Raclette!!! and Bastille Day

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We all got together tonight to do an authentic local dining type experience. We walked in and sat down with this wheel of cheese under a hot lamp...interesting to watch the cheese bubble....but anyway the dinner was a wonderful way to say goodbye to everyone as people are leaving at different times over the next few days to come. The cheese was the center of the meal, and was melted over potatoes, bread and meat. The desert was to die for, as well as the wine and coffee. I am going to miss the 3 hour meals here in france....what a great way to wind down a day and have great conversation, all while digesting great food and going home tired enough just to go to sleep....
So Bastille Day is French National Holiday. Some shops were closed, but more were actually open today than were on most sundays..which I found odd. The French, who are amazing at celebrating obscure holidays and who have mandatory five weeks of paid vacation a year....didn't live it up like I expected. They shot of fireworks in the city, which could be seen from our residence, so we all got together and enjoyed those- and a few later found shopping carts outside and did shopping cart races...go figure.
So the day started off with an obscure, but incredibly thourough scavenger hunt. Our student coordinator Barbara put alot of thought into it! We were unscrambling puzzles, going through all sorts of nooks and cranies...and discovering alot about Savoie history. It's unfortunate that more people did not wake up and take part in this! We only had 2 teams of 4-5- but it was a blast! We kinda cheated I think....as we got alot of info from the tourism office. I mean...we still asked and spoke in French....but it was a short cut. The whole ordeal took about two hours and the last clue led us to the city garden where Barbara was waiting with "un petit cadaeu" of a book for each of us....I got "The Mark of the Devil" in french...classic literature that I will read one of these days...

So off to Geneva tommorow..... then I go home monday- Take care to all.....and if anyone reads this- I'll finish blogging about the last weekend/trip home once I return! To my other blog buddies- Carly I'm glad you got home, and Monica- have fun in London! Be safe and I'll see you soon!!! - Emily

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Photos

Me @ dinner
Me at dinner

Zabby cut the cheese
she was our cheese serving mistress of the evening

ISEP people
Terek and Barbara- they worked hard for us, and will be missed...

Outside the Resto
Rainy night...pretty night

Comments

[Sprocolate]

CARLY LOVE CHEESE!
Sorry I didn't answer the phone when you called! I'm trying to get back on time here and everyone keeps interrupting my sleep so I had it silenced! Cool thing about that cheese though. Sounds delicious!

[Mike Smith]

hooray for cheese
well, as I already said in the title...hooray for cheese !!!... I am glad to hear that you are having a great time.