Our "Petit Prince" visits the French Alps!!!

Bonjour mes amis! Cameron, Hillary, and Harry arrived in Chambéry Saturday, April 23, to visit Lee and me for Easter week. It has been so fun to see the discovery of this region "through a child's eyes". Harry was delighted to discover the tunnels which allowed travelers to pass through the many mountains of this region. He saw cows and mountains for the first time. He experienced many "firsts". He took his first "boat ride" around Geneva's Lac Léman and spent Easter in Annecy with a train ride and a ride on the carousel. The parks in France are such a source of enjoyment for families so we have spent much time exploring the parks. We have had picnics and have enjoyed the swings, fountains, flowers, birds, and the beautiful weather in Chambéry. We have discussed how many French and European towns were built so that the parks were the center of recreational activities. People relax in the parks, have lunch in the parks, and basically enjoy each other in the parks. I have noticed that many students enjoy time between classes at Lycée Vaugelas in the nearby park. Harry and his grandfather have become connoisseurs of "la glace"(ice cream!) It has been such a pleasure to watch Harry savor the "simple things" and enjoy the "good life" in this delightful region of the Alps.

Mme. Wallace

The Value of Education

Gabriel Aurioles, our good friend from Virginia, shared his life experiences with two of my classes at Lycée Vaugelas on April 18. He told the story of his family's escape from Communist Cuba, under Castro, when he was 9 years old. One day, June 6, 1960, a communist soldier came into his father's vegetable oil factory in Cuba and told his father that, from that day forward, the factory would belong to the State. While he was looking down the barrel of a machine gun, his father was offered 10% of his salary to stay and run the business. Gabriel's father told the soldier, "let me think about it." Then his father went to his home and discussed with his wife their "plan of action." They decided to escape with their children that day to the "free world" because all was going to be lost to the Communists. All material possessions were left behind that evening. Gabriel was told that he could choose one toy to take with him and so he chose two matchbox cars to take to his new life. The children were told that they were going on vacation. Gabriel and his family flew to Miami and, after six months, the family moved to Mexico because it was Spanish-speaking and his father had better job opportunities. One of the most important possessions which Gabriel's father took with him when he left Cuba on June 6 was his college diploma. The diploma was a symbol to Gabriel and his family of the value of an education. When Gabriel later attended the University of Florida (Go Gators!) Gabriel would translate his textbook in the margins of the book from English into Spanish. He did this because he was determined to achieve a "college education" because his father had laid the groundwork for the value of education. The students at Lycée Vaugelas were mesmerized by Gabriel's story and we had good questions and discussion as a result of Gabriel's presentation. Merci bien Gabriel!

Mme. Wallace

Palm Sunday at the Abbaye De Hautecombe

Bonjour mes amis! Sunday, April 17, was a glorious spring day in France! Our friends, Joan and Gabriel Aurioles were visiting us from Boston. (former Richmonders) We decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and take a boat trip from Aix-les-Bains across Lac du Bourget to the Abbaye De Hautecombe. This Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery and later became a Benedictine monastery. The origins of the Abbey lie in a religious community which was founded in 1101 in a narrow valley near Lac Bourget by hermits from another abbey near Lac Léman. In 1125 it was transferred to a site on the shores of Lac Bourget under La Dent du Chat (a fascinating mountain peak which is so named because it looks like the tooth of a cat!!) Amadeus, Count of Savoy, has been named as the founder of the Abbey. Apart from its exceptionally beautiful location, the chief interest of Hautecombe is that it was for centuries the burial-place of the Counts and Dukes of Savoy. Since Chambéry is the former capital of Savoy, this history has special meaning to us. Some 300 statues and many frescoes adorn the interior of the church, which is 215 feet long, and which has a transept 85 feet wide. While touring the interior of the church, we could visualize the monks at worship on Palm Sunday hundreds of years ago! Magnifique!!

Mme. Wallace

Majestic Lake Como: MOLTO BELLO!

Bonjour mes amis! After visiting Milan, April 1, Lee and I traveled to Lake Como. Lake Como is an hour's drive from Milan but "light-years" of difference in pace and way of life. Lake Como is lined with elegant, 19th century villas, crowned by snow-capped mountains, and is busy with ferry boats and hydrofoils which transport you from village to village around the lake. We stayed in Varenna, which is a beautiful mid-lake village and a handy base to explore other villages. There is very little commercialization in Varenna, just lots of walking and "taking in" that more leisurely pace. Varenna has a romantic promenade, a tiny harbor, narrow lanes, and its own villa. Saturday, April 2, we took the ferry to Bellagio and Menaggio. We especially enjoyed exploring Bellagio, which is across the lake from Varenna, and is a much more substantial town than Varenna. Bellagio is called the "Pearl of the Lake" with its charm and elegance of the "Old World." It was such fun to explore the narrow streets and passageways of Bellagio. The scenery and colors in and around Lake Como were "off the charts" beautiful!

Mme. Wallace

Milan's Forest of Spires

Bonjour mes amis! Friday, April 1, Lee and I travelled to Milan, Italy. Milan is Italy's second largest city and the capital of Lombardy and has a population of over 1 million people. Lee and I were immediately aware of a fashion-conscious, progressive city, with beautiful architecture. Milan was called "the central place" by the Romans in 300 BC, and by 300 AD, it was the capital of the western half of the Roman Empire. By the time of the Renaissance, Milan was named "the New Athens," and was the cultural center that Leonardo da Vinci called home. We began our exploration at the Duomo which is in the city center, and is the 4th largest church in Europe. Back when Europe was divided into many tiny kingdoms, the dukes of Milan wanted to impress their counterparts in Germany and France by building a massive, richly ornamental cathedral. The Duomo is loaded with pointed arches and spires. The cathedral was built of beautiful pink marble from top to bottom. The Duomo is 525 by 300 feet, immense, with more than 2,000 statues inside and 52 large pillars representing the weeks of the year. It was built to hold 40,000 people, which was the entire population of Milan when the project began. Construction of this cathedral was from 1386-1810. This construction project originated the Italian phrase for "neverending: like building a cathedral." After visiting the Duomo we took a "hop-on, hop-off" bus tour of Milan. Milan was a lovely city!

Mme. Wallace