Canicule (n.f.) = heat wave

This morning, we left Paris for the countryside. For about 2 hours, we were in the comfort of our air-conditioned bus on our way to Chartres, which is known for its cathedral. Really, for a Monday morning, the town was rather quiet. A lot of the students said that they really liked it after the touristy hustle and bustle of Paris.  So we toured the cathedral and explored the little town until 12:30pm.

It was starting to get warm so we were happy with the idea of getting on the bus for a little while longer to get to the castle of Chambord, which was built by François I, the king of the French Renaissance and the one responsible for bringing Leonardo DaVinci to France. It has 444 rooms, 365 fireplaces and the famous double-helix staircase supposedly designed by DaVinci. It wasn't really occupied for very long because it was really only used as a hunting retreat for the kings and their buddies. The heat of the afternoon had hit and we sought the solace of the castle to try to keep cool. But we did venture out to explore the rooftops and get a view of the beautiful, newly-restored gardens (thanks to a very rich American). It was 94 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. (It was hotter here today than in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in Africa today... don't ask me why I know that. Haha) so we are trying to keep cool, trying to keep hydrated as much as we can but it's going to be even hotter tomorrow - 100 degrees or above. 

So after Chambord, we had a little ways to go to our hotel in Tours, one of my favorite French cities. We had a short rest/ freshen-up time before we walked to dinner. Dinner was ham steak, fries and salad with a chocolate torte with crème anglaise. Then we went on a walking tour of the old, medieval part of Tours. A lot of the kids were so excited because they recognized from pictures in our textbooks. "It's real! It does exist! And we're actually here!!!!"

So we sauntered our way through the narrow streets and finally arrived back at the hotel. I gotta admit, the kids are bonding and mixing and chatting more, both within our group and with the other groups. I told them before, we may be strangers at the airport but we'll be family by the end.