La Rochelle

Saturday, March 7th

Excursion to La Rochelle! Our group from the US (called AHA) had our own excursion to the port city of La Rochelle. It was a 3 hour bus ride, so most of us slept on the way there.
The city was very Protestant at a time when France was strongly Catholic. King Henry IV protected them from persecution, but after his death the protection ended. When King Louis XVIII came along, the Cardinal Richelieu led the Siege of La Rochelle. After 14 months, La Rochelle surrendered and many of the Protestants emigrated to America.
The port is very beautiful--there are huge towers at the entrance and the harbor had lots of colorful boats. The city is a mix of old and new and has many churches and bell towers (7, I believe).
Our group had a 2 hour walking tour, then a 2 hour lunch (it takes a long time when you have 4 courses...), then a 1 hour tour of a museum, then 1 hour to explore the city. Then we had to leave.
I wish that we could have had more time on our own to see the city without a guide. Maria and I spent some time wandering the old part of town, finding some postcards, then sat in the sun at the edge of the harbor.
-Natalie