Le Mans

Perhaps my most anticipated stop of tour, I was so excited to return to the foreign world of rural France. This tour stop is actually 40 minutes outside of Le Mans, in the Sarthe's medieval towns of Beaumont-sur-Sarthe and nearby Vivoin.

Jacqueline Capet, longtime host of Alley Cats and Whiffs in La Sarthe.

Our first evening was a fun dinner at the house of Dr. Rossard, just like last year. We were all lightly scolded when trying to eat cheese as an appetizer. Even after getting everything in proper order, I regretted holding a glass of Coke Zero while putting cheese on my plate; they never let me live it down!

My host family was a young couple with two young kids. Violaine and Pascal were excellent hosts, and they have a beautiful home with huge gardens which they maintain themselves, a clay tennis court, and even a huge old mill that sits right on the Sarthe.

They happened to have guests over each time I was home for a meal, so it was always exciting to try to decipher their French while everyone chatted. I even got to chat with a line umpire who had just officiated at Roland Garros!

Our one full day in the Sarthe took us on a private tour of a chateau: Le Lude, in Daillon. We sang for the count and he gave us a wonderful tour of the grounds.

In the evening, we sang a concert in the same church where I went to mass last year, right in front of some of the most beautiful painting and woodwork I have ever seen.

Then, on to Geneva...