Fulbright Orientation-Paris

I took the TVG to Paris Wednesday morning to join the Fulbright Orientation.  I met with the 4 other American Fulbright Exchange teachers at the hotel, we had a quick lunch and then on to OFII (Office français de l'immigration et de l'intégration) for our medical exams to finish up the administrative work for our visas.  That evening we enjoyed an elegant evening at a welcome reception at the Sénat, Palais du Luxembourg.  M. Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Former Prime Minister, Senator and H.E. Mr. Charles H. Rivkin, Ambassador of the United States to France spoke before the 200 American Fulbright Research Scholars,  Exchange Teachers and Teaching Assistants.

The following 2 days we five Exchange teachers attended informational meetings, workshops, and classroom observations concerning the educational system in France.  It was a tremendously interesting and instructive conference.  We stayed through the week-end to enjoy the city.  I went to the Grand Palais to see an excellent exhibit - France 1500 Entre Moyen Age et Renaissance, an exhibit at the Louvre of Antoine Watteau and the Musée Cernuschi, Musée des Arts de l'Asie in the Monceau Quarter.  Of course, walking in Paris is always great and dinners with my Fulbright friends on Friday and Saturday were wonderful!  

Medieval Castle --Château de Chinon

After walking up a cobbled stone road, winding around the ramparts, we arrived at the castle.  The fortress, from the time of  Henry II of England who died there in 1189, overlooks the village below lined with half- timber medieval houses.  Two centuries later the castle witnessed Joan of Arc's recognition of the dauphin, later Charles VII.  From there she left to "accomplish her miraculous and tragic destiny".   We visited a nearby church in the village below and found it to be the church where Joan of Arc prayed for 2 days in 1429 while she waited to visit the dauphin.  It was an amazing experience to be there in the same church almost 600 years later!

Renaissance Castle--Château de Chenonceau

We decided to head out Friday after school for the Loire Valley for a quick week-end of discovering castles from different historical periods.  After a five hour drive north we finally arrived at the Castel de Bréhémont along the left bank of the Loire River.  On Saturday morning we visited the Château de Chenonceau on the River Cher.  In my opinion, it is one of the most beautiful castles and almost impossible to describe in a few lines. It is a Renaissance château but with interesting innovations:  a straight staircase instead of a spiral one and, for the first time, rooms designed around a central vestibule.  It has been called "The Château of Six Women" (two of them queens) who lent to it their womanly virtues of "beauty, charm, elegance and grace" for 400 years.  Diane de Poitiers, duchess of Valentinois and royal mistress, created a garden for royal visits and had a bridge built across the Cher to link the castle to the left bank.  Upon the death of Henry II, Diane de Poitiers was forced to give up the château to Catherine de Medici, who had a two-story gallery built on the bridge and  added a park and several out buildings.