FRENCH EXCHANGE
Saturday 1st October
We set off at the early hour of 7:30 from RNC. We met Rosie and Hannah at ST. Pancras Station in London before boarding the Eurostar train for Lyon via Lille. A warm welcome was waiting for us on our arrival. What a beautiful city Lyon is!
Sunday 2nd October
Hervé, Victoria and Sylvie escorted us on an incredible tour of the wonderful combination of streets, buildings, rivers and people that make Lyon and Villeurbanne a unique cultural experience. We all wore out at least one pair of shoes! The Basilica and Cathedral were there to inspire us and the streets and traboule of the old town left us dizzy with excitement. Back to René Pellet college for supper.
Monday 3rd October
Our first day with the French students and an experience of lessons. We met students young and old and some who were coming back with us to Hereford. This was a fantastic opportunity for all the students to introduce themselves through English and French.
Tuesday 4th October
Today we visited the "L`Institut Lumière" where we enjoyed a short film “Le Voyage dans la Lune” and an American classic by William Wellman called “Other Men’s Women”. We posed for lots of photographs on a hot and sunny day. Time for a trip on the Metro and some shopping in town! We all heightened our balancing skills in a circus workshop in the evening.
Slide show / Diaporama (Click on this photo / Cliquez sur la photo)
See the french website : http://www.institut-lumiere.org/
The teachers "Place Bellecour"
Wednesday 5th October
There were more interesting opportunities to practice our French in lessons today with students gaining more confidence in there ability to speak and understand a different language. Then we faced the challenge of the purpose built climbing wall situated on the college campus. Next Mont Blanc! Then we went to an unbelievable film accompanied by the Lyon National Orchestra who played beautifully throughout the projection of “The Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse”.
Slide show / Diaporama (Click on this photo / Cliquez sur la photo)
Thursday 6th October
What luck! Lyon hosts the art exhibition “La Biennale d’Art Contemporain à Lyon” and we were able to visit the most interesting and varied collection of art, sculptures and installations in two enormous galleries in different parts of the city. One of the galleries turned out to be an old sugar factory situated at the confluence of the rivers Rhone and Saone.
Slide show / Diaporama (Click on this photo / Cliquez sur la photo)
See the french website : http://www.biennaledelyon.com/
Friday 7th October
Sports fans amongst us were delighted when we visited the Stade de Gerland, home of Lyon football team. We were joined by the tour guide we met on Monday for a fascinating tour of the dugout, changing rooms and VIP boxes. This was followed by a French cookery session for French and English students where delicious cakes were made and eaten.
Slide show / Diaporama (Click on this photo / Cliquez sur la photo)
Saturday 8th October
Sadly, it was time to go home and we said ‘au revoir’ to many of the French staff and students who had made us feel so welcome and had worked so hard on our behalf to organise our programme. Fortunately, we were joined on the way home, by eight French students and three teachers who will be spending the next week in Hereford with us!