Thanksgiving in Chambéry with the Driscolls

Bonjour mes amis! We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a great one with the Driscolls, giving thanks for our many blessings. Anne joined me in some of my classes Thanksgiving day where we discussed the meaning of this holiday to Americans and had a great discussion with my Terminale class on "American high schools". Then Irving and Lee joined us at the "boucher" where we picked up our "dinde" for our holiday dinner. We improvised a bit yet enjoyed every part of our "French Thanksgiving Dinner". Friday evening, colleagues from Lycée Vaugelas joined us to meet Anne and Irving. Saturday we had our first real snowfall and went to the marché to purchase food for the day. Saturday evening we took the Driscolls to "Le Sporting" which is a restaurant here which serves traditional cuisine Savoyard which consists of hearty cheese fondue, raclette, and tartiflette. Bon Voyage Irving and Anne!

Mme. Wallace

Anne and I were "prisonniers de Chillon"!

Wednesday, November 24, Lee and I traveled with Anne and Irving Driscoll to the Château de Chillon, which is located on the shore of Lake Geneva, near Montreux, Switzerland. The castle consists of 100 independent buildings that were gradually connected to become the building as it stands now. The first written record of the castle is in 1160. From the mid 12th century, the castle was home to the Counts of Savoy. It was made popular by Lord Byron, who wrote the poem, Le prisonnier de Chillon (The Prisoner of Chillon) in 1816. This poem is about François de Bonivard, a Genevois monk and politician who was imprisoned there from 1530 to 1536. Byron also carved his name on a pillar of the dungeon. The castle is one of the settings in Henry James's novel, Daisy Miller (1878). Très intéressant!

Mme. Wallace

The first snowfall on the mountains surrounding Chambéry

Bonjour mes amis! I wanted to share with you all the lovely picture which we woke up to last Monday morning. Snow had fallen during the night in Chambéry and had blanketed the top of the mountains. As the sun was rising, this was our view from the upstairs of our house. C'était absolument magnifique!!!

Mme. Wallace

Beaune, wine capital of Bourgogne

Bonjour mes amis! Lee and I decided to take advantage of the November 11 holiday for Armistice Day and travel to the rolling hills of Bourgogne. We arrived in Beaune, a charming city, where life centers on the production and consumption of the Côte d'Or wines. Côte d'Or means "golden hillside," and such hillsides are a spectacle to enjoy as the leaves are turning in the fall. Thursday afternoon we visited Hôtel Dieu which was a medieval charity hospital and is presently a museum. The Hundred Years' War and "the Black Death"(plague) devastated Beaune, leaving 75% of its population destitute. Nicholas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, had to do something to help his people, so, in 1443, Rolin paid to build this hospital. It was completed in eight years. Friday, Lee and I visited La Moutarderie Fallot, which is the last of the independent mustard mills in Burgundy. We had a very interesting tour of the factory and learned that the flavor of the mustard is based upon the original grain and the addition of wine juice. We made our own mustard and then had a tasting which included mustard made with Cassis. We had lunch at the Château de Pommard, a winery which has existed since 1726. Our final stop for the weekend was Cluny on our way back to Chambéry. The Abbaye de Cluny was a Benedictine monastery, built in the Romanesque style, from the 10th to the 12th centuries. Enjoy the pictorial history!!!

Mme. Wallace

La Cathedrale de Chambéry

Bonjour mes amis! Sunday, November 7, my cousin, Jennifer, and I went to a church service at Chambéry's Cathedral. This church is fascinating to me. It was built during the 15th century in the franciscan spirit. Consecrated in 1488 it became a "cathedral" in 1779, and was devoted to Saint Francis of Sales after 1801. The most fascinating characteristic is that when you enter the church you see a vaulted ceiling throughout. Upon closer examination, you realize that the ceiling is really a painted relief which looks like vaulting but is truly paint. We enjoyed this church service and the atmosphere created by its age.

Mme. Wallace

Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière-Stories in Mosaic

Bonjour mes amis! Saturday, November 6, Lee and I took our cousins to Lyon for the day. We rode the funicular to Fourvière Hill where, once you exit the funicular, this church is right in front of you. About 1870, the bishop of Lyon vowed to build a magnificent tribute to the Virgin Mary if the Prussians spared his city. Building of this church began in 1872, and the church was ready for worship by World War I. This is,undoubtedly, a Mary-centered church. Everything including the floor, walls, and ceiling are covered with beautiful mosaics. Stories glitter on the walls including those relating to the Virgin Mary in Church history on the left and those relating to the Virgin in French history on the right. My favorite was the one when Joan of Arc hears messages from Mary, rallies the French against the English at the Siege of Orléans in 1429, and then is burned at the stake in Rouen at age 19 in 1431.

Amusez-vous bien!!

Mme. Wallace

California comes to Lycée Vaugelas!

Bonjour mes amis! This past Thursday, November 4, my cousins (Carol, Jennifer, and Kevin) brought California into my English classes at Lycée Vaugelas. They did a wonderful presentation on California and "Hollywood". Students in 2nde had been studying castings and descriptions of their favorite film stars so this presentation was timely. The children seemed quite excited to learn about the "Academy Awards", Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Hollywood "Walk of Fame" and where many Hollywood celebrities spend their time. It was great to hear these "native French speakers" discussing "Hollywood" in English. They were given awards at the end for answering questions correctly. We asked them to give acceptance speeches!! C'était très très chouette!

Mme. Wallace

Genève - a worldwide centre for diplomacy

Bonjour mes amis! Wednesday we visited Geneva with my cousins. It is truly a global city, a financial centre, and a very important international co-operation centre with New York. The presence there of many agencies of the United Nations and the Red Cross along with the place where the Geneva Conventions were signed makes it quite important in the world. We visited the Broken Chair which is a monumental sculpture in wood by the Swiss artist Daniel Berset, constructed of 5.5 tons of wood and is 12 metres (39 feet) high. It depicts a giant chair with a broken leg and stands across the street from the Palace of Nations. It symbolizes opposition to land mines and cluster bombs, and acts as a reminder to politicians and others visiting Geneva. We also visited the famous and beautiful flower clock in Geneva which is a symbol of the Geneva watch industry and is located at the edge of the Jardin Anglais(English Garden) since 1955. We took a boat trip on Lac Léman and saw the famous Jet d'eau or water fountain. This water fountain, originally a simple security valve at the Coulouvrenière hydraulic factory, has, over the years, grown to be the symbol of Geneva. Our boat trip on Lac Léman provided us with beautiful views of the fall foliage.

Mme. Wallace

Contrasts in color - A Trip to Chamonix-Mont Blanc

Bonjour mes amis! What a drive we had yesterday! Lee and I took our cousins on a beautiful drive through the Alps to a village, Chamonix, which is at the base of Mont Blanc. The drive there was "beyond words." The colors of the autumn leaves were peaking and the contrast with the snow-capped Alps was so beautiful. We had wanted to take the téléphérique (gondola) and soar to Aiguille du Midi which is 12,600 feet above sea level. (Remember that, Cameron, Jason & Kendall?) Unfortunately, il y avait du brouillard (fog) so we couldn't go to the top unless we wanted to be "on top of the world" without being able to see!! Instead we took the Train du Montenvers from the Gare de Montenvers up to the Mer de Glace which is a rapidly receding glacier at the top of the mountain. The views were spectacular. We hoped that the brakes on the train held as we descended the mountain! Enjoy the contrasts in color on a beautiful fall day in the Alps.

Mme. Wallace