Hello everyone! Today is Sunday and so far we have had a pretty relaxing day! We went to church early this morning. It is located about ten minutes from our apartment in the old town of Antibes along the beach. We had never been before so we were anxious to see what it was like. The church was pretty big and made of stone and was beautifully decorated on the inside, but it was freezing! The mass was only about a fourth full of all older women and men who were bundled up in big coats, scarves and gloves. They were better prepared than we were! The service was nice; unfortunately we couldn’t understand a thing that the priest was saying because it was all in French. It was pretty similar to our mass except there was no kneeling and the gospel and all of the songs were on a handout we received once we entered the church, they didn’t have any books. The host also tasted different and was a lot thicker, made of three layers, and was served without wine. The mass lasted an hour and afterwards we stopped for a few little donut-like pastries for breakfast and then came back and did a little bit of homework. For lunch we tried to make crepes, but two hours and four burnt pans that required the chiseling off of burnt crepe mix later we decided to give up and instead had cookies for lunch – we learn from the best Granny!
Yesterday we had a CEA trip to Italy. We were so surprised by how warm it was! In Pisa we had been freezing so we dressed in a bunch of layers for this trip, but in a short sleeve shirt we were still hot! Our tour guide told us that for some reason that one area is always very mild. It is known for its flowers and fruits and vegetables that it grows. Through the bus windows all we could see were rows and rows of green houses. We left on the bus at 8:00 and arrived in the seaside town San Remo located on the Italian Riviera around 9:15. We met our tour guide there and he gave us a tour of the new town, the old town, and the Russian Church of San Remo. We then had free time to walk around its famous Saturday market which attracts hundreds of visitors every Saturday for its bargains. The market was huge and all types of things for sale including clothes, accessories, jewelry, scarves, and food. It was similar to Rice’s except twice as big and three times as crowded! We saw some cute purses but we couldn’t bargain a good enough deal so we ended up not buying anything. We had lots of free time so we walked around the town some more and had delicious pizza for lunch (out of all the pizza we have had it tasted the closest to the pizza from home!) and gelati for dessert which was also very good. The San Remo Music Awards were taking place that night so we saw lots of paparazzi and girls screaming and running around with paper and pens for autographs. Em of course had to join in on the fun but we didn’t recognize any of the singers!
We then took the bus about twenty minutes to the Ligurian village of Dolceacqua. This town, located on a hillside, was very small and very pretty. Some of the medieval houses in the old town were built six stories high. There was a single-arched bridge that was 33 m long connecting la Terra to Borgo, the new part of the town built in the 15th century. The bridge was very famous and had been painted by Claude Monet many times. We walked around the town for a little bit but there wasn’t much to do and most of the shops were closed. We dropped off our tour guide near San Remo and returned to Antibes around 6:15. It was a nice but exhausting day with lots of walking!
We have a busy week of school coming up with lots of homework due and two presentations. But we are anxious for the week to be over because on Friday we leave for Spain and then the following Thursday we fly to Paris to meet Mom, Dad, and Jul! It feels like forever since we have seen them, we are so anxious for them to get here so we can show them around! Hope everyone at home is doing well and staying warm! We love and miss you more than you know! We think about you every day! Talk to you soon and can’t wait to see you!
Love, Jen and Em
***The first picture is of Jen standing of the bridge that Monet painted in front of the town of Dolceacqua. The second picture is of Em in San Remo. We had extra time so we sat by the water, some people were even swimming! The third and fourth pictures are also from Dolceacqua. Jen is standing in the castle on top of the hill looking down at the town. The fifth picture is of Em standing on the steps leading up to the town of San Remo and the sixth picture is of Jen next to an orange tree. Kristin told us that while we are allowed to pick the oranges, they are not sweet are used to make wine and jam. We always get so hungy when we pass them but no so much any more after learning this! The next picture is of Em on the steps leading to the casino in San Remo and the eight picture is of the markets we went shopping at! Very, very crowded! The ninth picture is from the town of San Remo and the tenth picture if from the town of Dolceacqua, it was dark but you can somewhat see the many floors of the houses.
Yesterday we had a CEA trip to Italy. We were so surprised by how warm it was! In Pisa we had been freezing so we dressed in a bunch of layers for this trip, but in a short sleeve shirt we were still hot! Our tour guide told us that for some reason that one area is always very mild. It is known for its flowers and fruits and vegetables that it grows. Through the bus windows all we could see were rows and rows of green houses. We left on the bus at 8:00 and arrived in the seaside town San Remo located on the Italian Riviera around 9:15. We met our tour guide there and he gave us a tour of the new town, the old town, and the Russian Church of San Remo. We then had free time to walk around its famous Saturday market which attracts hundreds of visitors every Saturday for its bargains. The market was huge and all types of things for sale including clothes, accessories, jewelry, scarves, and food. It was similar to Rice’s except twice as big and three times as crowded! We saw some cute purses but we couldn’t bargain a good enough deal so we ended up not buying anything. We had lots of free time so we walked around the town some more and had delicious pizza for lunch (out of all the pizza we have had it tasted the closest to the pizza from home!) and gelati for dessert which was also very good. The San Remo Music Awards were taking place that night so we saw lots of paparazzi and girls screaming and running around with paper and pens for autographs. Em of course had to join in on the fun but we didn’t recognize any of the singers!
We then took the bus about twenty minutes to the Ligurian village of Dolceacqua. This town, located on a hillside, was very small and very pretty. Some of the medieval houses in the old town were built six stories high. There was a single-arched bridge that was 33 m long connecting la Terra to Borgo, the new part of the town built in the 15th century. The bridge was very famous and had been painted by Claude Monet many times. We walked around the town for a little bit but there wasn’t much to do and most of the shops were closed. We dropped off our tour guide near San Remo and returned to Antibes around 6:15. It was a nice but exhausting day with lots of walking!
We have a busy week of school coming up with lots of homework due and two presentations. But we are anxious for the week to be over because on Friday we leave for Spain and then the following Thursday we fly to Paris to meet Mom, Dad, and Jul! It feels like forever since we have seen them, we are so anxious for them to get here so we can show them around! Hope everyone at home is doing well and staying warm! We love and miss you more than you know! We think about you every day! Talk to you soon and can’t wait to see you!
Love, Jen and Em
***The first picture is of Jen standing of the bridge that Monet painted in front of the town of Dolceacqua. The second picture is of Em in San Remo. We had extra time so we sat by the water, some people were even swimming! The third and fourth pictures are also from Dolceacqua. Jen is standing in the castle on top of the hill looking down at the town. The fifth picture is of Em standing on the steps leading up to the town of San Remo and the sixth picture is of Jen next to an orange tree. Kristin told us that while we are allowed to pick the oranges, they are not sweet are used to make wine and jam. We always get so hungy when we pass them but no so much any more after learning this! The next picture is of Em on the steps leading to the casino in San Remo and the eight picture is of the markets we went shopping at! Very, very crowded! The ninth picture is from the town of San Remo and the tenth picture if from the town of Dolceacqua, it was dark but you can somewhat see the many floors of the houses.
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