LeHavre, France is so beautiful, not what I was expecting. It is an international port, and home to the Seafarer’s Union. We are just across the sea from the beaches of Normandy, where D-day took place. Obama just visited the beaches in the last couple of weeks, and we will go there as well.

I can hear sea gulls out my window and started my day with a run along what is similar to our boardwalks at the beach on Friday morning. The port and beach are only a few blocks from our hotel and the university. The wind is strong off the sea but the scenery is breathtaking. There are pebbles on the beach instead of sand, and many years ago, one of the trades of the area was to crush the stones into fine powders to make exquisite powders.

We were welcomed to the Business School of Normandie Friday evening by students and a BBQ. The event was quite similar to our bbq’s in the states, burgers, chicken, and hot dogs on the grill, but on baguettes instead of buns, and the potato salad had a European twist.

After the welcome reception a group of us walked down to the beach just as the sun was setting. It was absolutely breathtaking. The port/beach area is bordered by a large cliff, which was the vantage point of many artists during the impressionist period.

The cliff at the port is where Claude Monet painted his famous Terrassee A Sainte-Addresse from the cliff vantage point. Our Friday was full and we all welcomed hotel rooms that were larger that the botel for a much needed night’s rest.

Friday morning started with a lecture from Michel Burquois, a European product marketing expert who works with an organization called OIV, which is similar to the United Nations, but focuses only on the wine industry. His resume includes participation in the team that created Nestle’s Kit Kat. He was quite knowledgeable on campaign and marketing development, an invaluable resource not only for our project, but a great contact for future reference.

In the afternoon our group took a short bus ride to experience the Cliffs at Entretat. The photos don’t do justice to this massive place, but will hopefully give you an idea of the scenery…. It was truly amazing.

I am pictured here with Andy, antother student from Belmont University.

Our hike lasted about two hours from the time we hiked to the top and then down and around through the small town. This was another of Claude Monet’s vantage points during his time in the LeHavre, France region.

Our path took us down into the town of Etretat, which was quaint and cute, with a beach cafes with a beautiful view of the cliffs.

After a morning run, class, group project work, and an exhilarating hike at the cliffs, I was beat. I worked on my project a couple of hours and hit the hay. I am up early this morning, playing golf with Perry and Noel from the University of New Orleans, at a course located at the cliffs where we were yesterday. It should be an experience for sure. The wind will be wild, but the scenery incredible…. And how many opportunities will I get to play golf in France? Stay tuned for results of the game.