Thursday, June 7 2007

In the photo at left, we see the group planning activities for their last evening in Paris in one of the hotel rooms. As our train was leaving early Monday afternoon, many of the students went out shopping on Monday morning, confident they could get back to the hotel in time for our group move to the train station. They were right: they knew the metro's possibilities, and everyone got back in time.

We left the hotel at noon, and like a bedraggled band of refugees we walked up the street to the Pernety metro station. In the photo at right, we see Jeff, ever the gentleman, helping Theresa down the stairs of the metro station with her large and increasingly heavy bag.

We arrived at the station with time to spare; we bivouaced near the tracks, piling our luggage together for safety. Some students stayed with the bags while others went to buy sandwiches and drinks for our lunch, which we ate on the train.

These images show Rachel (at left) listening to music while Karen multitasked, listening to her iPod while editing the photos in her digital camera. The return trip lasted about three and a half hours; host families were waiting at the train station in Annecy as we arrived, and we all got back home without problem. Despite student pleadings to the contrary, classes were held normally the following morning...

On Wednesday, we met after classes at Yvette's for our weekly lunch at her house. The weather was again pleasant, and we savored the quenelles à la sauce Nantua that she had prepared with her usual chef's touch.

This shot shows Jeff in his quietly understated bathing suit; he had just changed into this particular garment in anticipation of an afternoon at the beach; however, most of the students stayed in Faverges to play a lively game of soccer.

On Thursday, we left classes a bit early to walk over to the nearest supermarché. Students are beginning to think of purchases for their families and loved ones as the program's end date inches ever closer. Two weeks from today, most of them will be on the way home or starting an extended visit of Europe. We saw wines, black currant liqueur for Kir, chocolates, cheeses, cookies and various other treats that undoubtedly will be showing up in Ohio in a couple of weeks.

In this shot we see Rachel waiting at the cash register with her purchases, which include candies and sports shirts with French inscriptions. Other students bought chocolates, many of which likely will never see Ohio, given the students' impatience to sample them.

After lunch , several of the host families drove the group into Savoie, where we visited the Grisard brothers' winery. Jean-Pierre Grisard gave the group elaborate explanations about vinification and gave us the opportunity to explore the deepest and dankest cellars. We learned that an oak barrel, which holds the equivalent of 400 bottles, costs $650 and can be used only twice before the barrel's tannin is used up and the wood's pores become blocked, preventing the necessary oxygenation of wines that best mature in oak.

In this photo we see host dad Jean-Louis Schmid admiring the bouquet of an oak-aged 2006 Roussette, one of the signature wines of Savoie. Vintner Jean-Pierre Grisard holds a pipette with which he filled our glasses with a wine that is due to be bottled next week.

After visiting the different cellars, we went into the shop and sampled several wines; the most interesting comparison was that of two identical wines, save for the fact that one had been aged in oak, and the other not. We also tasted three reds: a Gamay, a Mondeuse and an outstanding 2005 Persan, before finishing the tasting with a sparkling rosé.

In this shot, we see Carolyn and Ramona discussing the virtues of their favorite wines as Chelsea and David look at the price list before making their purchases.

Many families in Ohio will be sampling some excellent wines in a few weeks' time !

From the winery in Frèterives, we drove to Albertville and the hillside medieval town of Conflans. The students explored the small town as we dodged the threatening rain. In the past week, weather has been good in the morning, stormy in the afternoon. But this time, the umbrellas that we had brought got little use.

The group returned to the parking lot at the appointed time, leaving the French families in awe of the self-discipline of this year's group. One French dad noted that the students even used the marked pedestrian crossings, which is slightly bewildering to the somewhat anarchic French. We got back to Faverges at 6:15pm, just as we had planned.

On Friday, we will be having classes as usual. Saturday, weather allowing, we will go up nearby Mt Sambuy for a picnic high on the mountain. Sunday, the French families and our students will be going to the medieval walled city of Yvoire, on the southern shore of Lake Geneva, in our annual AFA-sponsored trip. Next week, classes and at least two more excursions.

Next report, probably next Monday.