About The Banks County news. (Homer, Banks County, Ga.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2013)
PAGE12A THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2013 CHENONCEAU A side view of Chenonceau show ing the river flowing under the bridge turned castle gallery. CHARTRES CATHEDRAL Banks County High School stu dents are shown in front of the Chartres Cathedral. AT TOWN SQUARE Mr. and Mrs. Wisecup are shown in the picturesque town square of Tours, France BCHS TRAVELS TO FRANCE The Loi re Valley BY PAMELA WISECUP The second part of our journey through France consisted of stops at several romantic sites in the Loire (pronounced: lo wah’) Valley. As the bus moved through the valley, we saw never-ending fields of potatoes and sugar beets, as well as ani mals such as deer and rabbits standing in groups at the edge of the woods. Occasionally, we would see a ring-necked pheasant fly across the road to get to a field. There was an abundance of wildlife on this stage of the trip, and some of us made it a game to see what animals we could find, and compare their size and color to the animals we see in Georgia. There were distinct dif ferences between the animals of the two countries. Along the way, we stopped at the town of Chartres to visit the famous Chartres Cathedral. This cathedral was magnificent with its fantastic architecture and beautiful stained glass. A few of the more adventurous ones in the group climbed to the top of the bell tower with Mr. Wisecup to see the view of the town from above. There were so many steps to climb, that when they came down, they were excited about the beautiful panorama they saw, but their legs were shaking badly from the exertion. Even the athletic ones were shaking after the trip to the top of the cathedral. We were then able to spend about an hour of free time, going to the shops. Several of us chose to explore the candy and pastry shops to see what delicious items the stores had to offer. We all seem to have tried a variety of chocolates and pastries, which were quite good, eating them in the little town square park in front of the cathedral. When we met up with our tour director it was back to the bus and off toward Amboise with a stop at the beautiful cha teau (castle) of Chambord, the largest chateau in France. This particular chateau was not typical of most castles in France. It had some really interesting looking architecture, drawing many gasps of delight from the crowd. As Chambord was simply a stop for photos and lunch, we spent some time taking pictures, and then popped into the gift shop, which was full of beautiful items to buy. With purchases made, it was time to buy lunch. There were several souvenir shops and an outdoor restaurant where they prepared a variety of delights...most of them sand wiches. Some of us ordered the steak sandwich, which basi cally translated into a really good hamburger patty served on a baguette, with fries on the side. All this was quite tasty, but the establishment was pretty stingy with the catsup. Back on the bus, it was apparent the students had figured out they had better rest between stops, as there is generally a lot of walking, and we didn’t stop for the evening before 7:30 pm each day. Nearly every student fell asleep as soon as the bus started rolling. We had a long drive before we would arrive at our hotel for the next two nights, so the students were very willing to take naps. We made a stop in the town of Tours for a walking tour, free time, and dinner. Tours is the town where young Joan of Arc of history book acclaim procured her armor when she was given an army of soldiers to fight the English. Incidentally, they call her Jeanne in France. It was all very interesting, and the buildings in the town square were pretty. After a dinner of quiche (egg and cheese pie), we continued on our journey. This turned out to be the third quiche in two days for some of us, so some were not so enthused when they saw the quiche. When we arrived at our hotel and checked in, some of us wanted to walk to a nearby gro cery store and pick up some snacks. On the bus ride into town, we had searched out and spied a store that would be open until 8 pm. It was about a five minute walk to get to the store, so we made it just as they admitted the last customers...we were safe! The seven of us quickly scattered throughout the store, looking for chips, drinks, and other snacks to keep us in comfort foods during our evenings at the hotel or during bus rides. The store was very similar to some of our American grocery stores, except that certain foods were extremely inexpensive. We would have expected to pay more for the snacks we bought. A package of cookies, for example, was 1.72, which would translate to $2.24. The same package in our stores would have cost nearly $3.00. A package of candy bars that would have cost over $3.00 in the U.S. also cost less than 2 Euros. Perhaps food in the grocery stores costs less, but prices of other things may be higher. Back at the hotel, we spent the evening in the lobby, talking and using the computers to post our updates to Facebook. The next morning, we thought we were off to spend a day at the prettiest of the several chateaus we were to see. However, before we could even pull out of the driveway of the hotel, several cars had to be towed away. They were illegally parked along either side of the narrow street, blocking the bus from leaving the hotel. After about an hour wait, we were headed to Amboise, the final home of Leonardo da Vinci. He spent his last three years of life in this town, with a beautiful view of the chapel at the Amboise chateau that would be his final resting place. This town was really neat, with many tiny shops where one could buy any number of souvenir items. A lot of the stu dents shopped here, and bought handbags and any number of items to take back home. Tapestry making is a local industry, so several stores offered tapestries in all sizes at a reasonable cost. I bought several small ones as gifts and craft projects. The restaurants were varied in what they offered, too, so one could get any sort of meal here from. The day was windy and rainy, and after some free time for lunch, we went to visit the most beautiful chateau-Chenonceau. This chateau, nicknamed the Ladies Castle, was once part of French royal properties, and the home of the mistress of King Henry II. Later, upon the king’s death, the breathtaking chateau was taken from the mistress to become the favorite home of his widowed queen, Catherine de’ Medici. Under these two women, and those who later followed, the chateau was developed and remodeled more and still today retains the grandeur befitting a proper castle. This is the second most popular chateau in France, second only to the palace of Versailles. With an extensive garden, castle motes, and a garden maze, Chenonceau was, by far, the prettiest chateau of the trip. After the visit to Chenonceau, we returned to the nearby town of Amboise for a guided tour of the chateau, which is situated on a hill overlooking the river and surrounding town. The tour included a visit to the chapel to see Leonardo da Vinci’s grave, and some of the rooms of the chateau. This chateau was not nearly as beautiful and interesting as the previous two. The day was quite windy and rainy, so our group cut the tour short and skipped out on the tour guide to go get a cup of coffee, some hot cocoa, or a pastry. We were quite a large group to be eating in the small pastry shop we chose, so the conversation got boister ous at times. Later, however, the owner of the shop came to me and complimented me on the good manners of “my children.” Compliments are always nice to hear—that we have nice kids is even better to hear—especially in a foreign country. The final dinner in the Loire Valley was one of the highlights of the trip. We had dinner in a Troglodyte dwelling. Troglodyte is another name for “cave dweller,” so basically, we ate in a cave. When we arrived, we saw a restaurant sign, a hill, and a tall chimney rising from the hill. We walked down the driveway, and entered through a heavy, wooden door set into the side of the hill. The scene when we entered was delightful—only to be read about in fairy tales and fiction books. At any time, I was expect ing the family of beavers from the Narnia Books to appear. It was unbelievable cool! We actually ate dinner in a cave! The meal was one of the best meals we ate while in France. The foods served were locally grown and prepared, even the spices used in cooking were locally grown. We were served sausages with herbed mashed potatoes, flatbread cooked in the fireplace, and an interesting pork spread similar to potted meat for the bread. Dessert was a delicious pear tart that nearly everybody enjoyed, bringing the evening to a perfect close. The atmosphere during this meal was relaxed and the students were animated as they ate and talked with each other. These two days in the Loire Valley were so enjoyable! Next week’s article will take us to St. Malo and the island mon astery of Mont St. Michel. Be sure to read about our journeys through France as we learn the history and culture of each area we visit. We are currently enrolling for next year’s trip which will take us to Germany and the Swiss Alps. There are only ten slots remaining. The trip is open to current 8th-llth grade students. For more information, contact Mrs. Wisecup at Banks County High School at 706-677-2221, or pwisecup@banks.kl2.ga.us. I '••I I I: BURIAL SITE OF LEONARDO DA VINCI The chapel in Chateau Amboise where Leonardo da Vinci is buried. DINNER IN CAVE Asa Hubbard, Shayla Enman, Jeffrey Nicholson, Victoria Taylor and Emily Gailey are shown enjoying dinner in a Troglodyte dwelling restaurant. AT OVERLOOK Emily Gailey, Emily Coker, and McKenna Rylee at the overlook from Chateau Amboise- the river and town can be seen below.
