West Virginia University in Vendée, France

Down to earth ...  again!
May 30, 1998

About half of the Vendéens have traveled together from Pittsburgh to London.  Here we sit at the gate in Gatwick airport for the call to load the flight to Paris.  In Paris, we will rush through Charles DeGaulle to gate 28 where we take the shuttle to the RER train to the heart of Paris.  There, M. Lastinger will acompany the Vendéens to the AEPP (Protestant Student Center) and will join V. Lastinger and family at the Gare Montparnasse.  The Vendéens will get settled in Paris and the Lastinger's will go to Les Sables to make a few final arrangements.  See notes below.

As happens all too often in modern travel (but much less than in older days), things didn't always go as planned.  Although we arrived at the AEPP in good order, the director was on a long weekend (the French celebrate the Pentecost in late May as a national holiday).  His orders were not properly received and two of our students were quartered in "chambre X", apparently a little corner with mattresses on the floor.  Needless to say, none were too happy with this result.  The explanation that came later did little to alleviate the situation.  Nevertheless, the AEPP remains a highly regarded hostel for budget-minded young travellors from around the world.

 Stay tuned to WVU-V!

Go on to June 1, 1998.