Mar
14
Today the group went to one of the greatest art museums in the world. The students saw many famous pieces of art such as the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and the Nike of Samothrace. After touring the Louvre the students visited the Fragonard Parfum museum, which is only found in Paris. The rest of the day was spent shopping on the Champs de Elysee or climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We ended the day and the trip by eating traditional French pizza.
-Susanna Smith
Mar
13
The group went on a guided bus tour around Paris. A local tour guide, Mario, led the tour. He was very informative. Mario told the group the history of the sights that we passed in the bus. The group saw where the old Bastille prison was, the Obelisk, the Arc de Triomphe, and many more famous sites. At Versailles the group split up into two groups. One group toured the gardens of Versailles and the other went on a guided tour of the palace with Mario. Mario told the group about the purpose and history of each room. After Versailles, the group was dropped off at the Opera where we were given about an hour and a half of free time. After free time, the group went to dinner. The group was served bread, salad, roast beef, and a cream puff for dessert. The highlight of the meal was definitely the cream puff!
-Grace Bennett
Mar
12
The group drove 3 and a half hours to outside of Paris, where the group visited Chartres and took a tour, exploring the stained glass windows and handmade sculptures. Next, the group divided and went to cafes in the area for Lunch. After, the group drove the remaining hour and a half to Notre Dame and went to dinner next door at Hippopotamus, which was a group favorite. After, the group visited the Eiffel tower and took time to take pictures of it at night. Lastly, the group went on a guided cruise tour of the heart of Paris and got opportunities to take pictures.
– Anna Burress
Mar
11
March 11, 2014 the group visited Mt. Saint Michel, a monastery originating from the 8th century. The group had the chance to visit the inside of the monastery and see the views from the coast of France. After Mt. Saint Michel the group visited St. Malo, a small town on the coast of France. There, they had the chance to walk around the town and shop and also had a guided tour from a local to learn about the history and the events that took place there.
– Tori
Mar
10
Today was a beautiful day. The skies were clear and the sun was shining. The group started off by heading to a museum at The Memorial of Caen in Caen, France. The museum was dedicated to the time of WWII and the many European, American, and Canadian lives that were lost because of the battle of Normandy and the war as a whole.
Afterwards, the group headed to Arromanches on the beach. It was the perfect day to spend in the beautiful town surrounded by cobblestone houses, buildings and other historic monuments. This beach was where the equipment was left for the soldiers who were storming the beach for Normandy. We ate an authentic French lunch and then spent the rest of the time strolling the beach and enjoying the weather.
The next stop was the American cemetery that was located on 172 acres that was given to the US after the Normandy invasion for the US to be able to bury our soldiers. It was beautiful and it looked over the Colleville Sur Mer beach, what we call Omaha Beach, where the US soldiers stormed the beach on D-Day. It was breathtaking to see all of the crosses that marked all the men who gave their lives for the freedom of so many. After the memorial, we went to the Omaha beach to pay respects and see where our soldiers fought.
We ended the day by traveling to our hotel in Dinan, France. The drive was amazing. The countryside of France is incredible and every house we passed was so wonderful. When we got to our hotel, we ate a meal in the hotel and all dispersed to our rooms. The day was a beautiful and fulfilling day and one that I and the rest of the group will never forget.
– Casey Schneider