Dalton here,
It has been awhile since the France Trimester Abroad group as dropped in to say a few things about what they did this last week. Our 4th week in France (our 3rd in Pont Aven) was a blast as always. The weather was great through most of the week dabbling among the 55-65 degrees Fahrenheit range. The days are long, with the sun beaming down on our little Bretagne town. As the week moved on the "classic" Brittany weather came through. Grey with a side of showers sprinkled its way along the coast. Here is a day by day review of the last week (April 20 - 25).
Monday, we started out having our morning French class with Carine. After having the usual saucisson sec sandwich at our favorite restaurant Caf'é du Centre, we met at Chez-Lies to go over the infamous conquest of England by Duke William of Normandy. It wasn't just another day at Lies' though, the Frence Group had a special date with the Putney School assembly. After class we skyped into the Putney School assembly to tell them all what this trip has been about. While it didn't last long, I can vouch for the entire group when I say that it was great to see everyone back at school.
Tuesday, as always is a market day. Trucks line the road next to Café du Centre selling all kinds of foods. Pizza, crèpes, fruits, seafood, spices, meats, vegetables, and can be found during market day. After an art history lesson of Gaugin in Tahiti by Caroline Boyle-Turner, the crew grabbed a bite to eat at the Tuesday market before meeting Sue for another gallery expedition. We met her good friend Dominique Le Floch, who owns the L'Atelier d'Ernest Corrolier, one of Pont Aven's many galleries. She showed us all her art work her and her husband had collected. She spoke French with an astounding speed so many of us had to put ourselves in full French speaking mode to follow what she was saying. She looked though our sketchbooks and gave us some traditional Bretagne cookies before we left.
Wednesday was a taste of something different. After being in Pont Aven for almost 4 weeks, we were psyched for a our trip to Quimper (a 25 minute car ride away). While Quimper cannot claim the title of anything bigger than a "big town," we were excited to see something bigger than the quaint little village of Pont Aven. Carine gave us a French class assignment I am sure none of us will forget. Meeting at the cathedral in the town square, Carine handed us a scavenger hunt that required us to speak to total strangers to get the questions. The questions involved many aspects of Bretagne culture and local history that none of us knew. Later, after exploring the town a bit, we conjoined to go to the Musée de Beaux Arts. Caroline gave us a tour, giving us explanations and stories behind the paintings within the museum. Next we wandered over to the Department History Museum. It seemed that each exhibit was completely different from the last. There were a series ancient prehistoric artifacts as well as prints from local artists. Ceramic pieces, traditional Bretagne clothes, and medieval artifacts were also apart of the museums vast collection. To top of the day, Ben's parents, Jeff and Evie, arrived to spend a few nights in Pont Aven!
Thursday, our usual day of outing became a 10k hike! Jeff and Evie decided to join us on our coastal stroll along the jagged shores of southern Brittany. Pete, Beau, and Hank Boyle-Turner (husband to Caroline) also accompanied us. We lucked out with wonderful weather and plenty of beaches to dip our toes into the water. The hike started at the same beach the hike two weeks ago ended. The trail we travelled along is the Sentier Cotier that goes through Pont Aven. Our hardy group started at noon and ended with enough time to enjoy the beach. To top off the day, Jeff and Evie treated us at the Creperie Chez Angele to, you guessed it! Crèpes! It was a wonderful night at the restaurant and our bellies were most definitely filled to the brim with some of the best crèpes we have ever encountered. Thank you so much Jeff and Evie!
Friday, back to our usual class schedule, we met at Chez-Lies to discuss the Bayeux Tapestry. The topics included background information and a bit of artistic history to prepare for the following week when we travel to Normandy and see the tapestry with our very own eyes! Next was classe d'art with Sue. We met in the Pont Aven Boat yard to explore a much more traditional Bretagne art subject. To tip off the day we went through our artwork over a cup of café au lait or chocolat chaud, whichever you prefer.
Saturday was our usual classe de francais with Carine. As one would expect, we have all improved with our french speaking capabilities. Included in french class was the film Paris, Je t'aime; a collection of short love stories taking place in Paris. Later on the gang set out to see if they could find anything cool at the local "junk" show. In actuality it was an antique show, but nonetheless trinkets were found and bought. Despite the rainy weather, the weekend was smooth sailing.
With love and lots of chocolates,
The French Crew
