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French students at the high school were given the opportunity to travel
to France this summer. 9 students, one adult along with Mme Sylvestre
and her family left for France on July 9 and returned the 18. Parents
dropped off their children at the Bonanza bus terminal in Providence
where all participants boarded a bus for Logan Airport in Boston. They
flew AirFrance to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris and then went to
their hotel to drop off their luggage.
Everyone arrived tired but after leaving their luggage at
the hotel, they set off for the Eiffel Tower which was literally 2
blocks from the hotel and could be seen from the front door of the
hotel. The students took so very many pictures that if they needed to
use film, their luggage would not have made the weight requirement.
Thank goodness for digital cameras!
On the first leg of the trip, we stayed in Paris where we
also visited the Louvre, seeing the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and other
famous works of art. We toured the city stopping at various sites such
as: Trocadero, Les Invalides and eventually Notre Dame de Paris. I do
believe that we even saw Quasimodo hiding in the shadows. One evening,
we took a boat ride on The Seine River and experienced all of the
wonderful monuments of Paris at night. It was fabulous to walk where
the French walk and have the opportunity to practice our French.
We then went on to Versailles to see the beautiful palace
and explore the gardens. We ventured into the town of Versailles to eat
and do a bit of shopping which the students truly enjoyed. Then it was
on to Tours. The part of France that boasts the most perfect spoken
French. While in Tours, we viewed a parade for Bastille Day and found a
part of France that was so very different from Paris. We visited the
châteaux of Chambord and Chenonceau then going on the the town of
Amboise which also hosts a château. The students found lunch on their
own in Amboise.
The next leg of our journey took us to Mont St. Michel. The
Benedictine Abbey on the English Channel which before the change in
tides, was only able to reached by auto at low tide. We climbed via the
outer wall to the top and entered into a magnificent structure! That
evening, we went on to St. Malo. A walled town on the English channel
with wonderful beaches. As it was the 14 of July, a national holiday
for France, we witnessed some spectacular fireworks.
It was then on to the Normandy beaches. Our bus driver,
Raymond knew all of the wonderful places to stop and even though they
were not on our list of places to stop, he made time for us to do so.
He is a true Bretagne. It was a bit mournful to be at the American
cemetery and witness all of the grave markings. It must have been a
horrible experience. France has given this cemetery to the United
States so not only are these men buried on US soil, they are buried
facing the Atlantic Ocean thereby facing the United States.
We also stopped in Bayeux and viewed the Bayeux Tapestry.
This is a tapestry that is 70 m long depicting the Norman conquest. A
wonderful site for French 4 students as we study this tapestry in French
4. We then arrived back in Paris staying in the district quite close
to the Opéra. We visited Sacre Cœur on a very rainy night and Mme took a
wrong road and we took the l-o-n-g way to Montmartre. Several students
were unable to go inside as those wearing shorts were not allowed. The
weather dampened people’s spirits and we decided to take the métro back
to the hotel. The following day, we visited the Champs Elysées, the
most famous and widest street in Paris and then returned for some
shopping in the area of the hotel. We returned to Arc de Triomphe at
night to see the sites in a different light.
When we arrived back at Logan airport in Boston, the
students wanted to continue to travel. We had such a wonderful time
that if we really did have bottomless wallets, we more than likely would
have.
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