Sunday, June 8 2003
	To recapitulate: Wednesday June 4th we went to Chamonix, boarding our chartered bus at 9am for the 1h45-minute ride to the Alps' highest peak. Chamonix valley is surrounded by tall mountains, the tallest of which is Mt. Blanc (4807m). Upon our arrival at the cablecar station, we lined up to ride the world's tallest and highest trolley, all the way up to the 3800-meter level, some 11,000 feet above sea level. Since it was early in the day and early in the tourist season, we had only a ten-minute wait for the next car. We rode a first cablecar to an intermediate station about a third of the way up, then a second almost straight up til we were over two miles higher than the valley floor we had left some twenty minutes earlier. Colette, who had some uneasiness about the ride, chose to sit on the floor of the cabin while the other students stood staring out the windows at the desolate snowy expanse unfolding beneath us.
	The image at left shows the final leg of the trip, with our destination visible as a tiny vertical line high atop the mountain. (That tiny line is a ten-story-high weather station.) From the station one can take another cablecar, which crosses over to the Italian side of the mountain. But our goal this day was the spectacular viewing platform atop the Aiguille du Midi, about 3200 feet lower than Mt Blanc's summit, which loomed in the near distance some 5 miles away from our vantage point. Using free telescopes on the platform, we could see tiny dark dots, dozens of mountain climbers trudging their way up the familiar yet dangerous mountain; on average, two climbers die each week when they are caught in snowstorms or fall into crevasses.
	The view, even on a partly cloudy day, is breathtaking in more ways than one: not only did we feel we were in the middle of a National Geographic documentary, but the high altitude surprised us as we were left gasping for air after climbing just a few flights of stairs.... We ate our picnic lunches and sipped hot cocoa in the rarefied air, enjoying a view as far removed from Ohio as one could imagine!
	The image at left shows Colette, fully recovered from her cablecar ride, smiling in the wintry air; at altitude, the air temperature was well below freezing, and with the wind chill, uncomfortable for those lightly dressed. Fortunately, nearly all the students had dressed appropriately for the occasion, though the one fellow wearing shorts appeared unconcerned by the cold in any case.
	After spending an hour and a half at the top, we headed back down to the valley floor where our bus was waiting; we then drove to the cog railway station, and rode up to the Montenvers mountain to have a look at the enormous Mer de Glace glacier. In the photo at right, Mt. Blanc is visible behind the train station, its icy top swept by wind and clouds...
	The Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice), also called the Vallée Blanche in winter, grinds its way slowly toward Chamonix. The glacier has lost most of its mass in the past fifty years as global warming speeds its meltdown. It moves down the mountain at a speed of about an inch a day, and may completely disappear within the next fifty years as the summers grow ever hotter. A century ago, the glacier had three times the mass, filled the scoured areas visible as grey in the photo at left, and reached all the way down to Chamonix; the glacier has now retreated over a mile.
	At the end of the day, we were glad to get back into the bus for the ride back to Faverges; the students were surprised to note how tired they were, the result of four rapid and extreme changes in altitude within a single day... That same evening Prof. Jeantet went to see his dentist to have a tooth extracted, and elected to take his first sick day ever during a program (programs have run since 1987). But since we have ignored every single holiday on these programs, having classes on the French holidays (Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Monday, for example) on the pretext that we're an American university group, and the one American holiday (Memorial Day) on the pretext that we're in France, the students were perfectly willing to let their professor slide this one time, especially since the weather forecast was announcing a hot and sunny day...
	Thursday, the students occupied themselves just fine, some going into Annecy, others going to the lake to test the still cold waters. The photo at left shows Colette and Bethany having lunch in the garden with the Montcoudiol family.
	Friday, we had classes as usual in the morning. After lunch, Prof. Jeantet drove Bethany, Colette and Dan up to the Col de la Forclaz mountain pass so that they might enjoy the view and have the opportunity to climb a small and safe mountain. The photos above show the "Seven Fountains" shrine in the village of Montmin, just a couple of miles away from the mountain pass. Most likely a Celtic water shrine christianized in the early middle ages, it is renowned for its curative powers for afflictions of the skin. The photo at right above shows Colette and Bethany applying the mysterious waters on various patches of skin... (Bethany confirmed on Monday that her rash had completely disappeared). Afterwards, we went to the Col de la Forclaz mountain pass for its incomparable view of Lake Annecy, after which the students climbed the small mountain La Rochette while Prof. Jeantet chatted with the local inhabitants. A webcam view of the pass, updated hourly, may be accessed by clicking here.
	Saturday was a day off, but we were as busy as ever: Yvette Millot's son Sébastien was getting married, and we were all invited to the weddings (civil and church) as well as the reception and party after dinner. Below, a few pictures of this festive day: After the Town Hall civil ceremony, the wedding party walks through town to the church for the religious ceremony. While the civil ceremony is mandatory for couples who marry, only 40% of couples now follow it with a church wedding also. The church ceremony is quite different from an American wedding: no wedding march, but solemn vows and exchange of rings during the Mass. No "You may now kiss the bride." At the end of the mass, the crowd gathers outside to greet the couple with a shower of rose petals. The couple comes out to the cheers of the crowd, and then stand around chatting with everyone; there is no formal receiving line as is common in American ceremonies. After a half hour or so, everyone drives in ribbon-bedecked cars to the restaurant or catering hall where a very long dinner will be held. The couple poses for pictures with their infant son Thibault, who was born last October. French couples now tend to marry after the birth of their first child, which could appear shocking to many residents of the American Bible Belt. But the divorce rate in France is much lower than in the Bible Belt, which raises interesting questions! Two former Faverges Program participants showed up for the wedding; at left, Jennifer Hollering, (FAV '99) who now lives and works in Paris, and at right, Lisa Johns (FAV '93) who is working towards a Master's Degree in California. The dinner was catered by the groom's mother, who is a professional caterer. As usual, the food was arrayed in striking compositions and everything was delicious! After dinner, the bride and groom were tested in several age-old games. In the one at left, the blindfolded bride has to recognize her husband's leg by touch; both the bride and groom chose correctly, much to the relief and delight of everyone present! Julie was delighted by the unannounced appearance of her cousin Jasper Schnetzer, a long-ago Akron native who now lives and works in France. Jasper, who teaches English at the Université de Paris XIII, had come to Faverges on an antique BSA motorcycle which somehow sputtered its way from Paris without incident. The party went late into the night with dancing and much good cheer.
	Sunday, Prof. Jeantet drove student Colette Kovach to Geneva Airport: never a day off! Given only thirty days' leave by her employer, Colette used every waking moment of her thirty days working on her French and soaking in all the experiences that she could. Two other students had expressed the wish to accompany Colette to the airport; however, given the wedding dinner and dance that had ended only hours before, neither showed up for the departure, which was just as well, given Colette's load of luggage, which would never have fit in Prof. Jeantet's small Renault along with four people...
	In the afternoon, Prof. Jeantet fulfilled a promise he had made to Julie Kropac, to introduce her to some cows... Julie approached the large bovines with apprehension, recoiled with surprise as a large black tongue licked her hand. She then figured out how to win the favor of these Tarine cows by scratching them on the snout. Julie found the Tarine cows friendlier than the larger Abondance breed which is more skittish in general.
	Monday we resume classes despite the French legal holiday. We plan to go to Geneva this week, and perhaps to visit a nearby castle. Next report, probably Wednesday.
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