Saturday, July 19

We met our driver, Jon, pronounced "yawn," in the morning and we are off by 9 a.m.  It is a long trip, with horrible traffic for the first four hours.  We stop and fill baskets at a grocery story in a small town, much to the consternation of the locals.  We need to buy breakfast and lunch supplies for the week.  During the drive we use the back of the bus (a brand new 52 seater that fits the 22 of us nicely!) as a moving classroom, something we will continue to do throughout the week.  We do not reach Carrouze until 9, to find a three course French meal, prepared by our caterer, Jayne, awaiting us.  The meal is delicious, although some students were not able to finish their pate de foie gras and mushroom pate appetizer.  The chicken provencal is excellent (please excuse the lack of accents in my writing).  We finish off with a cherry and ice cream desert.  After a tour of the villa, students take their bags to their lodgings and relax with swimming and hanging out until midnight.

Sunday, July 20

We are up by 9 a.m. for breakfast.  The boys cook for themselves and the girls have organized shifts of cooks and cleaners for their large group of 17.  With the kitchens cleaned up we board the bus at 10 for our trip to Rocamadour.  The road is long a windy (it takes us three hours to get there), but it is worth it.  Perched on a cliff, the church and sanctuary are old and have been a goal of pilgrims for centuries.  Students work on the theme of "pilgrimages" in their journals as we travel there.  We take a small train and an elevator part of the way to the top to save time.  Students eat in small cafes which are much cheaper than the ones in Paris.  We see the Black Madonna and 1000-year-old wall paintings of skeletons.  Not much time for journaling here, but we share our ideas about pilgrimages on the ride back to Carrouze.  We arrive back for a late dinner of bocconcini cheese, couscous and salmon, and apple pie with sour cream--delicious.  After dinner students work on their journals and take advantage of the wireless to chat with their friends in BC.

Monday, July 21

On Monday, an executive decision, backed by the students, was made to stay at Carrouze to work and reflect.  Mr. Tennant went with Jon to get groceries while the students slept until 10:30 and then had a lesson on the use of conte, watercolour pens, watercolour paints, analagous and complimentary colours, and atmospheric perspective.  They then found a quiet area in the villa to work on their journals using the ideas they had just learned.  Lunch was baguettes with local cheeses, meats, vegetables, and fruit.  After lunch we walked to 700-year-old church (about 500 metres away) and had time to work in our journals in solitude.  The church was very peaceful and the students found small human bones and teeth among the pebbles that covered the ground of the cemetary (probably due to the fact that families had to dig up graves to add bodies when family members passed on).  We returned to Carrouze to work on our journals and relax until dinner.  Our dinner, served by Jayne and Sarah is spaghetti with garlic bread and an ice cream cone for desert.  The travelers certainly appreciate the great job the caterers are doing.  After dinner we discuss the highlights and trials of the trip thus far and brainstorm about our final projects.

Tuesday, July 22

Today we are off to Castelmoron-sur-Lot, a small riverside village that we were acquainted with when our route home from Rocamadour was blocked by a nighttime farmers market in the middle of the main road.  A couple of students had seen a swimming area and we return today to see if we can go for a swim and do some water colour paintings.  The beach is small and the water is pleasant.  We rent what look like pedal-boats but turn out to be colourful motorized golf carts on water.  The students had a fine time cruising up and down the river Lot.  After some class time on the sandy beach and a guided writing exercise, we return to Carrouze for an expressive exercise that has the students think of colours, patterns, and shapes that represent emotions and the senses.  After another fantastic meal of shrimp salad, ham, potatoes, tomato salad, and chocolat cake with cream, we meet for critiques of the art we created t oday.  After the critique we are off to the night market in Eymet.  Eymet is a medieval town known for its rugby (present day).  The market has a variety of stalls hawking a everything from chess boards to salami.  Some of the girls try moules (mussels) and frites (fries).  The French boys are quite taken with our group and spend a good deal of time following us around.  Quite harmless though.  We are back at Carrouze by 11:30 for a bit of Ping Pong and then bed.

Wednesday, July 23

Today we are off to the Chateau Duras for some open air class time.  The day is hot and the air is still.  The chateau, completed in 1308 C.E., is imposing and overlooks the valley of Duras.  We do a self-guided tour that includes reading Jack Kerouac at the top of the tower and some stream-of-consciousness writing that we share with each other.  Later we descend to the town for lunch.  We spend the early afternoon in the chateau's garden reading and writing free verse poetry.  Students work on their journals and enjoy Carrouze in the afternoon.  Dinner at 7:30 p.m. and then a group poem and critiques at Cherry Trees.  Sad to think that tomorrow is our last day in this fantastic location.

Thursday, July 24

Thursday.  Our last day at Carrouze.  Our bus driver must rest today, so the students have the day to reflect, rest, a draw the sunflowers that are starting to bloom in the fields next to Carrouze.  One of our students prepared crepes for the group this morning.  They were delicious.  The group has been amazing in the way they efficiently take care of preparing and cleaning up after meals.  During the day, students have individual conferences with the teachers to discuss their journals and their final projects.  Dinner is duck with raspberry sauce, fresh beans, potatoes, and creme brule.  As usual, it is superb.  The caterers, Jayne and Sarah, have done a wonderful job with our dinners and with the needs of our vegetarian students.  After dinner, students tidy their rooms and attend a group relaxation session with Tricia, the owner of Carrouze.