Greetings from Saint Raphael

Bonjour a tous!

We are currently in Saint Raphael and enjoying the beautiful weather and Mediterranean beaches of the Cote d'Azur. We have been keeping very busy lately! Here's what we have been up to:

Our week of homestays in Colmar went incredibly well! Upon arrival at the train station, we were greeted warmly by our host families who were excited to meet and get to know the students. The group met up twice during the week; once to visit the Chateau d'Haut Koenigsbourg and the concentration camp at Struthof, and once to explore the city of Strasbourg and visit the Council of Europe. It was great to see each other after a few days of being apart and to meet one another's host siblings, who joined us on our excursions! At the end of the week we said tearful goodbyes to our wonderful French families and headed off by train to our next stop: Aix-en-Provence in the south of France.

We arrived in Aix on Thursday and spent the afternoon exploring the centre ville and the Cours Mirabeau- the famous tree lined avenue of fountains, markets and street cafés, before enjoying a delicious dinner at a French-Lebanese restaurant in the old part of town. The next day we had a language lesson at the Pavillon de Vendome and divided into small groups for a scavenger hunt to get to know the beautiful city of Aix and its residents.

During our stay in Aix, we had the opportunity to visit the Roman ruins of Glanum and the asylum in St. Remy where Van Gogh painted many of his most famous works, to dine in the medieval city of les Baux, and to spend the afternoon swimming in the Gardon river beneath the Pont du Gard, the famous Roman aqueduct which brought water from the Eure springs to Nimes, almost 30 miles away.

Our travels then took us to the Mediterranean city of St. Raphael where cobalt waters and sunshine satisfied every student's need for a beach atmosphere. We went tubing, banana boating, and spent a good deal of time swimming and relaxing on the beach, but perhaps the most spectacular part of our stay was the 30 foot catamaran we rented to sail along the coast near Cannes. With a merry French captain at the helm, Putney students took turns navigating the boat through hidden inlets and swimming holes. Everyone swam in crystal blue waters, explored the underwater fauna and flora, and enjoyed the delicious paella made from the captain's own catch! It was an unforgettable time in the Mediterranean and one that will surely remain dear to the Putney students.

We're really looking forward to our time in the Alps!!!

Karen and Noah