The French Excursion is coming to an end.

The Westcoast Blogger

Dear Parents of the French Excursion,

We could no longer hold our excitement as we looked out of the TGV train windows to see bright blue waters of the Mediterranean as we pulled into Nice. The sight took our breaths and the beach was a welcome and pleasant sight.

That afternoon we spent some time poolside and at the beach. Program leader Erika led a group of girls, including Dominika, Erica, Kelsey, Tara, Daniela, and Diana in a water aerobics class. We enjoyed a wonderful meal that night at La Casita where endless trays of food were placed in front of us. We headed to Vieux Nice where we walked around a charming outdoor market and spent some time playing games on the beach.

On Saturday, we traveled by train to Monaco where we were enchanted by the wonderful Musee Oceanographie. Casey took beautiful pictures of exotic looking fish, while Michael was captivated by the large turtle swimming around the tank. After a walk around Monte Carlo, the group enjoyed a wonderful meal before catching the train back to Nice.

On Sunday, we traveled to Cannes, the home of the film festival. The beach was full of sunbathers.  We settled on the sand, played some games in the water, and hung out. Overall, a very relaxing day was had by all.

Monday was our first day back at school, this time at Ecole France Langue in Nice. Our students had the chance to interact with other students from around the world during break time and the buzz of the French can always be heard in the hallways of the school. After class, we then went to the village of Eze to visit the Fragonard factory to see how perfume is made. We tested our noses and guessed different scents.

Tuesday afternoon was spent at the beach in Antibes where we relaxed and enjoyed the old city.

Wednesday morning saw the students conducting a survey as they asked locals questions about culture, loisirs, gastronomie, et leur image D’Americains. It was nice to see the students put their French to good use. The afternoon was filled with visits to the museum of archeology and Marc Chagall, art and history were appreciated by all! Our night was quite exciting as we headed to the world renowned Nice Jazz Festival where we danced and sang to the one and only James Taylor!

Today, Thursday was our last day at school where some students performed small skits and others sang French songs. We spent our afternoon doing some last minute shopping, packing our bags, spending time at the beach and pool, and enjoying each other’s company for the last day.

Tonight, we’re headed to Le Quebec for our final banquet. We’ll all dress up, take pictures, and look back on our past 27 days. Don’t tell your sons and daughters if they call home but… we’re taking the group to the best crêperie in town for dessert and after we’ll have a French naming ceremony!

We cannot believe the trip is coming to a close, the past 27 days have been incredible. Your sons and daughters have amazing personalities, smiles, and joie de vivre.

Passez un bel été

The French Excursion

P.S. – Recette pour Crèpes: Recipe for crepes

22 cuillères de farine

2 oeufs

un demi litre de lait

une cuillère de Rhum

2 cuillères de sucre

Dans un saladiere, melangez le farine, faites un trou, ajoutez une pincée de sel, ajoutez le lait et le rhum, commencera a melanger. Add butter to a pan and add the crepe batter by thsp. to the pan, watch carefully and peel off slowly. Crepes can be enjoyed with chocolate, nutella, jam, or sugar.

Ask your son/daughter to translate the French for you!