Today was a lot slower in pace than yesterday's trip to Carcasonne. The students were again in class from 8 until 9. They are finding the school day (8 - 5) quite easy to handle and I must say that before I know it we are approaching the end of the day. Some of our students (Tanis, Caitlin and Georgia?) are catching the bus in the morning - let's call it by its French name - booos! They pronounce these boooses much better than the Party Bus at home. This morning it was very foggy until nearly 12pm before the sun broke through fierce and hot again. Caitlin said it was very eerie waiting for the bus in the dark and fog - very much like a horror movie.
Some of the students had a biology lesson first thing and found the lesson instructions in English so they helped the rest of the students. They are definitely the center of attention at break times - which are only 15 mins in the morning and 45 mins to an hour at lunch. During Physics they find that the technical language is the same and they are able to keep up. Our star pupil must be Ronan who went to the Latin class and found he could answer all the questions about Roman Mythology!
We walked to the center of Gaillac and a retired teacher took us around the old city. The Abbey of St Michel was exceptional and has a brick monastery that overhangs the River Tarn. The abbey is stone inside and very awe inspiring - even more so than the grand St Cecile Cathedral for me.
We returned to school for lunch. The students are really enjoying the school lunches. The southern French way of eating is to have only 3 meals per day - in the house I am living in anyway. It is considered 'unequal' to have some students with food at school for morning tea etc. The whole policy is about equality. I wanted to give one boy - who did an excellent haka - a NZ/France friendship pin but I was told I couldn't as this would make him 'special'. It can be frustrating for the teachers however it has it's good points - the government provides textbooks for all!!
In the afternoon we went to a vineyard that one of the French penpals has as a family friend. It was deep into the country between Gaillac and Cordes. Talk about chocolate box/jigsaw pictures. Very narrow country lanes, chickens wandering through the village and the deserted 13th century church. All the houses in the village belonged to people associated with the 3 vineyards nearby. Our bus driver was hilarious. There was no way he was going to go up the road and insisted we walked, there was fierce French going back and forward between him and the teachers but eventually Sandrine got her way and he drove us up with much muttering and hands in the air. The vineyard was still picking grapes both by hand and by machine. They tasted very sweet and were enjoyed by all. We then went to the shed where he makes the wine. Again the different between NZ, no hair nets, no gloves, no ear muffs etc the grapes were stripped from the stems (hand picked grapes) and pumped into a large holding tank. After 1 - 2 months this is moved into barrels. Most is done on taste and instinct rather than laboratories and sugar testing. There were so many differences between this and vineyards I have toured in NZ.
In the words of Gaillac guide - a young building, only 200 years old. This is the covered marche (market) on a Friday morning, which we visited the next day. Behind it is a 13th century house which is still in the same family.
Walking around Gaillac. In the foreground with Mrs Vukets is Audrey - Hannah's homestay. You can also see one of the twin boys - even the teachers cannot tell them apart and Ella (Caitlin) and Romaine (Georgia).
The bridge by the Abbey into Gaillac. The river below is the Tarn, it is brown at present as rain in the hills far away has been heavy and sent a lot of silt down the river.
The monastery attached to the Abbey. It is no longer lived in.
The Abbeye St Michel - Abbey of St Michael.
Inside the Abbey - far less grand than the Cathedral in Albi.
The stained glass window above the statue of St Michael.
13th/14th century, stone, still used village church #134
At the vineyard. The two boys next to Dylan are Gustave and Matisse.
Large bunches of grapes just waiting for hand picking - for a special wine, the everyday wine (still pretty special I have to add) is picked by machine.
20 litre casks of wine ready for shipping to stores.
Some of the students had a biology lesson first thing and found the lesson instructions in English so they helped the rest of the students. They are definitely the center of attention at break times - which are only 15 mins in the morning and 45 mins to an hour at lunch. During Physics they find that the technical language is the same and they are able to keep up. Our star pupil must be Ronan who went to the Latin class and found he could answer all the questions about Roman Mythology!
We walked to the center of Gaillac and a retired teacher took us around the old city. The Abbey of St Michel was exceptional and has a brick monastery that overhangs the River Tarn. The abbey is stone inside and very awe inspiring - even more so than the grand St Cecile Cathedral for me.
We returned to school for lunch. The students are really enjoying the school lunches. The southern French way of eating is to have only 3 meals per day - in the house I am living in anyway. It is considered 'unequal' to have some students with food at school for morning tea etc. The whole policy is about equality. I wanted to give one boy - who did an excellent haka - a NZ/France friendship pin but I was told I couldn't as this would make him 'special'. It can be frustrating for the teachers however it has it's good points - the government provides textbooks for all!!
In the afternoon we went to a vineyard that one of the French penpals has as a family friend. It was deep into the country between Gaillac and Cordes. Talk about chocolate box/jigsaw pictures. Very narrow country lanes, chickens wandering through the village and the deserted 13th century church. All the houses in the village belonged to people associated with the 3 vineyards nearby. Our bus driver was hilarious. There was no way he was going to go up the road and insisted we walked, there was fierce French going back and forward between him and the teachers but eventually Sandrine got her way and he drove us up with much muttering and hands in the air. The vineyard was still picking grapes both by hand and by machine. They tasted very sweet and were enjoyed by all. We then went to the shed where he makes the wine. Again the different between NZ, no hair nets, no gloves, no ear muffs etc the grapes were stripped from the stems (hand picked grapes) and pumped into a large holding tank. After 1 - 2 months this is moved into barrels. Most is done on taste and instinct rather than laboratories and sugar testing. There were so many differences between this and vineyards I have toured in NZ.
In the words of Gaillac guide - a young building, only 200 years old. This is the covered marche (market) on a Friday morning, which we visited the next day. Behind it is a 13th century house which is still in the same family.
Walking around Gaillac. In the foreground with Mrs Vukets is Audrey - Hannah's homestay. You can also see one of the twin boys - even the teachers cannot tell them apart and Ella (Caitlin) and Romaine (Georgia).
The bridge by the Abbey into Gaillac. The river below is the Tarn, it is brown at present as rain in the hills far away has been heavy and sent a lot of silt down the river.
The monastery attached to the Abbey. It is no longer lived in.
The Abbeye St Michel - Abbey of St Michael.
Inside the Abbey - far less grand than the Cathedral in Albi.
The stained glass window above the statue of St Michael.
13th/14th century, stone, still used village church #134
At the vineyard. The two boys next to Dylan are Gustave and Matisse.
Large bunches of grapes just waiting for hand picking - for a special wine, the everyday wine (still pretty special I have to add) is picked by machine.
20 litre casks of wine ready for shipping to stores.