Rowan University Discovers Europe

Today was filled with bread and cheese!

We visited a Swiss cheddse factory in France. The owner was so proud to show us his facility. We sampled two types of cheese along with sparkling wine from Alsace.

After leaving the factory, we headed to Switzerland. The countryside was beautiful, as usual! The terrain today was very mountainous, which made for a fun drive in our stick-shift vans! We stopped to see the wind farm (a group of 11 wind mills) and solar panels farm that powers the whole valley where we were staying.

Our hotel is beautiful! It is surrounded by meadows, cows with huge bells hanging from their necks, and there is a game of chess in their garden for which the pieces are 2 feet high.  For dinner, we had cheese fondue that was wonderful!

We love and miss you all.

Today we went from Bourges to Beaune in the center of France. The countryside was beautiful and alternated grains and dairy farms. After visiting Autun, a Roman town built in 15 B.C. that still has its walls, 15,000 seat-theather, temples, and gates, we began seeing vineyards hugging every hill.  Everywhere we looked we saw famous Burgundy wine names: Volnay, Meursault, Beaune, Gevrey-Chambertin…

We then visited the Hospices de Beaune, a 1443 hospital which was still in use in 1945 and is now a superb museum. Since today was also laundry day, we ended the day repacking our suitcase and searching through the bag of unlabeled clothes for missing socks and other items.

Tomorrow we will be heading toward the French Jura and Switzerland.

It is the sixth day of our Europe trip and we are still pumped! Our first stop of the day was at the castle of Chenonceau, the most visited castle of the Loire Valley. Although not as grand as the Abbey at Mont Saint Michel, Chenonceau was a humble beauty. The landscape and gardens were impressive, and it felt as though I was actually experiencing the daily living at the castle as we toured through the bedrooms and kitchens.

Most of us had never even seen a moat, so finally getting to see one had a lasting impression.

Next, we visited a mushroom farm that is kept in a long and dark cave. Dr. Lemaire translated the information from  the owner of the farm. There were two different types grown in separate sections. One (an anise flavored one not yet sold in France– sold in Switzerland), which we got to pick, was a mushroom off the manure bricks that they grow on; we sampled it (the mushroom of course). The other (Shitake mushroom) grew in long stacks held up by a pole that felt soft like foam. The owner ripped off a chunk of the foam stack and said by the next day it would grow back.

Then we visited Rowan ruins that were built in the second century A. D. There were originally three  villages where tribes were making pottery. The buildings were either used for storage along the Cher River, or as a store where people could shop, or as a hotel and restaurant along the Rowan road… but then it started to rain hard!  We collected ourselves and went on to lunch.

For lunch, we visited the bakery “Aux delices” where the owner showed us his old fashioned stle of baking using a stone oven fueled by wood. He was gracious enough to come in on his day off to demonstrate how his business operates. We had delicious desserts before heading of to Bourges. First, we visited a beautiful  cathedral. Afterwards, we were allowed free time to visit the local shops, then we met up for dinner at La cle des Brumes. Finally, we went to our hotel for the night to rest for Wednesday.

Hello Rowan Bloggers & Family!

We started our day with an early wakeup call.  First stop breakfast.  Croissants are becoming our new favorite.  Then it’s off to a dairy farm in Lolif, France.  We’re greeted warmly and shown around the farm.  We got to meet the lucky girl cows whose morning routine includes back rubs via machine, fine dining on corn and grain, then they instinctively go off to be milked by a robotic machine.  The machine begins its service by verifying the cow temperature and cleaning the utters.  Then as it is automatically milked – they are treated to a vitamin snack.  Occasionally, a cow peeked it’s head out of the ‘service area’ to see what the fuss was as we oohed & aaaahed.  We wrapped up the dairy farm visit in another barn where we were hosted with cake and (ironically black) coffee (sans cream!?!)

Our next stop was a magnificent site: Mont Saint Michel.  The entire Abbey and town shopping area is built on 1 of the 2 islands made of granite that rose up from the sea about 250 million years ago. 

This Abbey has steps galore,

a spectacular view,

There are even Monks too!

…. Well worth the walking chore!

The 2^nd island is ‘for the birds’.  (literally).  It is too difficult to gain access.  In fact, our guide Bernard explained that people have truly been taken away by the ‘quick-sand-like’ ground between the 2 islands!! A true danger (not for tourists)!

This, and the rising tide make it important to be safe in your exploration of Saint Michel!  Daily, the tide will rise about 49 feet and fully sweep away cars in the lot if you haven’t left in time.  THIS ALONE is the reason you “run from the castle” — as you surely spent every moment enjoying the view.  It’s not wise to be LATE exiting here; especially since Sasquash will not float (as it’s the biggest beast on the trip - parking lots are not a friend to Sashquash). Poor Sasquash.

PS: Sashquash (Van#3 driven by Chuck) – Jedi (Van#2 driven by Dana) — Mother Goose (Van#1 driven by Denyse).  We are on the move!!  (Lots of banter & I spy wars on the walkie-talkie occupy our van travels)

See you all soon!!!!! (Joe D., Rita D., & Laura V.)

Normandy is shaped by the ideals of its people. These ideals are seen throughout Omaha Beach and the Musee Memorial d’Omaha in which we had firsthand experience of what it was like to fight during World War II.  I found that it was very moving and relaxing to be able to stretch along the beach and bury my feet in a sand in which blood had spilled. In addition, I had never been to any memorial ceremony before, and it was quite inspirational to be able to walk through the grounds and observe the people and thousands of white crosses.The ceremony has touched me in so many ways. Not only did I get to see what Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery was like but most specially the true meaning of this celebration  which is the freedom brought by the sacrifice of our soldiers not just for us but for millions of people in the world.

After visiting the cemeter and Omaha Beach, we were fortunae to speak with Mr. Lecoeur who recalled his first-hand experience of the D-Day invasion. He was a young boy in the small French town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise. He answered questions detailikng what life was like in occupied France and the harships he dealt with. Shortly thereafer we visited Utah Beach the second sector that American troups landed on. To finish off the day we had a pleasant meal at our hotel followed by an in-depth discussion of the days events and hot it ma have changed our perspectiv on this famous historical event.

This is day 3 of the Lemairathon… and therefore we must be in Versailles.The palace of Louis XIV has been restored to its original beauty and our group had the opportunity to visit it at our own pace thanks to an individual audio-system. By eleven o’clock, we went to the gardens, just in time to see the fountains spewing thousands of gallons of water.In the afternoon, we compared the modern harbor of Le Havre, which ranks second in France, and the 16th century harbor. We also examined the architecture of this town that was destroyed at 60% at the end of the war. Rebuilt by an architect inspired from communist Russia, the town has a very strange and monochromatic look.At night, we had dinner in Honfleur, a 15th century harbor famous for its restaurants surrounding the central bassin.

Hello everyone, and bonjour from Paris!The weather here couldn’t be better, and the sights are no less than breath taking. Some of the places we have already visited are the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Sainte-Chapelle, and the Crypte Museum, and we have all being taking tons of pictures. So far everything has been very fast paced. There have been moments for all of us that have been amazing, shocking, touching (Marley and Me on the plane), and FRENCH!MOUSSE! Sweet, delicious chocolate mousse! A worthy reward after the Bataan Death March across Paris. Just kidding! It wasn’t that bad - if one happened to be wearing something more substantial than flip-flops. But the mousse was no joke at our restaurant on Thursday night.The authors of this piece would like to give a special hello to their families, Vanessa, and Steph. We miss you all! Julian and Daniel.(Note of Dr. L.: we are still struggling to get Internet access and it is very unstable and slow. As soon as we do, expect more posting and the PICTURES)

The “Geography of Europe” trip will depart Philadelphia on May 20th and return June 3rd. We will visit France, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, and Belgium. Dr. Lemaire will lead the tour, and will be assisted by Dr. Charles McGlynn, Dana Litwornia, and by French geologist Bernard Langellier, and French geographer Bertrand Eveilleau.