Graland Country Day School France 2023

March 25, 2023

After a long 9 hour flight and landing in Munich we got snacks and settled down for our supposedly 6 hour layover. We played cards and of course ate lots of sugar and delicious German food! We moved to our gate and later found out our flight was cancelled! The stress was real and we were scared we would have to cut items out of our itinerary. We turned the stress into humor and joked about how we might have to sleep in Munich! We then found a flight and ran to the gate, it was like a scene in the Home Alone movie where the whole family is running. We get there just in time for the flight to leave. After settling down we all go to sleep on the plane! And those long hours on the plane seemed like 30 minutes. We arrived at the hostel in Paris and had a quick dinner at a local restaurant and went to bed immediately.

Everett & Graham

March 26, 2023

On Sunday we started our morning at The Louvre touring around and seeing all the fantastic paintings and artwork! We then walked to get lunch at a beautiful park, Jardin des Tuileries, next to the Louvre. Then we went to get amazing macarons-  a special French cookie! We walked to the Eiffel Tower and walked to the 2nd floor after waiting in line for a while and signing our names on a wall! We took photos and headed to the Latin Quarter for dinner! We ended our night on an evening boat ride along Le Seine. Our feet hurt but it was a great first full day in France!

Everett & Graham

March 27, 2023

After a late return to the hotel, we quickly went to bed to get rested for our travel day. The next day, we met for a delicious French breakfast of croissants, pain au chocolats, and some orange juice. We left the hostel in a bus at around 9 and headed to the train station. We had a quick stop at some bakeries and got eclairs and macarons, very delicious French snacks. We boarded the train for a 2 and a half hour ride to Avignon. We all caught up on some sleep and some of us drooled just a little. After getting off the train we were pleasantly surprised by the gorgeous weather. We quickly got into another bus and headed to our hotel. We were stunned by the beauty of the city. Our bus was small enough that we could easily fit in the narrow streets. When we got to the hotel we put our bags up in the rooms and changed into warm clothes to go see the Palais des Papes. While walking we realized that it was much colder than expected. On the way to the Palais we stopped by a local soap shop and did some shopping. We also went to a fresh crepe stand and got some delicious warm crepes. After a gorgeous tour of the castle we went to le pont (Sur le pont, d’Avignon). After taking some photos we walked back to the hotel to clean up for dinner. We went to Le vintage and most of us got either steak or chicken. For dessert, a creamy chocolate brownie with whipped cream and ice cream. Ending the exiting day with a meeting in the hotel lobby and going to our rooms to get some well earned rest.

Claire & Sophia

March 28, 2023

Today we woke up bright and early in Avignon and then headed to breakfast in the hotel. We then took to the streets of a local market to source food for our picnic at the famous pont du gard. We were split up into groups of 2 or 3, looking for different meats, cheeses, fruits, and spreads. Next we walked to a boulangerie and patisserie recommended by our tour guide the day prior. After buying a few baguettes for the picnic, everyone ordered 1 or 2 desserts (in French!). We then had a quick stop at a few boutiques on the way back to the hotel to do some shopping. After loading up onto the bus, we drove for 1 hour to the pont du guard. We set up our picnic with a beautiful view of the ancient Roman aqueduct and enjoyed our amazing feast! Then, we walked around the surrounding nature and talked about preparing to meet our host families. After a 2.5 hour bus ride to Carcassonne and much needed rest, we arrived at the hotel to meet our families. We played a few rounds of get to you know games and each headed out to our new homes. It was a great first night of bonding!

Julia and Janie

March 29, 2023

We woke up bright and early in our family stays, ready for another adventure! We ate breakfast at our homes and headed for the old city a medieval fortress in Carcassone. When we first stepped foot in the city walls, we found the weather to be too cold, so we stopped for some warm hot chocolate. After finishing our yummy drinks, we went to the castle. It was very interesting to see all the towers and how they maximized the defenses of the castle and the wall. After visiting the castle, we went to the church in the cité. It had very nice stained glass windows. We shopped a little and drove off to our volunteer workplace. For our volunteer work, we had to gather, cement, and chisel stones to build a small, but beautiful wall. After, we learned how to play pétanque and headed back to our Homestay families. Some of us gathered to go bowling, and then we went to sleep.

Anna & Onyx

March 30, 2023

We woke up today and headed straight to the bus. We had a long two hour ride to get to the beach town of Collioure but it was worth it. We walked around town, completing a scavenger hunt while seeing the town. We then sat down for lunch on the beach and we even jumped in to the water, even though it was very cold. We met a group of kids from Spain, which we played volleyball and soccer with. We then headed to the Royal Castle for a tour of the city with a guide. After the tour we were very hot, and we stopped for some refreshing ice cream and water. We then headed to the bus for another two hour trip back to Carcassonne, and many of us slept. For the rest of the afternoon and evening, we relaxed and had a wonderful dinner with our host family.

Rory and Mark