Sunday April 11th

I'm sorry to report that I awoke to another bright and sunny day. The temperatures were brisk (The French refer to this temperature as fresh) but they would later warm to the high 60's. Jean's plan was to take me to an old village in the country. We had a leisurely breakfast and left about 10:00.

The goal of the trip was a small town to the southeast of Nogent called St. Ceneri. It is about a two hour drive. As we drive through the countryside, I am amazed at the amount of farmland. I guess I had assumed that because France is so old, the farms would all be small units. Not so. Apparently back in the 60's and 70's there was a large movement to modernize. Now the fields are large and the equipment large. France is as large as the state of Texas, and produces 60% of the crops in Europe. At times I felt as if I was traveling across Iowa. The major crops appear to be various cereal grains and Rape Seed. I have not seen any corn or soybeans. Rape Seed is related to the mustard family and is grown for the oil in the seed. In fact, there were efforts to develop Rape Seed as a commercial crop in Northern NY back in the early 80's. Farmer's problems here are the same as in the States; weather, energy costs, and fluctuating crop prices.

As we drive, we pass through small town after small town every three or four miles. The towns are close to each other. There are some, but not many traffic lights. Most intersections consist of a round-about, much like you would see in Vermont. We drive a by a larger city called Alencon. Jean points out an empty factory that used to employ 4,000 workers, but is now closed. The company now has their products made in China. This is just one more example of the similarity of issues between France and the US.

The town of St. Ceneri is old and quaint. The streets are extremely narrow. The town caters to the tourist trade with several restaurants and outside cafes. There is a river front park area as well. There were many motorcycles parked in the lots and on the streets. The center of attention is a church built back in the eleventh century. This area was inhabited back in the ninth century. We Americans tend to think of three hundred years as old, while in Europe, a thousand years is considered old. I was taking a picture of an old bridge when a modern farm tractor crossed, making for a real contrast.

We dined at one of the local restaurants. I had salmon appetizer, steak, a potato dish, bread, and of course, wine. Dinner was followed with an apple tart and vey strong French coffee. We arrived back home about 6:00 and decided to have a late dinner of salads and cheese. I crashed by 9:30.

Tomorrow, we tour Chateau St. Jean, a local landmark in Nogent. Later in the day the students are conducting a scavenger hunt of places in Nogent.

On a side note, some of the day was filled with frantic phone calls. One of the Potsdam students, Ryan Arno, had the bedroom where he was staying catch on fire. Ryan had to be admitted to the hospital for smoke inhalation. He lost all of his clothing, passport, and personal items. Fortunately he is going to be fine. He was kept overnight in the hospital and released the next day. Ryan now gets to go on a shopping spree for a new wardrobe and will have to get his passport replaced. During one of the phone calls, I talked to Ryan shortly after he was admitted to the hospital. He said, "Siph, I don't understand what they are saying." My response was "Ryan, don't you wish you had paid better attention in French Class?" He laughed, and I knew he would be fine. I told him that his line should be that as long as he was going to be immersed in French culture, he might as well go all the way, including an ambulance ride, hospital stay, and pretty French nurses.