There were several excursions planned by the staff at Ecole des Mines and also one by the IPENG / INPL directors.  Our excursions included a trip to Strasbourg with a tour of the cathedral and the European Parliament and a tour of Toul and its cathedral and a visit to a regional vineyard.  We also played soccer with French students in Parc de la Pépinière and visited the TGV-Est railway line that was being constructed. 
 

Strasbourg The group of us that decided to climb the tower of the cathedral and see the view from the top	Strasbourg The full group of students including the 7 of us from the University of Illinois, 3 other American students, and 5 Russian students	Toul The cathedral
Soccer Playing soccer in the park	TGV - Train à Grande Vitesse The recently constructed bridge for the new TGV line	Vineyard Tour The grapes growing to make this season's wine
Soccer Taking a water break after warming up	TGV The 4 of us inside the recently constructed bridge (above)	Vineyard Tour The owner of the vineyard describing the process of making wine