2024: German language course in Constance
THE LOCATION
This year, the German federation invited us to a German language course at the Humboldt Institute in Constance located on the shores of Lake Constance. This is situated in the state of Baden-Württemberg, with its capital of Stuttgart.
The Lake Constance region benefits from a mild climate due to the ‘foehn’, a hot and dry wind coming from Italy. This phenomenon is much in evidence by the vegetation of the Island of Mainau, also called the Island of Flowers.
Constance is also famous for the Council held within its walls from 1414 to 1418, which ended the Great Western Schism.
THE PARTICIPANTS
16 of us registered for the Constance stay organized by Sabine and Jean-Louis: three Portuguese from Coimbra and 13 French persons from the North Isère, Narbonne, Troyes and Ile de France sections.
We were all accommodated at the Humboldt Institute in comfortable rooms. Meals were also served on site and the cuisine was excellent. This arrangement allowed us the possibility of not wasting time on travel and logistics.
The only drawback was that the meals were served at 6 pm, which meant that we were not allowed to dawdle during the sightseeing tours.
THE CLASSES
Classes took place from Monday to Friday, in the morning. The afternoon was devoted to visits organized by the school or by Sabine and Jean-Louis.
Some months before the start of the classes, the Institute invited us to test our level of knowledge of the German language. This enabled the organisers to establish groups of different levels, ranging from A1 to B2.
The other students at the Institute came from all over the world; from Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Turkey, Russia, Bahrain, Mongolia, China, South Korea, Japan, United States, Canada and South America.
We all integrated well with the different groups and appreciated the good atmosphere in which the classes took place.
Three participants, accompanied by Sabine and Jean-Louis, took advantage of their free mornings to visit the city and its museums and also took a short trip to Switzerland.
THE VISITS
It rained the whole week with the fortunate exception of Tuesday when we had a walking tour to discover the island of Mainau.
On Monday we visited the city of Constance. We started by walking to the harbour to see the ballet of the ferries on the lake, then strolled through the streets to discover monuments and statues. At the harbour, near the building where the Council of 1414-1418 was held, we admired the 18-ton, 9-meter-high statue of Imperia, symbolizing the power of the courtesans 
during the Council of Constance
In the morning, those who were not attending the classes were also able to visit the Jan Hus Museum and the city museum.
On Tuesday, we discovered the island of Mainau, its flowers and its castle.
We took advantage of the sunny afternoon to walk among the vegetation, along the avenues lined with redwood trees and flowers, and to relax in contact with nature.
Some of us also visited the butterfly hall.
We would have liked to stay longer, but as dinner time approached, we had to leave the island with regret.
On Wednesday we took the ferry to Unteruhldingen with its pile dwellings on the eastern shore of Lake Constance and saw how ingeniously the people of the Bronze Age had adapted to their environment and exploited the natural resources on offer without wasting them. In short, the first ecologists !
Thursday, saw us departing by ferry again to visit Meersburg, a small medieval town with 6000 inhabitants, a castle and picturesque alleyways on the shores of Lake Constance.
The city is surrounded by hills, vineyards and fruit trees that bear witness to the mild climate.
In the castle, we were able to chat with Franco-Belgian reenactors from the medieval era who came to spend a few days living, eating, sleeping and working as if they were still in the Middle Ages.
As we finished visiting, a torrential downpour surprised us and thoroughly soaked us.
Friday afternoon was free,and a small group visited Konstanz. Afterwards, we enjoyed the final evening dinner.
Saturday: we took the train to visit Zurich, the international business and financial centre. We strolled along the Limmat, the cleanest river in Europe, and Lake Zurich. We visited the Fraumünster church, where we were overwhelmed by the majestic Chagall windows and the peace they radiate.
We also visited the Grossmünster church, which with its two large towers is easily recognizable as a landmark of the city. Saints Felix and Regula, two martyrs of Christianity, are buried here. According to legend, Charlemagne discovered their graves while hunting a deer and built a priory on the site which was the precursor of today's church.
We returned to the railway station via the avenue lined with Zurich's most luxurious shops.
THE MEAL AT THE END OF THE STAY
Friday evening, as is customary after each course, we met at the Ruppaner brewery overlooking the Bodensee for a festive meal followed by the traditional presentation of diplomas and gifts, and looked forward to meeting up again next year for another course.
CONCLUSION
Our sincere thanks to Sabine and Jean-Louis for the consistent high quality of the organization of this second stay after Berlin. The appreciation was evidenced by the increased number of participants. We would also like to thank Sabine and Jean-Louis for accompanying us throughout the week to discover this region.
Thanks also to all the participants for the good humor and the atmosphere that reigned during the stay.
We look forward to meeting again and finding out where the next course will be held.
Jean-François und alle Teilnehmer
