Our journey to Strasbourg
started in Pittsburgh, PA, and we had plenty of time to kill before the flight
took place so we caught the last few minutes of the WVU men’s basketball game.
Going through the screening checkpoint wasn’t actually that bad; it went quite
fast and we had our bags checked, and body scanned in no time. We then flew
without delays to Chicago, IL and it was here that we had some problems. Our
flight to Frankfurt, Germany was delayed by an hour and a half. This became a
problem because we had a scheduled shuttle that we missed, so we ended up
having to pay 89€ for another shuttle to Strasbourg. We also had to rearrange
our meeting with Julia, our coordinator, because she would have to pick us up
two hours later than expected. Once we were
on the flight though, I watched Frozen, Lone Ranger, and The Delivery Man. One
of the coolest things about the flights over seas is the little map that shows
you where you are and counts down the time until you arrive.
Julia and another
coordinator, Daniella, picked us up with smiles on their faces and were very
sweet with dealing with our jetlagged selves. They helped carry our bags to the
car and even up the three flights of stairs (with no elevators) at the
BEAUTIFUL, antique, and CLASSIC Chateau de Pourtales.
The Chateau started being
built during the 1750’s by Guerault, a constructor for the King of France. He
wanted a nice quiet place to be able to get away from the hussle and bussle of
city life. The Chateau was then sold to a French Baron whose countess wife
expanded the building. With the fame of the Barona and Countess the Chateau was
visited by Dukes, Chancellors, Barons, and even King George III. In an area
that was constantly being taken over by Germany and then switching back to
France, this estate provided a sanctuary for French artists and preserved the
French culture of the time. The house has seen its share of troubles though. It
was transformed into a hospital during the French-German war of 1870, and was
taken over by Germans in WWI and WWII and received massive damage from bullets
and mistreatments. Finally the Chataeu was bought by Dr. Walter Leibrecht in
1972 and renovated to its former glory. Dr. Leibrecht turned that Chateau into
a house for study-abroad students attending the local college; A place where
brilliant minds met just as they did during the Countess’s time.
I am rooming with Corinthia
and John is across the hall. We get breakfast provided for us by the hotel
every day, and there is also a kitchen for us to cook in so we bought some
groceries with snacks for our school lunches and pasta to cook for dinner.
Traveling always exhausts
me and my ankles swell way too much for someone my age, but I am so happy and
thrilled to be in Strasbourg. J
M'lyn, I am looking forward to see pictures of places you have visited. I will be curious also on: the education system and structure, the curriculum, structure of a typical day, are students bused to school? is it bilingual? what about school administration? What is the school's mission? What about testing? How about teacher training? How much do teachers earn? Technology in the classroom, etc. I am looking forward to ask you all these questions when you come back.
ReplyDeleteYour lodging is fabulous...and I really appreciated the back story! I have only been to Europe once...and just recently. And what I was must struck by was how the Europeans have preserved their history. So many of the buildings have stood for centuries...in the US we tend to tear them down and build over them. It also made me aware of how young the US is.
ReplyDeleteHarrison,
ReplyDeleteI have taken note of your questions and will be sure to get them answered! I already have many of them answered in some of my new blog updates :). It is so different here!
Sharon,
The history of this area is so well preserved! You can see all of the French and German influences; it is quite spectacular! :)
Thank you all for commenting :)