French-Exchange

YEAR 2023/2024

Our students' trip to France

May 18th:

Back in Auray to spend their last day walking along the city to know it a bit more: it dates back to the 13th century, when the Brittany Dukes built a bridge, a harbour and a castle in Saint-Goustan.

A stone bridge of four archs, whose origin dates back to the 13th century links la rue du Château and the uptown (where the fortress was located) with the Saint-Goustan Harbour, which is one of the landmarks in Auray. This small harbour flourished in the Middle Ages thanks to its strategic location, and raised in popularity during the 16th and 17th centuries thanks to the wine and cereals trade, becoming one of the most important harbours in Brittany.

Walking along Saint-Goustan neighbourhood, up and down its cobbled steep streets and alleys, packed with ancient houses whose facades are wooden and date back to the 15th and 16th centuries is travelling back in time...

May 17th:

Today is a rainy day ☔ for our students... Anyway, they have moved to Nantes ( not in Brittany, as it is the capital city of Pays de la Loire region), where they have visited the Dukes of Brittany's Castle, an old medieval fortress and a palace. It's on the right bank of River Loire, which provided the water for the moat.

They have also visited the Nantes Cathedral and then (to shelter from🌧️) they got into the Passage Pommeraye, a shopping gallery built in different heights and decorated with white columns and sculptures. It dates back from 1843 and is very well preserved.

To finish their visit, they went to an exhibition of les Machines de l'île, a mixture between the invented worlds by Jules Verne (born in that city), the umechanical universe by Leonardo da Vinci and the industrial history of Nantes.

There was an impressive Big Elephant 🐘 with a height of 12m😲 and the Sea Worlds Carrousel, counting on 27 marine creatures in movement 😱)

May 16th:

Today it was the turn of Vannes, where our students have enjoyed its typical timber-framed houses (some of them from 15th century) and have walked by its wall

Later, a short trip on a boat 🛥️ and also a bike ride 🚲 to enjoy Arz island.

May 14th and 15th:

Trip to Carnac, where our students have visited the megallithic monuments and have participated in the Initiation to Pre-historic Techniques Workshop. (Maybe they remembered Obelix and his menhir 😉)

They have also walked along"Côte Sauvage" and visited a canning factory.

Next day, a tour in Auray, their host city, with its charming medieval harbour...

May 10th to 13th:

PARIS

A (more or less quick 😊) visit to the City of Love 💖...

Eiffel Tower, Trocadero Square, Mars' Field, and the Louvre!! We mustn't forget about Montmartre neoghbourhood, Garnier Opera House, Champs-Élysées and many other things they could see in 3 days (really exhausting days😅)