Irene showed up sporting a new and up-to-the-minute fashionable hairdo, straight out of Elle magazine, eliciting numerous comments from the other members of the group. Not all are planning to emulate her efforts though she is visibly very pleased with the result!

For the past week, we have had the visit of the Modern Language Department's own Ralph Kisner, who had met the group when we first arrived in Paris. (Ralph participated in the group's activities for ten days, before returning to Akron today). But on Thursday, Ralph realized his ambition of leaping off a 2000-foot cliff and flying: he went hang-gliding with a very skilled pilot, Noël Veyrat, who has already chalked up over 10,000 flights.

After morning classes, we went up to the village of Montmin, site of a wonderful view over the lake, and one of the premier hang-gliding spots in Europe. Rapidly putting on a harness, Ralph steadied his nerves and steeled himself for the mighty leap, whose first steps are always a source of some trepidation. His feet seemed at first to disobey his mind, and Noël had to dash forward to pull Ralph down the steep ramp toward the chasm. The winds were favorable, and after a few steps, Ralph and Noël leapt into the air, for a smooth and spectacular ride over the lake.

After an uneventful but exhilarating flight, Noël and Ralph landed easily at the southern tip of Lake Annecy, where Prof. Jeantet retrieved them; Ralph was absolutely enthusiastic about his flight, and several of the student members of the group want to repeat his exploit some time in the remaining days of the program. (The hang-gliding is not a university-sponsored activity).

Later that same afternoon, a half-dozen students went for a short ride in a light plane to see the layout of the land; leaving from Albertville airport, they flew to Faverges, past the mountains and over Lake Annecy, clearly seeing the configuration of the valleys and roads that made this area a trading center in Roman times and a point of strategic importance on the Middle Ages. The photo at left shows the Col de la Forclaz mountain pass from which Ralph had leapt some hours earlier; the photo at right shows Mary kissing the ground after the safe landing of the plane, which was piloted by one of the French host family dads, Pierre Ricard.

With the end of the program fast approaching, we are planning a number of full-day excursions as well as a visit to the local Staübli factory. On Monday and Wednesday, we will be taking day trips to any of several destinations, depending on the weather conditions. If the weather is perfect, we will return to Chamonix and the high mountains; if not, we will go to Geneva (Switzerland) to visit the old city, the archeological digs under the cathedral, and the United Nations headquarters for a guided tour. If the weather should be less than perfect on both days, we will bypass Chamonix and go to Miolans Castle ("the Alpine Bastille") and to the old Savoy capital of Chambéry.

Oh, and by the way, about Irene's hairdo, just kidding! Computer magic! She wanted to give her parents a scare!

Next report, probably Tuesday.

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