Motivation-Weekend in Nancy 06.05-08.05.2022
06.Mai.2022
Friday, May 06th; Arrival in Nancy and lots of food
On the 6th of May we departed in Bonn with five people from our committee; Maya, Marisol, Simon, Felix and Theresa. Our destination: Nancy.
We arrived at 9pm, where we were warmly welcomed by IAAS-Nancy. Our accommodation for this night was the place of one of the members. They prepared lots of food for us including starters, a main course and also dessert, which we really appreciated after our long car ride. After this tasty dinner and lots of talking, it was time to end the day, since there was a tight program planned for us the next day.
Saturday, May 07th; City-Tour, Botanical Garden and Méchoui-Party
The next day, we started our morning all together with pan au chocolate and coffee while we played a few games of the game UNO to warm up the mood. After this refreshment, we made our way to the city center, where we passed by a beautiful park, le parc Sainte-Marie de Nancy, where a flower market happened to be taking place. We also saw beautiful old buildings. The city is characterized by buildings from the Middle Ages and the early modern period, as well as the neo-Gothic style and especially the Art Nouveau style.
Before getting some food, we went to this beautiful plaza named “Place Stanislas”, which was built in 1755 by order of the Duke of Lorraine, formerly King of Poland. His statue is located in the middle of the square. This square, together with two other adjacent squares, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Afterwards, we walked through a park next to it “le parc de la pépinière”. A really incredible park with blooming flowers, huge trees and a peacock house. Since we were getting hungry, we went to get food next and had a little picnic in the “jardin d’eau” (the water garden). It was a very enjoyable break next to the water with the sun shining on us.
After lunch, we took the car to go to the botanical garden of Nancy, which is one of the biggest in France. Nearly 12.000 species can be discovered within a 25 hectare garden containing 2.500 m2 tropical greenhouses. We found rare and endangered plants and also some you would not find in our climate zone. In addition, there was an exhibition to discover the world of dinosaurs and the history of the evolution of plants and animals.
Our next stop was the campus of Ensaia, the school for students in agronomy and food industries. We walked across the campus grounds and discovered the little crop garden of the school.
Then it was time for the highlight of the day and probably the highlight of the year for students at Ensaia: the Méchoui-Party. We drove a bit further out of Nancy to a little farm. There was nothing around but a street. What a perfect spot for a party.
When we arrived, many tents were already set up, since it is kind of a tradition to spend the night at the farm. So we did the same and set up ours as well.
We took a little walk over the farm, where we saw some cows and calves and a few barns. In one of those, the dancefloor and DJ - desk, bar and buffet with possibilities to sit down, were located. Music was already playing and we got some drinks in the themed eco-cups we got on our arrival. Then the food was served, mostly salads and baguettes with dips and, of course, the méchoui. Méchoui is a kind of barbecue, where a whole pig is grilled over a fire. After the meal, the dance floor filled up and we kept dancing for hours.
Sunday, May 08th; last Lunch and saying goodbye
It was a very fun but short night. In the morning, they offered coffee and snacks and then it was time to get back to the city center to meet up with the rest of our group, as not everybody stayed at the farm for the night. We bought Poké-Bowls to-go and went to the “parc de la Pepinère”. And then it was sadly already time to say goodbye. We went to our car and made our way back to Bonn.
Thank you to the IAAS-Nancy committee who organized this amazing weekend for us. We had a really great time with you people and are already looking forward to seeing you all again soon.