April 21, 2014, by Olivia

Sun, Tapestries and French Culture!

Hope all of you had a lovely Easter yesterday with lots of Easter eggs!

I have been absent from the internet as I have just returned from a trip to Angers. Angers is a city in the west of France.

I had this lovely opportunity as the School of Pharmacy at this university has a french exchange program which is organised with the University of Angers. Although we were only there for six days, there were many activities that were planned for us, so there was much to see and do! I will not bore you with all the details of the trip but here are a few highlights!

Tour of the Château d’Angers & Viewing of the Apocalypse Tapestry

This was a castle built in the early 13th century due to its strategic location near the La Maine river. It was a massive structure which (if I remember correctly) consisted of 17 towers. It was quite a sight to behold on the inisde. After exploring the castle grounds, made our way underground to a museum which hosts the Apocalypse Tapestry.

 

Jean-Lurçat Museum

A few hours later, we headed to the the Jean-Lurçat museum for a private viewing of his modern tapestry the “Chant du Monde” or Song of the World accompanied by some champagne. After all, we were in France! I enjoyed observing the contrasts and simlaries between the modern tapestry and the medieval one and I still cannot decide which one I liked better!

Tour of the Cointreau Distillery

We were also given a tour of the Cointreau distillery which is the only place in the world that the triple-sec liquor Cointreau is produced. As we walked around the distillery and its museum we were taught about the ingredients and how the orange liquor was made and packaged.

There was a constant scent of orange in the air of the distillery and you could be sure that by the end of the tour we could not wait to try some Cointreau. It was definitely worth the wait!

Dinner in a Troglodyte Cave

On one of the nights we got to have dinner in a cave, previously inhabited by troglodytes. It was a unique experience not just in terms of the atmosphere but also the food that was served. For dinner, regional specialities such as bread made in the caves above us, wine and french desserts were served.

All in all it was an amazing trip. I got to experience wonderful French hospitality, eat some amazing food, learn a few French words and of course make new friends!

Hope you all have a good week ahead and enjoy the rest of your Easter break!

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