July 11th & 13th

     Two enlightening field trips this week equaled zero time in an actual classroom! Instead, we were able to think outside the textbook and once again learn from standing examples.  Our first destination was Apt, one of my favorite towns in this area.  The awesome and unique Saturday markets, the vast amounts of people, and the “real world” vibe of this place are extremely attractive to Lacoste students.  Our Monday adventure took us into the deepest dungeons of the Apt Catholic church to see the crypt of St. Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary.  The stonewall interior of the chapel created a cove of cool air which was a complete blessing from the summer heat.  The decorations of the church were a perfect combination of dark wood and aged iron.  There was a small selection of stained glass up out of arm's reach. The ceiling housed elaborate strips of stone detail, the floor was the stage for dark wooden benches, and all pieces of biblical art were elaborately framed. Our French-speaking tour guide was a precious and petite lady who was filled with immense love for her local church.  She led us down two steps of spiraling staircases into a dungeon-like pathway that opened up to a small oval room that possessed the crypt of St. Anne.  We learned that the crypt was lost for hundreds of years, only to be rediscovered by Charlemagne.  There was a rumor swirling that it was a blind child that led him to this location.  While the crypt is now empty for obvious reasons, it is still considered one of the most sacred spaces in all of France.  

     Today we were introduced to our second field trip of the week.  Our class loaded up into our two awkward white vans to go visit a nearby Renaissance era castle.  The route there was comprised of nothing but curves.  We were winding up the hills swerving left then right, with nothing but steep rock surrounding us on all sides.  The thick vegetation formed a canopy above, and for a moment I thought we had been magically teleported to the Amazon.  Upon arrival, I was immediately taken aback by the size of this place.  This national historical landmark was so enormous; there was no good way to photograph the exterior.  It was just too large to fit into one picture frame.  The construction on this castle began in 1485, and it was a late Medieval design built to offer protection for residents from the outside world.  Upon its construction, there was only one entrance, and the rest was surrounded by marshland.  I have no doubt that this would be the perfect setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and I caught myself playing out the scenes in my mind as we toured the castle.  This place receives about 37,000 visitors a year, and during the summer it is occupied by art students.  By the time we were done exploring the building, we were led to a large room that has become the permanent home for a trench art exhibition compiled of work from soldiers from the 1840’s up until the war in Iraq.  The artist/soldier artworks come from all different types of nationalities, and were created using leftover bullet cases, woods, metals, or anything these soldiers could find. The craftsmanship and creativity of the soldiers was extremely impressive.   

     Thick pockets of rain primarily consumed the drive back to Lacoste.  A dense smell of lavender seeped into our van, and there were large bolts of lighting crashing down from the sky.  I did notice one low, fluffy white cloud close to the ground that seemed to be taking a rest on the valley.  It was a beautiful closing scene to this chapter of my journey. 

~Peace & Cupcakes~

An elaborate and massive framed piece of artwork, taking up the entire section of wall. 

Lion's foot detail at the bottom of a side altar.

The crypt of St. Anne

A closer look of the front. 

A back view of the crypt. I wonder where Anne is?

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Portions of the castle. 

These roses reminded me of Beauty and the Beast.

I was in awe of these ceilings.  They are so neat to me!

Trench art exhibition.

View looking out of the castle. 

Wallis and I outside of the castle.