Activities program in BLS - January / February / March 2012

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NEW 212 : Saint-Emilion afternoon trip! Private visit of the Château La Confession which owns Janoueix family from 1898. Visit of the winery, wine tasting & tour in the beautiful village, Saint-Emilion, so famous in the world of wine (offre ci-dessous)

Some events in BLS Bordeaux

Welcoming

• A welcoming every Mondays morning with hot drinks and croissants,
• A short and practical tour of the city on your first day at school, from 4 pm to help locate you in your new environment.

History and culture

• Tour by a professional guide: discover the heritage monuments of Bordeaux and its region,
• Cultural rally: you want to explore the city and having fun? Attend one of our rallies and discover the secrets of Bordeaux... A prize awaits the winning team!
• Visit of the Musée d'Aquitaine: discover this museum traces the history of Bordeaux from Prehistory to the 18th century.

Gastronomy

• Wine and cheese tasting. These meeting are an opportunity to combine gastronomy and conviviality with the tasting of several wines of Bordeaux with different cheese in the charming restaurant Baud et Millet.
• Wine excursion in St Emilion, Medoc or Sauternes. This vineyard welcome you to visit the castles which ends a tasting of their best wines.

Pleasure

• Board games : Poker, Taboo, Monopoly or Jungle speed, there are games for everyone ! Come at the front desk to borrow them.
• Cinema : weekly, discover our French films selection. You can also rent movies and watch them at home,
• Sporting challenge : meet other students throught outdoor sports challenges (football, baminton, volleyball)

Meetings

• Language tandems to meet now people and improve your French by exchanging with them
• Exhibition with a French artist in BLS
  

New 2012 : Private visit of Château La Confession, Saint-Emilion

Take the road of wine, from bordeaux to Saint-Emilion!

A friendly and cultural afternoon trip for lovers, passionnates, professionals or curious people.

A nonesuch trip :

1. Visit of Château La Confession, famous for its top-quality vineyards and for its efficient wine trade. Prestigious Grand Cru wine, in Saint-Emilion area (presentation of the wine history and culture, visit of wine cellars...)
2. 3 different wines tasting with explanation :
   • Wine directly taken from the barrel
   • "Second vin" (second wine) produced by Château La Confession
   • Tasting of the prestigious wine Château La Confession
3. Free tour of the famous medieval village, Saint-Emilion, emblematic of the wine culture

An half-day trip (1:30 pm to 6 pm)

2 dates :

• Wednesday, March the 14th
• Wednesday, May the 16th

A very private visit: max. 9 participants

Pictures of the vineyards and Château are allowed

Duration of the visit: 1h15/1h30

Price per person : 65€ (6 to 8 participants) - 60€ (9 participants) - guide and bus included

Have a look right now at Château La Confession, enjoy the video "La Confession"

For your information:

Famous for its top-quality vineyards and for its efficient wine trade, JJ produces prestigious wines that are served in the very best places, including the National Elysée Palace (the official residence of the French President).

Tasting: from a beautiful Château, a wine of great distinction. Good deep color, with minty ripe delicate fruits. Blackcurrant and mint fruit on the palate; tannic, well put together. Recently distinguished by Decanter Magazine and many others.

Discover Gironde

Bordeaux is the capital of the Gironde département, which at 10,746 km² is the largest département in France. Renowned for its history, culture, natural beauty, gastronomy and of course, its Bordeaux vineyards, Gironde is an enticing destination to learn French and experience the very best of French culture and leisure activities.

The Gironde includes 126 kilometres of beaches along the Atlantic coastline; 480,000 hectares of maritime pine trees creating a wonderful woodland in which to roam; hundreds of kilometres of paths to walk or cycle along; 3500 km of rivers including 400 kilometres of inland waterways and France’s largest lake; and of course there is the world's most famous wine region with vineyards that seem to go on forever…

The Landes de Gascogne Regional Nature Park

This immense pine forest was fully planted by hand in the 19th century to stabilise the vast swathes of sand and swamp. Spreading over 290,000 square kilometres, the Landes de Gascogne became a national park in 1970 in order to protect its rich but fragile heritage. Beginning a few kilometres southwest of Bordeaux, it takes in part of the Bassin d'Arcachon and then heads south to the Landes area. The forest sits on the other side of the dunes and is home to both protected wildlife and a major economic heritage. Walkers in the forest may spot some deer or some of those delicious Bordeaux cepe mushrooms...

This natural area can be discovered by bicycle or on foot on marked routes; it has several centres for horse-riding and canoeing; lakes for boating, swimming and a range of watersports; or just picnic in the shelter of the tall pine trees and observe the wildlife.

Dune du Pyla

Europe’s highest sand dune at 117 metres, the Dune du Pyla begins 8 kilometres south of Arcachon and stretches for almost 3 kilometres. It is thought to have started forming some 8000 years ago reaching its present size in the 17th. century. It is constantly moving and every year it moves a little more inland. The steep climb to the top is well worth the magnificent view and a favourite launch point for sand-boarders and paragliders. To the west are the shoals at the mouth of the Bassin d'Arcachon and Cap Ferret. Eastwards stretches the magnificent dense pine forests of the Landes.

In and around Bordeaux - so much to discover

• The largest production area of prestigious wines in the world
• The white sandy beaches of the Atlantic coast
• The largest maritime pine forest in Europe
• The highest sand dune with a magnificent view across the sea
• Arcachon Bay
• The medieval village of Saint-Emilion overlooking its vineyards
• The Dordogne region with its prehistoric sites (e.g. Lascaux) and exceptional medieval castles
• The Pyrenees mountains
• The Spanish border just two and a half hours’ drive away

Museums

Any visit to Bordeaux would not be complete without exploring a selection of the fine museums the city and region offer.

Musee d'Art Contemporain (CAPC) : Built between 1822 and 1824 to store colonial foodstuffs, Entrepôt Lainé is currently the Museum of Contemporary Art. This austere old warehouse with vast rooms, brick arches and wood-beam ceilings is perfect for displaying oversize paintings and sculpture by the likes of Keith Haring, Richard Serra and Jenny Holzer. There are over 700 permanent works in the collection as well as a hoard of temporary exhibits. A library and bookshop complement the experience. The Arc-en-Reve architectural museum, in the same building, also mounts regular exhibitions.

Musée des Beaux-Arts : Housed in the wings of the old Archbishop's Palace this museum houses an enormous collection of old paintings and an important group of Italian, Dutch and Flemish painters of the 17th century. It displays the works of artists such as Titian, Rubens, Perugina, Veronese and Marquet as well as two Bordeaux- born Modernists, Odilon Redon and Albert Marquet.

Musée d'Aquitaine : Formerly the Faculté des Lettres et des Sciences, this museum recounts the history of Aquitaine, from prehistoric times through to the contemporary era. Artefacts also include objects from the Eskimo culture and from Oceania and Africa. It takes the visitor on a journey of Bordeaux's 25,000-year history with the help of various artefacts, carvings and paintings. An English language catalogue can be borrowed from reception for a small deposit.