Underground Tunnels and Hotel Massacres

                                           (Anne and I at Trois Croix)

This past Wednesday had to be one of my favorite school days so far in France. Maybe it was the fact that I only had one hour of school, or maybe it was because that one hour was English class. Whatever it was, it was a good day. Earlier on in the week, a classmate told me I didn't have to come to school until 10 a.m. on Wednesday because the gym teacher for swimming would be absent. Apparently, the message changed, but I never got the memo. Everyone showed up for swimming at 8 except for me. (I was fast asleep in my bed!) Sometimes it's nice when you don't understand everything.

I had a very leisurely morning. I woke up late, made myself a delicious breakfast of French bread smothered with Nutella, grapes, and vanilla tea with lots of sugar and milk, and listened to the Anastasia soundtrack on my walk to school. English class ended at 11, so I walked home (this time to the Pocahontas soundtrack) and ate some more Prince cookies. Yum!

When Anne came home that afternoon, we took off in the car and I got a history lesson of Privas. Our first stop was Trois Croix. The statue is on a hill overlooking Privas and the countryside. In the good olden days, there used to be a castle there, but it was completely destroyed in the religious wars between the Huguenots and the Catholics. Rumor has it that when the castle was here, there was an underground tunnel built from the castle to the hospital where Anne works. Anne told me she had a friend who knew the tunnel and had a key, so we'll see where that takes us...

After that, she took me to see where the town guillotine used to be in Privas during the French Revolution. As it turns out, it was in the same town square as one of the family's favorite cafés! We drove and drove, and I learned more and more. It was all very fascinating; I've taken quite the interest in local history. I learned that Ardèche is made of a bazillion volcanos (now all dormant, thank goodness!). Also, only a few minutes from Privas is the oldest sight ever discovered for cave paintings in the world (Chauvet Caves). A family friend of the Delenne's discovered it, and it is estimated to be over 30,000 years old! Pretty cool, right? Sadly - no one's aloud to visit, but I can say I've seen the outside!

There's a million other things I could tell you, but if you're really interested, there are much more knowledgeable sources than me. Oh, and before I forget, Anne made a list of all the things she wants to do with me before I leave. (See - I'm not the only person who likes making lists!) One of the things we might do is go to a hotel not far from Privas. The hotel in itself isn't anything spectacular, but there was a mass murder there so many years ago. From what I understood, a man rented out a hotel room, stabbed dozens of people during the night, took all their money, and then he stuffed all the bodies in the chimney. No one knows for sure, but he was supposed to have killed up to a 100 people during his life. Should be a fun day trip.

Onto the subject of school: I smile every time I remember that grades don't matter this year. I put so much pressure on myself to do really well back in America, and now I don't have to feel that way at all! Yesterday, I walked into math class with no idea that everyone was about to take a big unit test. I sat down and did the questions I understood (a little less than half). The math in itself wasn't hard, but my calculator was dead and I didn't understand the French. When the last bell of the day rang, everyone was still frantically working and staying late, but there was no point for me to stay. I did enough to show that I wasn't stupid and that my math was good, no less, no more. I could get used to this! (Although I have a feeling it will be difficult to readjust to college when I come back.)

 This weekend - I'm headed off to Lyon with a Rotary family. I'm not sure what we will be doing, and more importantly, when, where, and what we will be eating, but I'm sure it will all be good and I'll let you know all about it sometime next week!