, they were all off with their families for the weekend! The past 4 days had truly flown by.
Alan, Benjamin and Conor- We are wondering what the court is on the top left corner? It has tennis lines, but what would the goals be for? Merci!
About to meet families!!!! No tears :)
Vocabulaire du jour:
Le RER: a train system similar to the metro, but also extends out into the suburbs and cities around Paris
l'ascenseur: elevator
le sommet: to top
un rendez-vous: a meeting/appointment/date
emporter: to take with/take out
la gare: train station
la voie: track
la voiture: car/ train car
la fenêtre: window
le petit somme: nap
le TGV (train à grande vitesse): high speed train
rencontrer: to meet
faire les bises: to kiss on the cheek(s)
Salut!
ReplyDeleteIt's a dual-purpose court, with the tennis lines. The small nets (compare them to the ones on the full-size soccer pitch) and the semi-circle lines are for Futsal. This is a soccer-based game that emphasizes footwork and ball control. It's very popular in Europe (we called it Five-A-Side in Britain) and South America. BUT, it is also played at the dome in Stillwater!
un grand merci!!!!!! je vais le dire a Jackie :)
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