Paris - Day 1: Versailles + Bateau-Mouche
On Friday we left Saint-Brieuc at 07:30AM. Saying goodbye to the host families was very hard for the students. Both students and host family members cried on the parking lot where the bus was waiting.
We left and drove straight to Versailles to visit the very large castle, which was the home of Louis XIV and his successors. We got there at around 01:00PM. The students ate a picnic the host families had prepared for them and then we visited the castle. The line to enter the castle was incredibly long, but thanks to our amazing logistics coordinator, Sarah-Kay, we had a reservation and were able to skip the line (she had to call the castle in January!!)
After Versailles, we got back onto our bus at 06:00PM and went to our hostel in Paris. We unloaded the bus, got all our stuff up into our rooms, and got ready for dinner at the hostel. The cafeteria downstairs is somewhat similar to the Igloo, but food at the Igloo was better. After dinner, we took the subway and went to the River Seine.
We walked along the Seine for a little bit, and sat by the water for a while. Then we went onto the Pont des Arts, a bridge famous for its thousands of love locks. Lovers would come here, write or engrave their names on a lock, and put the lock on the bridge where it couldn't be removed. This trend started several years ago. However, with time and popularity, the weight of all the locks was threatening the bridge to collapse, so they had to be removed by the city of Paris. The trend continued to grow somewhere else. After Pont des Arts, we took a bateau-mouche. Bateau-mouche is a boat that runs on the river Seine which separates Paris into two parts (Rive Droite and Rive Gauche). It was great for the students to be able to just sit after a long day, and at the same time get very close to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum, the Orsay Museum, Place de la Concorde, and several cool spots of Paris – all of which are right by the river. We got onto the boat at 10:00PM, and watched the sunset over Paris while on the river. As you will see on the pictures, the night we took the bateau-mouche, the Eiffel Tower was illuminated in blue, white & red, our national colors. It was illuminated this way for 3 days, in memory of the 84 victims of the terrorist attack that had happened just a day before in Nice, in the south of France.
We got back to the hostel close to midnight.
On Friday we left Saint-Brieuc at 07:30AM. Saying goodbye to the host families was very hard for the students. Both students and host family members cried on the parking lot where the bus was waiting.
We left and drove straight to Versailles to visit the very large castle, which was the home of Louis XIV and his successors. We got there at around 01:00PM. The students ate a picnic the host families had prepared for them and then we visited the castle. The line to enter the castle was incredibly long, but thanks to our amazing logistics coordinator, Sarah-Kay, we had a reservation and were able to skip the line (she had to call the castle in January!!)
After Versailles, we got back onto our bus at 06:00PM and went to our hostel in Paris. We unloaded the bus, got all our stuff up into our rooms, and got ready for dinner at the hostel. The cafeteria downstairs is somewhat similar to the Igloo, but food at the Igloo was better. After dinner, we took the subway and went to the River Seine.
We walked along the Seine for a little bit, and sat by the water for a while. Then we went onto the Pont des Arts, a bridge famous for its thousands of love locks. Lovers would come here, write or engrave their names on a lock, and put the lock on the bridge where it couldn't be removed. This trend started several years ago. However, with time and popularity, the weight of all the locks was threatening the bridge to collapse, so they had to be removed by the city of Paris. The trend continued to grow somewhere else. After Pont des Arts, we took a bateau-mouche. Bateau-mouche is a boat that runs on the river Seine which separates Paris into two parts (Rive Droite and Rive Gauche). It was great for the students to be able to just sit after a long day, and at the same time get very close to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum, the Orsay Museum, Place de la Concorde, and several cool spots of Paris – all of which are right by the river. We got onto the boat at 10:00PM, and watched the sunset over Paris while on the river. As you will see on the pictures, the night we took the bateau-mouche, the Eiffel Tower was illuminated in blue, white & red, our national colors. It was illuminated this way for 3 days, in memory of the 84 victims of the terrorist attack that had happened just a day before in Nice, in the south of France.
We got back to the hostel close to midnight.
Hostel + Subway
The River Seine
Paris - Day 2: The Catacombs/Musée Rodin + Musée d'Orsay + Montmartre + Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysées
On day 2, we left the hostel early and divided up into two groups: we gave thestudents the choice to visit either the Catacombs, or the Rodin Museum. Sarah-Kay and I went with half the students to the Catacombs, while Catherine and Jake took the other half to the Rodin Museum which is why you won't see any pictures of the museum, unfortunately. I found a good and brief description of the history of the Catacombs on the Internet for you, because you should be aware that the pictures below, taken with the students inside the Catacombs, are pictures of real human remains. I thought you would want a little context.
By the 18th century, Parisian cemeteries such as Les Innocents (the largest cemetery in Paris) were becoming overpopulated, giving rise to improper burials, open graves, and unearthed corpses. Quite naturally, people living close to such places began complaining about the strong stench of decomposing flesh and the spread of diseases from the cemeteries. In 1763, an edict was issued by Louis XV banning all burials from the capital. The Church, however, did not wish to disturb or move the cemeteries, and opposed the edict. As a result, nothing was done. The situation persisted until 1780, when an unusually long period of spring rain caused a wall around the Les Innocents to collapse, resulting in the spilling of rotting corpses into a neighboring property. By this time, the French authorities were forced to take action. In 1786, the former Tombe-Issoire quarries were blessed and consecrated, turning them into the Paris Catacombs. It took two years for all the bones from the Les Innocents to be transferred to the catacombs. Over the following decades, the bones of the dead were removed from cemeteries around Paris for reburial in the catacombs. It was only in 1859 that the final transfer of bones was undertaken during the renovation of Paris by Georges-Eugène Haussmann, and the work was finally completed in 1860. Seven years later, the catacombs were open to the public. In total the winding catacombs stretch over 300 kilometers (186 miles). Although the Paris Catacombs are still open to the general public today, access is limited to only a small fraction of the network. It has been illegal since 1955 to enter the other parts of the catacombs. Nevertheless, during the 1970s and 80s, the catacombs have been explored illegally by Parisian urban explorers known as Cataphiles. Some of the spaces have even been restored and turned into creative spaces. One of these underground caverns, for instance, was transformed into a secret amphitheater, complete with a giant cinema screen, projection equipment, a couple of films and seats. The neighboring area was revamped into a fully-stocked bar and a restaurant, perhaps where the patrons of the amphitheater could get a snack or a meal. It has been estimated that as many as 300 Cataphiles enter the catacombs each week via secret entrances. Non-Cataphiles and tourists, however, are not often welcome.
Source: http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/dark-underworld-paris-catacombs
The Catacombs
Musée d'Orsay
After the Catacombs, we met the other half of the group at the Musée d'Orsay. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography. It houses the largest collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces in the world, by painters including Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Seurat, Sisley, Gauguin, and Van Gogh. (Source: Wikipedia)
Montmartre
After our visit at the Musée d'Orsay, we all took the subway to Montmartre. First, we stopped for a few minutes in front of the entrance of the Moulin Rouge, which was right next to the subway exit. A couple of blocks away, we walked past the Café des 2 Moulins, which is Amelie's workplace in the very popular French movie called "Amelie" (If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it!) We walked for about 10 minutes in the neighborhood until we found ourselves at the bottom steps of the Sacré Coeur hill. It is a very steep hill on top of which sits the Basilique du Sacré Coeur. A few very courageous students climbed the stairs, while the others took the funiculaire, a sort of glass elevator that takes you all the way up to the top. When we arrived in front of the Basilica, we met by chance one of our host families from Saint-Brieuc who had decided to spend the weekend away in Paris! The student who had stayed with that family couldn't believe it!! She didn't even know they were going to be in Paris.
Arc de Triomphe
During the evening, we climbed (again!) several steps to get to the rooftop of the Arc de Triomphe, the momument at the end of the Champs-Elysées. On the pictures below, you can see the Champs-Elysées avenue stretch all the way up to the Ferris wheel. The other big avenue you can see leads up to La Défense with the tall buildings, which is the "Wall Street" of Paris.
Underneath the Arc de Triomphe there is a flame. Under the flame is buried the body of the Soldat Inconnu (the Unknown Soldier). The Soldat Inconnu is a French soldier who was killed during WWI but who was not identified. He symbolically represents all the soldiers who died and whose identity remains unknown.
Paris - Day 3: Le Louvre + Jardin des Tuileries + Sainte Chapelle + Notre Dame + Ile Saint-Louis + Centre Pompidou
Sainte-Chapelle + Notre Dame
The Sainte-Chapelle is a sort of huge reliquary that was built in the 13th century under Louis IX (aka Saint Louis) to hold relics he had just purchased such as the thorn crown Jesus wore during crucifixion! The Sainte-Chapelle is absolutely gorgeous because a large part of it is made of stained-glass windows (see pictures below).
After the Sainte-Chapelle we walked to the famous Notre Dame Cathedral.
After visiting Notre Dame Cathedral, we walked to Ile Saint-Louis, where we got ice cream and sat by the Seine again. Then we walked some more until we got to Centre Pompidou, a large museum of modern art which also houses a library.
After visiting the museum, it was time to eat dinner. We divided the students into 3 groups, according to what they had budgeted for dinner. The students on the left went to Restaurant Le Garnier near Gare Saint-Lazare, and the students on the right were at Le Comptoir du Panthéon, right by the Panthéon.
The group that went to Le Garnier restaurant walked to Opéra Garnier after dinner for a short digestive stroll. We sat on the steps of the Opera at night, listening to a man playing the guitar. The temperature was perfect. It was a good night to be in Paris.
The group that went to Le Comptoir du Panthéon walked back to Notre Dame after dinner to touch Kilometer Zero with their feet. It's the official center of Paris and it is from this location that distances are measured in France. Legend has it that whoever touches Kilometer Zero while in Paris will come back for sure.
Paris - Day 4: Panthéon + Jardin du Luxembourg + Tour Eiffel + Opéra Garnier + Karaoké
Le Panthéon
On day 4, we all went to the Panthéon in the morning. The Panthéon was originally a church built in the 18th century, but later become a burial place for French thinkers, writers, scientists, people who played an important role during the French Revolution, and any French citizen who is believed to have made great advances towards the development of humanity. Inside the crypt of the Panthéon, the students were able to get close to Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, Louis Braille, Pierre and Marie Curie, among others.
On the ground level of the Panthéon, there's a really cool thing called Foucault's pendulum. It's a pendulum hanging from the ceiling and which proves the rotation of the Earth. If you make the pendulum swing, it will point to a specific number on the round chart. But if you wait a little, you will see that it keeps swinging but points to a different number. It will look as though the pendulum moves around the chart like an arm on a clock, telling time. The interesting thing is that apart from swinging, the pendulum actually does not move. It is the Earth that moves around it!!
Le jardin du Luxembourg
The Eiffel Tower
Opéra Garnier
For our very last night in France we got dinner in a café that was also a karaoke place. Since the students had behaved so well throughout the program and respected the language commitment so incredibly well, and since we were only a few hours away from departure, we allowed them to sing in English. They were quite happy about that and most students got on stage to sing something.
Normandy 7/5/2016
Mont Saint-Michel
On Thursday, we left Saint-Brieuc at 07:30AM with our private coach bus to go to Normandy. We first stopped after 2 hours to visit the Mont Saint-Michel. Mont Saint-Michel is a tiny village on a hill by the sea with a large abbey sitting at its top. It's partly famous for its inaccessibility come high tide. The Mont Saint-Michel area has one of highest tides in the world! At high tide, the water completely surrounds the hill and covers the only access road. When the waters recede, the tourists flock back in. (the road on which I took the group picture is partly submerged for several hours a day!) When we arrived at Mont Saint-Michel around 10:00AM, the tide was at its lowest, and the sea was barely visible on the horizon (it was about 7 miles away!!). We climbed the very narrow streets and stairs up to the abbey. I took a few individual shots of the students in front of the vast land of sand. Then Sarah Kay gave us a tour of the abbey (she knew all the important facts of each room and each garden of the abbey!). After that, we walked down into the village and back onto the road that took us back the parking lot where the bus had parked. There weren't any nice grounds to eat lunch so we picnicked on the lawn by the bus. After lunch, we got back onto the bus and drove for another 2 hours to get to the WWII landing beaches in Normandy.
Omaha Beach & American Military Cemetery
After lunch we got back onto the bus and drove for another 2 hours. We arrived at Omaha Beach at around 3:00PM. Omaha Beach is one of the many beaches that were part of the D-Day landings that took place on June 6th 1944. Those landings were the most vital part of the greater Operation Overlord to liberate France and more generally Europe from years of German military occupation. The Allies had divided the 60-mile coastal stretch chosen for the invasion in Normandy into five sectors, codenamed Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha (in the city of Colleville-sur-Mer) and Utah. British forces landed at Sword and Gold, while Canadians landed at Juno. American forces landed at Omaha and Utah. Our visit at Omaha Beach was very solemn. The students seemed well-aware and well-informed about what had happened there. On June 6th 1944 alone, 3,686 American soldiers died on Omaha beach. A lot of them were our students' age. In the gallery below, I included one picture taken that day during the landing at Omaha. We stayed there for a few minutes. On top of the cliff that overlooks the beach lays the American military cemetery where are buried about 10,000 American soldiers who died throughout the one-month-long battle. When we got back to Saint-Brieuc two days later and asked the students what they had preferred during the trip, a majority of them said it was the cemetery. They felt very touched by it, and I believe that the homesickness some of them were feeling intensified the emotions they felt that day.
Hostel + Night time beach
After the visit at Omaha and the cemetery, we headed to the hostel. It was a nice hostel in a small village by the sea, about 30 minutes away from Colleville-sur-Mer. The students took their belongings to their rooms and spent some time there chatting. Most rooms had 6 beds, and some others 5. All the boys were in the same room. Prior to our arrival at the hostel we had asked the girls to write on a piece of paper who they'd like to be with in the room. We tried to satisfy everyone. Dinner was served at the cafeteria at 07:00PM. It wasn't as good as the Igloo but the Igloo does spoil us with good food. After dinner, all the students rehearsed the Marseillaise (the French national anthem) with Sarah-Kay because 4th of July was coming up and the Mayor of Saint-Brieuc invited us for a reception in the students' honor. Sarah-Kay helped them learn how to sing the Marseillaise as well as the American national anthem to near-perfection. During the reception at the Mayor's office yesterday (pictures coming soon), they sang both anthems. They practiced singing in English, and this constituted the only exception to the language commitment. We really wanted them to impress the Mayor and other French people, and didn't really want them to end up knowing the Marseillaise way better than their own anthem. After the rehearsals, we all headed down to the beach for a night-time walk. Then bedtime was at 11:00PM.
The Bayeux Tapestry
In the morning, we had breakfast at the cafeteria at 08:00AM and then left the hostel at 09:00AM to go see the Bayeux Tapestry. The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered cloth that's 230-feet long and only 20-inches high. It was made in the 1070's!! Almost a thousand years ago! It depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England by William the Conqueror. It consists of some 50 scenes that explain the story of the conquest. For that reason, the tapestry is often referred to as the oldest known comic book! All the students got an audio guide (they could choose between French and simplified French for kids). Most of them went with kids' French and understood everything! :) The audio guide explained each scene as the students moved along the 230 feet of tapestry which was displayed behind glass in a dark room (so that the light wouldn't damage it). Pictures were forbidden. I took the first picture below (the one of the tapestry) from Google. On the second floor there was a museum with many cool things (a model vessel, an electronic and interactive version of the tapestry, a movie theater, etc.) to learn more about what happened between the kingdom of France and the kingdom of England during the 11th century.
The Caen Memorial
After seeing the tapestry, we got back onto the bus and drove to the city of Caen which is home to the Mémorial de Caen. The memorial is a museum dedicated to the history of violence and intensive, outstanding conflict in the 20th century and particularly World War II. The museum was officially opened on 6 June 1988 (the 44th anniversary of D-Day) by the French President François Mitterrand. It deals primarily with World War II, looking at the causes and course of the conflict. We let the students wander around the museum before lunch. Then we ate a picnic at the United States Armed Forces Memorial Garden on the museum's grounds. The students got a huge surprise during lunch: a visit from the IUHPFL students staying in Saumur!! Lots of friends were reunited, and also twins!! (Our student Paige was able to spend some time with her twin sister Carly) Pictures below show our students and Saumur students. After lunch, we left the Saumur group who had just gotten there and were going to start their visit of the museum, and we went to see a movie about D-Day at the museum's theater. The idea for the 15-minute long movie was very original and thoughtful. The screen was divided into two parts by a vertical line. On the left side of the screen, original footage of American soldiers filmed during D-Day was shown. On the right side of the screen, footage from the German side taken at exactly the same time was shown. The sound for both parts could be heard.
La Pointe du Hoc
After the memorial, we went to the Pointe du Hoc, a 100-feet high cliff. During World War II it was the highest point between Utah Beach to the west and Omaha Beach to the east. The German army fortified the area with concrete casements and gun pits. On D-Day, the United States Army Ranger Assault Group assaulted and captured Pointe du Hoc after scaling the cliffs. What I think impressed the students the most were the hundreds of holes left after the impacts of explosive shells. We returned to Saint-Brieuc after that.
Cap Fréhel / Fort La Latte & Abbaye de Beauport / Paimpol 6/23/2016
Yesterday we went on our second excursion to Cap Fréhel, Fort La Latte, Abbaye de Beauport and Paimpol. It was a busy day! We left Saint-Brieuc at 08:30AM and returned at 07:30PM.
Cap Fréhel
We first headed to Cap Fréhel, about an hour away from Saint-Brieuc. Cap Fréhel is a small peninsula surrounded by 70-meter cliffs. It is populated only by a lighthouse, birds and flowers. There were tons of different flowers, some strange ones I had never seen in my life. In fact, all the places we went to yesterday had a waaay-above-average amount of flowers! A lot of the pictures you will see today are pictures of flowers because I wanted to represent their overwhelming presence during our trip. I think most of the students also found it extraordinary that there should be so many, and in such abundance. In the Abbaye de Beauport that we visited during the afternoon, it was impossible to escape their scent. They were everywhere! And so many of them!! Speaking of flowers, you will see a picture below (taken at Cap Fréhel) of a plant that was gray instead of the normal green, with yellow flowers. This picture looks heavily photoshopped, but I would like to say that I didn't do anything to the picture. I didn't even add a filter. It was naturally that gray! I was amazed.
We let the students wander around for about 45 minutes, and then headed to Fort La Latte nearby.
Yesterday we went on our second excursion to Cap Fréhel, Fort La Latte, Abbaye de Beauport and Paimpol. It was a busy day! We left Saint-Brieuc at 08:30AM and returned at 07:30PM.
Cap Fréhel
We first headed to Cap Fréhel, about an hour away from Saint-Brieuc. Cap Fréhel is a small peninsula surrounded by 70-meter cliffs. It is populated only by a lighthouse, birds and flowers. There were tons of different flowers, some strange ones I had never seen in my life. In fact, all the places we went to yesterday had a waaay-above-average amount of flowers! A lot of the pictures you will see today are pictures of flowers because I wanted to represent their overwhelming presence during our trip. I think most of the students also found it extraordinary that there should be so many, and in such abundance. In the Abbaye de Beauport that we visited during the afternoon, it was impossible to escape their scent. They were everywhere! And so many of them!! Speaking of flowers, you will see a picture below (taken at Cap Fréhel) of a plant that was gray instead of the normal green, with yellow flowers. This picture looks heavily photoshopped, but I would like to say that I didn't do anything to the picture. I didn't even add a filter. It was naturally that gray! I was amazed.
We let the students wander around for about 45 minutes, and then headed to Fort La Latte nearby.
Fort La Latte
Fort La Latte is a 13th-century castle located about 2 miles away from Cap Fréhel. It is relatively small, but has all the features of a fortified castle (two drawbridges, a keep, a dungeon, arrowslits, murder holes, hoardings, etc.) Fort La Latte was featured in two major American movies: The Three Musketeers (1948) with Gene Kelly and Lana Turner, and The Vikings (1958) with Kurt Douglas and Tony Curtis. There were also lots of flowers!
The students had about 45 minutes to discover the fort by themselves, and then we got back onto the bus.
Abbaye de Beauport
After a 1 1/2 hour-drive, we arrived at the Abbaye de Beauport around 01:30PM. Inside the property of the abbey, we found cute covered grounds with picnic tables where we had lunch. We had asked the host families to prepare a picnic for their students, so they were able to enjoy a traditional French picnic. I guess everyone must have been very hungry because by the time I took my camera out to take pictures of their lunches, all the lunches were gone. I'll try next time!
The Abbaye de Beauport is a 13th-century abbey with... lots of flowers!! Especially roses and hydrangeas. So beautiful. The students had almost two hours to enjoy all the gorgeous rooms and gardens of the abbey. When I asked some of the students this morning what they had preferred during the trip, almost all of them said the abbey. See for yourself why.
Paimpol
Around 04:00PM, we left the abbey to visit the city center of Paimpol nearby. It had very cute streets and a nice harbor. It is a tiny town so we didn't have to walk too much. There were only one main square and one small main street. The students were exhausted, so we sat somewhere and got ice cream before the rain got us. After the ice cream we went back to the harbor where the bus was waiting for us. The driver took us back to Saint-Brieuc.
Dinan, Dinard & Saint-Malo 6/16/2016
Yesterday, all the families drove their students to Place Robien in Saint-Brieuc at 08:30AM, where a private coach bus was waiting to take us on our first excursion. We drove for about 45 minutes to our first destination: Dinan.
Dinan
We arrived at Place Duguesclin in Dinan at around 9:15AM. Dinan is a medieval town with many buildings dating from the 13th century. The city walls (ramparts) of the town are still standing, and you can walk around a large portion of it. First, we headed towards the city center to see the Basilique Saint-Sauveur where the heart of Bertrand du Guesclin is buried. Duguesclin was a Breton knight who lived in the 14th century. He is famous for defending Dinan against the English army in 1357. The Basilica was beautiful, decorated with many stained glass windows and religious artefacts. We arrived at the Basilica at perhaps the best possible time, as the light was shining through the windows and coloring the walls with very bright multi-color shades. Growing up in France, I am very familiar with 12th through 16th-century churches and cathedrals, but I had never in my whole life witnessed anything like it!
In front of the Basilica was a small market. One particular seller attracted almost everybody's attention – the money seller! A man was selling old bills from various currencies from all around the world. A few students bought old Franc bills dating back from before the Euro era.
Then we walked to the Château de la Duchesse Anne. It was lovely. There were a few items of a museum-y nature (paintings and objects from the antiquities and such) and lots of rooms to explore. The students seemed to have a great time wandering up and down all the flights of stairs, peering into the rooms, looking at the rickety old drawbridge and so on. We spent just under an hour at the castle.
After the visit to the castle, we walked up to the ramparts where the students could enjoy a view of the city's harbor and where some of them let me take individual shots of them gazing upon the valley. Then we left the ramparts and walked on a narrow cobble-stoned street down to the harbor. There, our coach bus was waiting for us to take us to our second destination: Dinard. You will see pictures of Dinan below.
Dinard
Dinard is another small quaint town in Bretagne, with charming beaches. The bus dropped us off at one of the beaches where we had lunch looking out at the sea. Next to our lunch spot stood a large statue of Alfred Hitchcock, as that particular beach is where he got his inspiration for the film “Psycho”. In the pictures of Dinard below, you will see a picture of a house on top of a cliff. Does it look familiar?
The students sat and ate in spite of some rain, and then wandered down to the sea to dip their feet into the waves. The water was about 500 ft down the beach, because the tide was still low. However, as I was trying to take pictures of everyone, I noticed that the water was very quickly getting closer and closer to the dry part of the beach. I personally grew up by the Mediterranean Sea, in the South of France, where there is no tide movement and where you will find people who don't even know what it is. I was in shock when I saw the water fill up the beach! I wanted to explain the phenomenon to the students, but no one seemed impressed. I had assumed that growing up in Indiana, at least a few students would have rarely had the chance to see waters rise and recede.
Saint-Malo
We then went to Saint-Malo. We went up on the ramparts as a big group and wandered in a leisurely fashion, looking out at the sea. We looked at a statue of Jacques Cartier, who discovered Canada. We then descended into the city and split up into four groups since the streets are narrow and the shops are tiny. Pretty much every group wanted to do the same thing: get some ice cream (there is a place called “Sanchez” that has tons of flavors) and go shopping for touristy things and clothes. We had about an hour left. When we got back onto the bus, everyone seemed really tired. We got back to Saint-Brieuc around the time we expected.
This morning, when we asked the students what they had preferred about this trip, they almost unanimously told us: the beach!