On y va! : Port Vendres, Fête Américaine, and Collioures!

We just got back from a super relaxing weekend in the South of France, and we are kickin' off week 4 with some fantastic vibes and good feels from our excursion. There was a lot on our list the first day : cruising past the sunflower fields (which PL Kyle told us were in National Geographic not too long ago!), enjoying a delicious paella dinner, and taking a night tour of the city of Port Vendres as the sun set.

After our scenic drive down to the South, we excitedly exited the bus and entered either the gite, French for hostel, or the hotel. Students were split about 60/40, with most staying in the hostel. One of the coolest things about the hostel is Paul. Paul runs the place, with a great attitude and a practical and economical approach to his electricity bill...solar power! If that weren't already cool enough, Paul cooked fresh and delicious food for us as our chef extraordinaire, and on the first night it was a seafood, chicken, and sausage paella. All the tastes were so scrumptious in this dish -- most went for seconds!

After we finished with dinner, we went on a tour of Port Vendres. We learned many interesting things about the small city. For example, it used to be the biggest importer of bananas! We also saw a huge mansion that used the be where they would keep grains for horses (some students thought it was an actual stable...but no!). Then, we saw all kinds of different fishing boats- some for lobsters, some for sardines, some for just plain old fishing fun! Finally, we ended at the obélisque which Paul explained to us that it represents peace between all continents (symbolized by turtles!) and a pillar on each corner represented one of four continents : Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. After our tour we were pretty crevé, so it was straight to bed for us!
 

Check out Alannah's post to see what we did on Day 2 of our vacation (there are plenty of fun things that made that list!). Shout out to the main helpers in the kitchen, though, Elias and Samuel! 

Day two point five is where this good ol' blog picks up! Another day, another meal! Tonight we were served a selection of tartes- a tuna pie, a quiche lorraine, a cheese pie, and a vegetarian one! Accompanied with Paul's famous zucchini and salad, it made for a delicious spread. Afterwards, we headed to the fete americaine... Port Vendres' take on what a classic American Party would entail. The townspeople of Port Vendres definitely knew how to put on a show - they danced traditional square dance in costume and all, entertaining the whole village! Afterwards, they led group dances where some of our kids jumped in to see if they could keep up. Hya killed it, never missing a beat, and she was always disappointed when they changed the song! Grace, Isabel, Camille, Sofia, Antonia, and many others also jumped in, keeping up the best that they could and displaying their American pride well! 

Lily, Camille, Grace, Elias, and Garrett enjoyed learning what PL Becca remembered from her 5th grade square dancing class. After practicing the footwork a few times, we had the dance down and showed it off to the people of Port Vendres. There were definitely some jealous eyes watching us then as we rocked the dance floor!

Day three! We started the day off with a morning run or a morning hike, depending on what kids were feeling up for. PL Cynthia led the hike, and PL Becca (me!) led the run, leaving at 6am in order to see the sunrise. After about a mile and a half, a bucket of sweat, and some sleepy eyes, we arrived to the light house where we sat to wait for the sun to rise. Although it was a bit cloudy out in the morning, the sun peeked through and we witnessed beautiful pink and orange take over the sky as the sun made an appearance. Check out the photos below (to be added later!) which show some Toulousers enjoying the view after their relaxing trek to the pier!

After returning for breakfast (Paul puts together the best corn flakes you've ever seen!), we headed out on a short (okay, maybe not short... maybe 45 minutes...) walk to Collioure, where we had a scheduled tour of the castle. During this time we learned many interesting facts about Spain and France's history in the area, and the constant struggle to maintain the land in Coulliore as it was such an important defense point on the sea! Traveling around the city center of Coulliore after, we explored the side streets, cafés and gelato stands before heading back to the hostel to collect our things and head home. 

While this was a short stay for all of us, a great time was had by all and Toulousers got to experience a different side of French culture, thanks to this trip. Vacation is sacred in France, and students certainly were respectful of this tradition- relaxing on the beach, taking their time to stroll from one place to the next, and capturing pictures that will freeze this weekend in time forever for them. This was a special place, made up of all its people, history, and beauty, that will be kept in the corners of Toulousers' minds as they finish out their last week of class and spend the time that is left with friends and especially with French!