5/30 - Sightseeing in Paris!

Eliot and Graecia here to tell you about our latest day in France. The twelve of us started our day by splitting into two groups: one that wanted to go to the Musée d'Orsay and one that wanted to go to L’arc de Triomphe first.

For those who wanted to see the Arc de Triomphe first, we were able to walk along the Champs-Elysées. The Champs-Elysées is similar to Rodeo Drive, where there are tons of stores on a strip that you can shop at! They had luxury stores like Dior, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, and even familiar food places like Starbucks and McDonalds. One of the most interesting spots on the Champs-Elysées was a giant Louis Vuitton building shaped like a trunk! There were also tons of pop up souvenir shops to buy the official Paris Olympic gear, and great souvenirs for friends and family. If you’re really into shopping or want to window shop the expensive brands, the Champs-Elysées is the place to go!

At the end of the Champs-Elysées was the Arc de Triomphe and we got to see the iconic roundabout around the monument! This monument is important to French history because it honors the soldiers and individuals who fought and died for France during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars which was so cool to see it in person! Unfortunately the lines were too long to go to the top during the morning, but it was nice to see it before it downpoured!

Going to see the Musée d’Orsay was just as exciting because the museum was huge! Five floors, vaulted ceilings, and intricate architecture within the building itself. There were gorgeous paintings and sculptures everywhere we looked. While it hosted some of the most beautiful arts of work, the museum itself was beautiful as it used to be a train station.

One of Eliot's favorite tableau was William Bouguereau’s Égalité Devant La Mort (Equality before the death). He is not an art critic by any means, but he was amazed by how stunning and dynamic the paining was. 

Graecia's favorite paintings were from Edgar Degas, specifically the paintings with the ballerinas. The Impressionist Exhibit had so many Monet and Van Gogh paintings, and even had the iconic Bedroom in Arles painting!

Another painting that stood out to Eliot was Le Chevalier aux fleurs (The Horseman in the Flowers) by Georges Rochegrosse. He thought the delicate way Rochegrosse painted the flowers was incredible. 

Another museum we went to was the Museum of Immigration History, which was included in our Museum Pass. The museum was packed with information, showcasing immigrants and the relation between historical events and immigration. The museum began in the 1600s up to the present day, and had artifacts and preserved media from each major historical event like the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, World Wars, and revolutions that affected France.

One of the most interesting and worthwhile features of the museum were stories of some of the immigrants that came to France. It included actual passports of these immigrants, or important items that they brought with them. Their reasoning for coming to France varied, but we thought it was so insightful reading their stories and their mark on French history. Here are some of the immigrants mentioned and even some passports displayed!

Our night ended with everyone deciding to see the Arc de Triomphe again. Controversial opinion, but Eliot thought that the Arc de Triomphe was more exciting than the Tour Eiffel (while Graecia thinks that the Tour Eiffel at night is the best!). After L’arc de Triomphe, we hopped back on the Metro and booked it back to the Eiffel Tower to see it sparkle for the last time at 11 that night. We harnessed our best tourist energy and sprinted through the Metro. 

Just by sightseeing and exploring more of Paris we were able to learn so much about French history and culture through the Arc de Triomphe, the Immigration History Museum, and the Musée d’Orsay! It's always amazing learning about how a country evolves through the movement of people and ideas, resulting in historic landmarks and beautiful paintings and sculptures. 

The next day we will be going to Rouen for a day trip, which has the Rouen Cathedral (which is one of the paintings in this blog post!) and visiting the Museum of Education! Today's been a long day but a fun one for sure!   

5/29 - Au revoir to Limoges

Bonjour! This is Elizabeth and Molly coming to you with the latest updates on the ventures of your favorite French travelers. 

We ended last night with a lively dinner where we were joined by Sanaa, who is the university student we met the previous day after visiting schools! We met with her because she is studying education here at the University of  Limoges. During dinner we had the opportunity to discuss various topics such as differences in our cultures, university life, and language, including exchanging slang words, and a variety of friendly topics. We loved having the opportunity to make a friend here in France!

Us at dinner with our new friend Sanaa!

Molly and Patrick in matching outfits at dinner!

This morning our whole group spent time packing up before heading out for the day. While this is our final morning in Limoges before heading back to Paris, we definitely still made the most of our final hours here.

Today, we had lots of free time to explore the city of Limoges and all it has to offer. The architecture in Limoges includes beautiful historic buildings, some dating back to the 1200s. Below is a picture of Quartier de la Boucherie which is one of the oldest sections in Limoges. It reminded us of Beauty and the Beast!

We visited many small shops with great souvenirs, jewelry, clothes, and food. For us, the farthest part of our wandering led us to a beautiful cathedral and a botanical garden with great views overlooking the city. This was a peaceful area that provided us with space to reflect on our time spent in Limoges. Throughout our exploring everyone found somewhere to grab lunch with enough time to meet back at our hotel at 2pm to head off for our train. Paris here we come!

5/28 - Oradour-sur-Glane and school visits

Hello everyone, this is Matt and Maggie. We are so excited to be writing our second blog post! Before we begin, we would like to mention that we will be discussing potentially triggering and upsetting information about our experience in Oradour-sur-Glane. Oradour-sur-Glane was the site of a very violent and brutal massacre of over 600 men, women, and child civilians by the Nazis on the tenth of June, 1944. Additionally, we would like to preface our post by warning you that the information we have collected and synthesized is based on our experience at the museum, our guided auditory tour, and our personal notes. With this said, there may be a few holes, mistranslations, and slight inaccuracies in our summary of the history of this important town. 

Our Experience at Oradour-sur-Glane

We arrived at Oradour-sur-Glane by bus around nine in the morning. We began our time in the Centre de la Mémoire (Memory Center) by completing an individual, self-guided auditory tour of the museum. Per the request of the Centre de la Mémoire, we did not take any photos inside of the museum out of respect for the people who lost their lives in the massacre. However, the museum directors did allow us to take some photos of the village itself as it is preserved today. 

We walked through five different themed rooms: the first discussed the rise of nazism and the political/social environment before the war, as well as the French Defeat (Vichy Government, Resistance Movement). This information was important for us to learn in order to have a deeper understanding of the foundations of the second world war and its context, as seen through the perspectives and experiences of the French people. 

In the second room, we learned about the infiltration of the Nazi regime in France and other acts of violence towards French civilians (for example, the massacres on June 8th and 9th, 1944). We listened to the history of the first French concentration camp – called Nexon – in the region of Limoges, which opened around 1940 and closed its doors in 1945. Nexon was the first concentration camp for French prisoners; most were then transferred to the Dracy camp and finally, the Auschwitz camp. The most powerful part of this exhibit, for us, was listening to excerpts of Charles de Gaulle’s famous speech from London through the BBC radio (June 18, 1940). His message to his French sisters and brothers, on behalf of the resistance, was this: “Quoi qu’il arrive, la flamme de la résistance française ne doit pas s’éteindre et ne s’éteindra pas.” In English, this translates to: “Whatever happens, the flame of French resistance must not and will not go out.” 

In the third room, we learned the depth of the tragedy on June 10th, 1944 in Oradour-sur-Glane. It is important to understand that in the three years leading up to June 10th, millions of people inside and out of France faced brutality and violence from the Nazi regime. For example, though resistance fighters were fighting for French freedom, millions of members from the Jewish community, people with disabilities, and resistance fighters were killed in mass executions and buried in mass graves. The Nazi regime had conquered half of France and focused their military strategy on creating a sense of extreme fear in order to gain control of the French people. The attack on Oradour-sur-Glane was planned and deliberate; as detailed in room three, the Nazi party planned to make an example of the people in Oradour-sur-Glane. They attacked the town from both east and west, surrounding the village and murdering civilians during the day, in cold blood. The Nazi soldiers had identified Oradour-sur-Glane because it could be easily surrounded geographically, was home to many war refugees, and was in close proximity to Limoges. They wanted to remind the French people that “a massacre could happen at any time or place.” The attack occurred at 1pm on June 10th. Only five men, one woman, and one child survived. 197 men, 240 women, and 205 children were killed. Civilians were locked in homes (men) and the church (women and children), which were then set on fire and attacked with grenades. 

An excerpt from Jean Pillier, who was traveling to the village to pick up his wife and child at the time of the attack, sums up the devastation of the massacre. He wrote: 

“I tried to pick up my wife and kid but was stopped by Germans. It took 2 weeks and I headed towards the graves that are already been discovered. The scene was horrifying. In the midst of the pile of rubble I could see burnt human bones, particularly the pelvic bones. I saw several graves one next to the junction of the road Saint Julian and another in the garage of the village and the food in the barn located next to the Shen café, although the bones were almost completely destroyed, the number of victims seemed very high as I walked through the village. I had noticed that morning had disappeared and the two remaining houses had been burned down. It was 5 PM and I learned that corpses of women and children had just been discovered in the church. There are no words to describe such an abomination, although the upper structure of the church and the bell were entirely burnt the bolts of the had stood the fire.” 

The fourth room captured the events that followed the massacre on June 10th and highlighted the many ways that the French Republic mourned the loss of the martyred village. Following the war, the attack in Oradour-sur-Glane went under trial and was declared to be a war crime. Though more than 100 soldiers attacked the village, only 21 were put on trial. All were found guilty of war crimes, though 7 French soldiers forced into war by the Nazi regime were granted amnesty. 

In the fifth and final room, we read many peace messages and were invited to engage in silent meditation/reflection. All of our classmates agreed that one of the most powerful quotes was “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (George Santayana, 1905). This quote led to some group reflection on how we can honor the memory of the martyred city and make sure history does not repeat itself. 

After concluding our individual tour, we walked through the village of Oradour-sur-Glane. To honor and remember the acts of terror against the French people, the country decided to leave the village exactly how it was after the attack. The remains serve as a reminder of the lives lost but not forgotten, as well as highlight the importance of taking a stand for collective freedom and liberation. Here are some photos of the village for you to reflect upon: 

Remains of village homes and buildings.

 

Remains of the School for Girls.

 

Remains of the church where women and children were held hostage and killed. 

The Rest of Our Day: School Visit, Informal Touring, and Group Dinner

After returning from Oradour-sur-Glane, we had lunch in Limoges. Classmates enjoyed sushi, Thai food, and sandwiches. Our hosts from the University of Limoges set up a visit at a local elementary school. We spent time with students of all different ages – some were six or seven, others were ten or eleven. We enjoyed speaking with the French students and their teachers. Many of the students were very excited to meet American people and practice speaking English. We read some of our favorite children's books such as Strega Nona, The Invisible String, and The Year We Learned to Fly. In our classroom, Leo taught a small group of students about subtraction and addition, Matt led a mini math lesson in English, and Maggie read the book “The Invisible String” out loud to the class. 

Pictures of the School: 

After, we broke into smaller groups to do some informal touring, shopping, and relaxing. Students explored local parks, jogged by the river, window shopped in downtown Limoges, and took the extra time to take a much needed break to read a book or do laundry. 

Finally, we ended our night at a local restaurant called Le Versailles. We enjoyed the company of our two hosts from the University of Limoges, their partners, and one of their students in the teacher-preparation program. Some of our favorite dishes were Bruschetta and Buratta, a pasta dish called Tagliatelles with veal or scallops, cheesecake, and lemon chicken. 

We are writing this blog post from our hotel – it is currently 11:50 pm and we are looking forward to a very busy day of touring and traveling back to Paris tomorrow. We have learned so much from our time in Limoges and cannot wait to share more when we get back to the United States. Sending love and saying goodnight from France! 

5/27 - School, Porcelain and New Friends Oh my!!

Hi everyone! This is Hally and Leo here to tell you about our first full day in Limoges! 

First, we hopped on the bus and rode to a local elementary school that was connected to the University of Limoges. The school gets more funding than a typical public school because it is used as a laboratory setting for the University of Limoges's preservice teachers! We also met Jill and Sandrine who are professors at the university and helped set up our school visits as well as our dinners and other tours in the area! 

We split into groups to visit classrooms. Leo was in a 6-7-year-old classroom (called CP: Cours Préparatoire) and Hally was in a 10-11-year-old classroom (called CM2: Cours Moyen 2). At first, the students were very quiet but pretty quickly warmed up to us and became super excited to interact with us! The students practiced their English phrases asking us questions about ourselves and America! We all read the books we had brought to gift to the teachers in front of the classes. Molly and Elizabeth were able to show how they do long division in America and compared it to their French way! Others showed American money and others still compared the price of colleges!! It was so interesting to see that all of their English anchor charts and posters were centered around British English. 

Then we had lunch with the Limoges professors, a few teachers, and a very kind preservice teacher named Suna! She was 24 and doing her master's in education. She explained that here they do 3 years of undergrad in general study (she did English and Spanish) and then get their master's for 2 years! We chatted with her about university life, teaching practices, education program culture, languages, and her perception of America! It was so fun to connect with a student of our age!

 

Molly, Elizabeth, and Hally had a very thought-provoking conversation with a few of the professors about Laïcité, which is a French constitutional principle about the separation of church and state. This means that religion cannot be talked about in schools. You are not allowed to wear hijabs, crosses, or Star of David necklaces. We discussed how we believe it is important to teach about other religions in school, by reading books about upcoming holidays and teaching about other cultures in general, but we wouldn't necessarily celebrate them in the classroom which we feel would be pushing a religion on them. For example, we would have a holiday party instead of a Christmas party. Suna explained that none of that would be done in a French school. One of the professors piped up and said that she felt it was sad that there were no Christmas parties anymore because it was such a joyful time for all children regardless of religion. Hally then asked if she thought it was sad that Muslim children could not wear a hijab, and she replied that everyone should wear and celebrate what they want but the hijab was too much...

We later reflected on how lucky we were to live in America and be educated at UVM where there is such an open and affirming mindset to celebrating all cultures and religions. We think that this mindset of Laïcité and the killing of native languages that we saw in Nantes with Breton can be attributed to the French culture of wanting unity, but as we can see, it may also lead to unintended exclusion. Here you can see a poster we found about Laïcité in the Library of Education, and how it is a teacher's duty to remain neutral.  

Then we spent a little time in the University of Limoges library for education, which is accessible to education students as well as local teachers. They had picture books in both French and English, manipulatives ,and curriculum materials teachers could check out! We wish we had something like this at UVM!

Then we hopped on the bus to go to the famous porcelain museum, Four des Casseaux. Like how syrup is a main tourist attraction in Vermont, porcelain is a main attraction of Limoges and has been since the 1800s. We took a guided tour that showed us the steps to fire porcelain in 2400-degree fires! It took 10 total days from start to finish to make a porcelain item. Show below are pictures of the giant kiln and some finished porcelain items.

After the tour of the porcelain museum, some members of the group went to explore historic Limoges while others went to rest at the hotel! 

We had dinner with Jill and Sandrine at a lovely restaurant and were able to chat with them about their careers as researchers, writers, and teachers! It was interesting to hear about the lack of special education resources here in France. Sandrine was writing a thesis that touched on how they needed to implement a Universal Design for Learning approach in France, which is a staple in most US schools. It focuses on making all lessons accessible to students no matter their ability level. We again were grateful for our UVM education and access to resources at American schools! 

And now we are back at the hotel writing this blog and hanging with some other students in the group! 

Thanks for reading! 

5/26 - Nantes to Limoges travel day

 5/26/2024

Bonjour! Maeve and Molly here, ready to take you through our very low-key Sunday in France. It’s another jour de voyager, or day of traveling, as we wrap up our time in Nantes and head south, towards the city of Limoges.

After a quick hotel breakfast, we boarded the 10:45am tram that took us to the Nantes train station. We’ve all greatly enjoyed our time here in Nantes and have made so many amazing memories, all of which could not have been more perfectly captured than the way they were compiled in Dari’s vlog - make sure to check that out (linked under the 5/24 blog post)!!

We did so much in Nantes - from visiting and participating in French and Breton-speaking preschool and elementary school classrooms - where we learned about the language of Breton and its rich culture/history - to meeting Juliet’s sister’s family and having a picturesque dinner at their beautiful home. We expanded our wardrobes through thrift shopping, rode on three-story carousels, stood at the base of a giant mechanical elephant, wandered through a 15th century castle, ate baguettes for breakfast, ate sandwiches made with baguettes, ate hot dogs with baguettes as buns…

To put it shortly, Nantes was fantastique! 

(That’s French for fantastic).

A (Fairly Dull) Live Update From the Train

I’m anticipating that we won’t have too much content to share today, so I figured I’d share a brief live update from our three hour train ride. As I’m typing this, the current time is 12pm. About 20 minutes ago (at 11:40am) we boarded the train, which will take us from Nantes to an hour-and-a-half pit-stop in the small town of Vierzon, where we’ll grab lunch. After that, we’ll board a 4:11pm train from Vierzon, which should put us in Limoges right around 6pm. From what we’ve been told, Vierzon is a very, very small town, so I’m looking forward to giving an update on how our short time there goes.

Anyway, back to the train ride. It’s a pretty quiet journey - I (Maeve) am sitting across from Eliot and Patrick, who are currently having a conversation about the Eurovision singing competition. More of us are listening to music, taking naps, and doing work. Not too much to update on beyond that, so I’ll check back in a bit later.

Vierzon

In Vierzon, we disembarked in various groups to find places to eat. Patrick was kind enough to watch all of our bags and suitcases while we adventured on our restaurant hunt (don’t worry, Juliet picked him up something to eat from one of the burger/crepe places)! Although word on the street was that most places to eat in Vierzon were closed on Sundays, we were still able to find some great food (such as savory crepes, burgers, potatoes, and sandwiches) to hold us over for the oncoming train ride.

Limoges

Molly here! Once we arrived in Limoges we made our way through the train station and immediately were greeted with the beauty this town has to offer. The train station itself is a historic building and made of remarkable French architecture that I could have stayed and observed for so long! 

We walked through the town from the train station to our hotel- Let’s just say now I know why Juliet and Patrick recommended us to not pack 50 pounds worth of luggage! We shortly arrived at the hotel and were very excited with the balconies from our rooms- here you can see a view showing a bit of what Limoges is like. 

After getting settled into Limoges we had a group dinner at Le Churchill Restaurant. With having a large group reservation, the restaurant provided us with a designated/fixed menu selection for our dinner. Many of us tried multiple new foods for the first time, including duck! This was a great experience for us to try something out of our comfort zones and embrace French culture through the food!

This long travel day allowed me to reflect a bit on our trip so far. While on the trains I really enjoyed looking out at the terrain along the way and seeing animals, peaceful streams and landscapes, along with interesting architecture and chateaux! I have found beauty in every part of France we have explored so far and I look forward to what is to come. Soon we will be heading off to bed to prepare for another day in the schools tomorrow, immersing ourselves in the language and culture of France!

Au revoir from Molly and Maeve!! We hope you enjoyed reading about our first day in Limoges!