Let's boost it up in Brittany

 

Quimperlé...here we come!

Meeting UP again! (10th Apr)

On the 10th of April 2024 our class 3BS and another class 3ESA left Correggio to take the plane to Quimperle to finally meet our pen friends again. It was a really long journey because we had to take the bus in the early morning to Milan’s airport and after two hours in the sky we had to get on another bus for two more hours, it was exhausting, but we know how to have fun: the music was never missing and so the dance. 

In the moment we parked in France we felt the wet air on the skin and the rain humidity on our hair, also the atmosphere was different: it was colder than the 25 degrees of Italy and it looked more like a mountain landscape we were not used to. 

But we were relieved because we had finally landed and we could spend time relaxing far away from the stress of everyday life. It was a surprise to be find ourselves to live so far from the rest of the houses which hosted our friends, but it turned out to be a pleasure to spend a quiet evening with the new family to get to know them and to let the bond we had created with the French students reborn. 

We were thrown in a completely different reality, which was simple and less chaotic than our days, and we understood soon that it would be the perfect chance to slow down for a while. 

[Minahal, Silvia and Cecilia 3BS]

Just take a look at our journey to France (youtube video)

Ordinary school day in France...treasure hunt incl. (11th Apr)

On the morning of the 11th of April all students were presented with the programme for the week, and we shortly visited the school to see its modern infrastructure.

After discovering the school, we were all launched in a frenetic treasure hunt, which brought us up and down around the city and that gave us the amazing opportunity to see the heart and soul of the city.

After the exciting but tiring adventure, we went to the school canteen to eat and try the special food that was served to us.In the afternoon we traveled all the way to Concarneau where we had lots and lots of fun! We were divided into two groups, one of which visited an out-of-service fishing boat, and the other visited a fishing museum, and switched at the end of each.

The old fishing boat was very interesting and full of details which gave us interesting insight into the lives of fishermen. The museum on the other hand was very educational and full of important information on fishing for various types of fish, like Sardines and Tuna.

After the visits we had some free time, which let us explore the small town with our friends and gave us the opportunity to enjoy the local sweets.

After a day both exhausting and thrilling, we returned to our homes, shared a meal with our loving hosts, and retired to bed, free from any worries. [Eleonora, Matteo and Simone 3ESA]

The ocean at last (12th Apr)

On Friday 12th of April we were supposed to go kayaking, but since the weather conditions didn’t allow it, the alternative was going to a beach called Le Pouldu in Clohars-Carnoët. It took around 30 minutes by bus to reach it. We spent all the morning there and got back to school for lunch. 

Most of Breton beaches are public and unpolluted, and people usually take care of them by cleaning them. 

After running and strolling on the beach, playing hide-and-seek with the waves, we went back to school where we had lunch at the canteen with our penfriends. Friday is one of the best days at the canteen because we can eat very tasty french fries. 

In the afternoon we spent most of the time watching our videos and listening to podcasts that we made for our project about positive news. The topics were very varied, like love, sustainability, AI, food waste and many others. At the end we also had to vote for two videos and two podcasts that we enjoyed the most. The winners then received a prize. 

After that, we could either go back home and get ready for our party or just wait at school with our friends. While we were waiting for the party to start, we went a little bit around the city. 

The party started at 18:30 and ended at 22:30. Our French friends prepared for dinner their traditional food and then we played music and games and had fun all together. After the party then we could spend the rest of the night with our penpals and our other friends. [Martina and Nello 3ESA]

On a warm and cozy Saturday (13th Apr)

On Saturday 13th everyone woke up pretty late since in France school is attended only five days per week, which is something rather appealing to us Italians.

The morning was spent by eating breakfast and doing basilically nothing. After lunch the day finally became more engaging. The families organized to have the best afternoon possible with what they could do, usually meeting up in small groups. The evening was planned by the French students that did their best to let the Italians have fun; all the smaller groups reunited in two larger ones that were together until the night. 

Everybody had a great time!

Some visited Lorient, a small town but bustling with activities to try, shops and also a beautiful city center. They the city center going around clothing shops while eating local sweets. Everyone had a great time and lots of memories were made. The group that visited Lorient was also posted on an Instagram story!

Others went to an adventure park, where they climbed on really tall trees and “monkeyed” around, one of them even managed to cut themselves, luckily their host dad is a nurse and he was healed in no time. The nature and the sights there were incredibly beautiful; Such a great experience!

In the evening some went to the beach for a lovely the sunset: We bought some hamburgers and fries in a local “restaurant” that took 2 hours to feed everyone. When everybody had their meal the sightseeing was nearly ready. The sunset would begin in a few minutes so everybody rushed up a cliff to eat and enjoy the sunset together. After the sunset we sat there chatting on the shoreline. 

Others met at Julie’s place and stayed together. The environment was so chill. Everyone had a great time chatting and it was a perfect occasion to socialize, have fun and get to know each other.

[Mattia and Andrea 3ESA]

Getting into the Breizh culture (14th Apr)

On Sunday I spent the whole day with Joseph’s family, we visited Carnac; we left in the morning and arrived in about ninety minutes by car.

At lunch I ate for the first time in a Crêperie and I loved it, also for the great view of the beach.

Then we took a long walk in the port and they showed me different types of boats that I’ve never seen before. I was especially impressed by trimarans, three-hulled sailing boats used in long-distance races because they’re very light and fast.

The country is known for its megalithic complex (one of the biggest in the world), including fields of menhirs and dolmens arranged in long rows. In fact the name Carnac comes from “cairn”, which is the covering of these huge stones. Due to the degradation caused by the passage of tourists the fields have been fenced off, but it’s still possible to visit them.

So in the afternoon I saw two of these megalithic sites scattered around the town.

On the way back we had a short rest in Joseph’s second house (which was even better than the first) and then they bought me, as a present, some typical Brittany desserts in a local shop.

[Riccardo]

On Sunday the 14th we woke up quite late in the morning, me at least, because the night before I had been messy. We had breakfast with gallettes and got ready to go out.

After thirty minutes by car we arrived in a climbing park in the city's countryside ready to start our adventure. I did climbing using ziplines with my friend Tommaso, and tried different routes among the trees from the easiest to the most difficult ones. 

After that we went to the beach, to eat one of the things that makes Louna's small village famous: oysters. I loved them and I enjoyed the meal. Then we came back to the rest of the group to go bowling. Louna was quite good at it, better than me for sure, and she won the match. In the evening we went to Mc Donald's near the bowling's room. 

After this long day, I returned home extremely tired yet elated, and I quickly fell asleep.

[Libero]

A DAY IN QUIMPER (15th Apr)

On Monday we went to Quimper to visit the beautiful city. In a funny way it became a day of panic.

Firstly the bus arrived a bit late, but we made it to the center, where we split into two. One group headed to the Museum of Beaux-Arts, while the other walked to visit the cathedral. We panicked again as it was quite windy and cold, yet the weather couldn't ruin our great time.

The Museum was just astonishing: surrounded by all the awesome paintings, the guide explained to us some selected pieces from old and modern art.

As beautiful was the cathedral: a huge building where you felt so small. Entering we admired the colorful windows and the long altar.

Quickly it was lunchtime and everyone split up to eat with their friends. After eating, we had a couple of hours of freetime: we went around to visit the city and to buy some of Quimper's typical desserts, not forgetting souvenirs for our family.

In the afternoon we went to the beach, but panicked again as it soon started to rain. We took shelter nearby and waited until it finished as we talked and laughed a lot.

At around 16.30 we took the bus home and everyone headed to their hosting house.

In the evening we decided to have dinner on the beach and some of us absurdly decided to swim even though they did not have clothes to change. We managed to go home without getting a cold during this incredible day.

[Alessia, Francesco and Davide 3BS]

At Rafi's Farm (16th Apr)

In the morning we attended some lessons with some French students, not necessarily our hosts. At first we had a Science lesson in a laboratory and the topic was about the cycle of the moon. The lesson was in French, but fortunately we understood it more or less, thanks to some students who tried to translate for us. The teacher tried to involve us, even if she was not fluent with the language. In the second period, we attended an English lesson. This time the lesson was about Shakespeare; in fact the students prepared a presentation about the figure of the famous playwright. We also presented our country through a presentation that we had previously prepared. If you want to have a look at them, check them out in the section SLIDES.

Once we finished the presentation, we played a game with the Italian teacher based on guessing the song just by hearing the first few seconds of it. Then, we moved to the canteen of the school, where we had lunch.

After lunch, we took the bus with Tommaso's partner, Rafi, who showed us around his family's farm.

When we arrived, his mother was there to welcome us and, after a few presentations, she explained to us the programme of the afternoon. We had a really good time, exploring a completely independent farm and all its secrets and peculiarities.

We had the occasion to feed some alpacas and some little cows, while learning a lot about them all: for example, did you know that their alpaca wool is used to produce a really expensive and high-quality fabric? 

Furthermore, she told us that, thanks to all the nature that surrounds their farm, they don't have to buy anything from other farms, because they can produce all they need by themselves.

At the end of the tour we also had the opportunity to taste some of their cheese, which was really yummy. 

Do not Miss out on our visit at Rafi's farm

The day we left (17th Apr)

We woke up at 5:00 in the morning and, after checking our suitcases, we headed to the school parking lot where the bus was already waiting. From there, we departed for Nantes to catch our flight.

Our host family prepared packed lunch for us, so we were ready to face that never-ending journey: we arrived in Milan directly from Nantes, then we took a bus that drove us to Correggio, where our parents were waiting to hug us after an entire week. 

A week full of beautiful memories, stunning landscapes and the most kind people.

Quimperlé, you will always have a place in our hearts. 

We promise.

[Emma and Elena 3BS]