Monday, June 16 2003
	On Friday, we had classes as usual. But the Criterium du Dauphiné Libéré was due to come by that afternoon, so we had lunch at Joelle Staubli's house, right next to the path the racers were due to take. After a pleasant lunch on the tree-shaded patio, we helped to clear the table and went out front to watch for the cyclists.
	At 2:24pm, exactly as scheduled, the pack of cyclists zipped past the house, accompanied by dozens of motorcycles, press cars and support vehicles. We snapped photos as Lance Armstrong sped by, easily recognizable in the leader's yellow jersey. (Armstrong won the race on Sunday and is favored to win his fifth Tour de France next month). short film: the cyclists ride by A few minutes after the race had gone by, we all headed for the embarcadero at Doussard/Bout du Lac, where we boarded a small boat for a tour of the lake. Over the two hours of the tour, which included a half-hour layover in Annecy, we enjoyed the pleasant breeze on this hot and damp day; the weather has been unseasonably hot for the past week, about 20 degrees Farenheit above normal, which has tired us all out in this country which has little air conditioning.
	Our boat approaches the dock in Doussard - students and host mom and dad on the boat
	The weather was beautifully clear despite the heat and humidity. We spotted Menthon castle and many other places along the way, gaining a new perspective on the lake along which we have driven numerous times. After the boat tour, we all went home for dinner, skipping dessert in preparation for the ice cream treats we were all to get that evening in Annecy, courtesy of the AFA . We drove into Annecy later that evening, once the heat has subsided (a bit) and enjoyed a leisurely walk around the illuminated city. We wended our way to the Pâquier, a pedestrian mall that used to be the main thoroughfare of the Renaissance city and which is now lined with fancy shops and restaurants.     We went into a café glacier (café that serves ice cream) and chose elaborate confections like Pêche Melba or Café Liégeois. Everyone enjoyed the sumptuous desserts, though by the end of the evening some of the students were clearly slowing down, victims of the heat and humidity...
	Saturday is normally a day off for the group; but that afternoon we headed for Menthon castle, which we had spotted from the boat on Friday. We were driven by several of the host families, who joined us for the tour of the castle which has been owned and run by the Menthon family for well over one thousand years, though the very name of Menthon is derived from the Celtic term men-dun, which means "stone fortress" and bears witness to the fact that there has been a castle or stronghold on this spot for well over two thousand years.
	As we waited for the tour to start, some of our group climbed into the tower over the castle's main entrance. In the photo at right, we can see Dustin peering through a window as Adrien, Luke, Ken and Joe look around.
	The castle tours are conducted by young people of the town of Menthon. Dressed in medieval clothing, they act out scenes which illustrate life in the castle over the centuries. The photo at left shows the library with its 12,000 volumes which include numerous illuminated manuscripts and incunabula.
	The tour takes the visitors through a number of rooms, including the bedroom of the countess. Its walls lined with priceless tapestries, this room was last occupied by the current count's mother. A remote ancestor, born in the castle in 1008, became the famed Saint Bernard, patron saint of mountain travelers and skiers. The famed dog is named after the man who was born in this castle almost a thousand years ago. After a very entertaining visit, we all returned to Faverges for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Sunday was to be a long and busy day, with the AFA-sponsored trip to the Grande Chartreuse valley near Grenoble.
	Sunday morning, we boarded the chartered bus at 8:30 and started out on our day trip. There were 28 of us on the trip and the bus's cargo hold was filled with plenty of food expertly prepared by Yvette Millot for our picnic lunch. Our first stop was in Freyterives, in the heart of Savoie wine country, where we were received by reknowned winemaker Philippe Grisard.
	Philippe showed us the winery, apologizing that the vats were empty since last year's harvest has been either bottled or stored in oak casks. He explained clearly the subtleties of winemaking, and showed such enthusiasm for his work that it was hard not to fall under his spell!
	Philippe let us taste a whole range of wines, including his new Mondeuse Blanche as well as more typical Savoie vintages (Roussette amd Jacquère among others) made from more commonly known varietals such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay. He explained the various stages of wine-tasting, and a number of the students began to appreciate the differences between the different wines. We're all grateful to Philippe for his kindness and his willingness to open the winery on what is normally his only day off in the week.
	After another hour on the bus climbing the Col du Granier mountain pass into the Chartreuse valley, we stopped for lunch outside the Correrie, a building associated with the monastery and which now houses an elaborate museum which explains the 900-year history of the Chartreuse. The order, which once had over 200 monasteries, is now comprised of only 17, one of which was established in Vermont in 1970. Because the monks lead a silent and contemplative life, the monastery itself cannot be visited. The monastery is supported by the production of its famed elixir whose yellowish-green color is now known throughout the world as chartreuse...
	From the Chartreuse, we drove to the town of Voiron where the production of the elixir is now directed by monks in a large distillery. The whole place smelled of plants; we walked through cellars lined with vats and barrels containing millions of liters of various elixirs, pausing three times to see short films about the history of the order and of its elixir. One of the films was in 3D and was particularly enjoyable. We all wore polarized glasses and laughed as branches appeared to swing at our heads, wood chips seemed to fly into our faces. After twenty minutes of this, we were all getting some severe eyestrain and were glad to continue the visit of the distillery. The photo at right shows a few of the barrels in which the elixir is aged. The whole place smells of herbs and spices, something like cough syrup...! At the end of the visit, we were each given the opportunity to sample one elixir; we shared sips from each other's glasses in order to sample the Chartreuse Verte, Chartreuse Jaune, berry liqueurs and Gentiane. Some of the students made purchases in the shop, buying bottles or tee-shirts. Quite a few bottles of wine and elixir undoubtedly will be heading back to Ohio later this week at the end of the program. We still have a couple more days of classes, and students are now busy studying the final chapters of our textbook and preparing written assignments; the weather has cooled a few degrees, which will make the last stretch of study more agreeable and the process of packing more bearable. Next report, at the end of the program at the end of this week.
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