We arrived in Paris and hit the ground running. We immediately tried some famous French pastries and many students even ordered in French! We spent the day hanging out in a local park, walking along the canal that cuts through the hotel’s neighborhood, and tried savory crepes for dinner. The following day, we took the metro to the Notre Dame cathedral. We got to climb to the top of one of the towers to take in some beautiful views of Paris. In the afternoon, students explored the neighborhood on their own before we all met up at a cafe to watch France play in the quarter finals of the World Cup! They beat Uruguay 2-0 to advance to the semi-finals and students learned the famous French soccer cheer, allez les bleus! We spent the evening exploring the Louvre at night, where students got to see the Mona Lisa among other famous artworks.
For our last day in Paris, students learned to navigate the metro in order to get to the Eiffel Tower, the Arc De Triomphe, and the Champs-Élysées. In the evening, we celebrated the end of our stay in Paris with a fancy dinner out (students even tried escargot!) and a nighttime boat ride along the Seine. Now we’re off to Nîmes!
Here are the students reflections and impressions of Paris:
“ Paris made me think about my future.”- Casey
“I can proudly say I figured out how to navigate the metro and read a map with no troubles.”- Elida
“Paris’ architecture is like nothing I have ever seen before. So many buildings and bridges have historical meaning. It is astonishing.” -Ruby
“Paris is so beautiful from the environment and it’s liveness to the gorgeous people, but my favorite part of my trip in Paris was the boat ride… it was enchanting.”-Priscilla
“Seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night was the highlight of the trip so far”- Juliet
“Flower pots on the balcony, roses draping, croissants everywhere… it fits the cliché but even better.”- Giselle
“Dirty, entrancing, terrifying.”-Nicole
“I was truly surprised by how friendly the French were. I’ve been told all my life how cold and unapproachable the French are. But they have been incredibly welcoming with my group, and happy to try and help us with all our questions.”- Ashton-Kate
“Notre Dame had one of the best views of the city.”- TaNeah
“The boat ride was amazing.”-Jason
“I liked the escargot.”-Char
“The snail was better than I thought it would be. So yummy. :)”- Tamya
“Seeing the Tower was the best experience, I will never forget. Next time I will bring my entire family with me :D” -Katia
Best wishes,
Perry and Julia
