The First Part of the Trip

Hey ya'll (back in the US)! Sorry if this blog has lots of spelling errors, but the keyboards here are different! I think that all the students are having a hard time with that.

So far on our trip I feel like all we've done is eat! I'm not complaining though, if you know me, you know how much I like food, especially French food. Our first full day here, Saturday, was very busy! We visited a town called Mussy that was very small and SO old. It was really pretty and very interesting. We were given a tour of the town and the local church by Estelle, Phil's very friendly and gracious girlfriend. After that, we went to another small town called Essoyes where Renoir lived most of the second half of his life, where his great-granddaughter still lives in his home, and where he is buried. After that, we stopped at Jean Josselin Champagne to learn about how Champagne is made and to have a tasting. I think that this was my favorite part of the whole day!!! We got lunch after this at a park that overlooked acres and acres of vineyards. I think that it would be fun to come back here in August or September when the vineyards are full, not bare like they are now. After this, we visited a fromagerie and saw how cheese is made, specifically Chaource cheese, a regional specialty. After ALL this we went to a Turkish restaurant for dinner. The food got mixed reactions from the Americain students, but I liked it alright. The last event of the day was the soccer match between Troyes's soccer team end the team from Valenciennes. Troyes lost pretty badly and Ashley and I have decided that soccer players are all wimps and aren't half as tough as Americain football players!

The next morning, Sunday, ... oops we have to go take a tour of UTT, I'll finish this later! Au Revoir!

Haley