Upon our return from Paris, we resumed our normal routine of
morning classes and occasional afternoon excursions. The Dean can be
assured that the students are working well, writing commentaries on our
reading and discussing French customs and language on a daily basis.
To this school work can be added the obligatory use of French with the
host families at every meal and in the evening...
This week, we are starting a phase of simulated Oral Proficiency Interviews (OPI) to gauge strengths and weaknesses in the students' speech patterns in French. Students at this time are also selecting individual topics for their final research projects which they must submit at the end of the month of July. The picture above shows the French 311 class in their vaulted crypt underneath the Town Hall, where classes are held every weekday morning.
On Wednesday afternoon, we went on an extended tour of the "Pays de Faverges", the countryside around our home base. The tour was led by Michel Duret, the head of the local archeological museum, and he was able to conduct the tour entirely in French, with almost no translation needed except for very technical terms. We first visited the ancient village of Verthier, with its medieval toll bridge, and continued to the Fier river gorge, where we saw the old Roman road, with its stone inscription ("Lucius made this"); from the Roman road we proceeded to the Morette cemetery, where nearly 100 Resistance fighters are buried. We learned about World War II activities in the area, most particularly about the "Plateau des Glières" battle, which was an important action in the months preceding D-Day.
We then went back toward Lake Annecy, to the shrine of St Germain. After founding the Abbey at Talloires in the Tenth Century, Germain withdrew into a grotto to live out his remaining years as a hermit. As it turned out, he lived some forty years as a hermit, living much to his own surprise to the ripe old age of 100. We saw the beautiful view of the lake from the town of St Germain and learned about the geology of the area, as the vantage point of St Germain affords a clear view of the shallows of the lake which, until the Bronze Age (around 800BC) was in fact divided into two lakes whose banks were inhabited by Celtic peoples.
From St Germain, we proceeded over the Col de la Forclaz mountain pass to the ancient shrine of the seven fountains, which bears dates from the Fifteenth Century onwards. It is believed that the shrine antedates Christian worship in the area, and it may in fact be an ancient water shrine dating back to the times of the Druids. For the first time in living memory, however, the spring is nearly dry, as there is a major drought now striking France; the lack of snow this winter, the extremely dry springtime, are having dire consequences on the supply of water which normally flows down abundantly from the mountains.
Next report on Saturday.
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