When I was 15 years old, I took my first trip overseas with my French teacher. We spent 2 weeks in France, during which time we traveled all over the country and I even did a few overnights with a French family. It was exhilarating, it was terrifying (mostly because I never spoke in my French class so my French skills were not up to par), but mostly it changed my life forever. I would not be a French teacher right now had it not been for that trip (my teacher told me she got to travel for free- travel to France for free every two years- sign me up!) and it also instilled a love of travel and experiencing first-hand other cultures. I would not be the adventure-loving person I am now, having visiting over 30 countries with a hunger to see every more. And therefore it is an absolute pleasure and joy for me to have the privilege to travel with students. And this spring break (March 29-April 5, 2018) I took my 7th international trip with students- the first I have taken at the particular school I now work at. It was also going to be the shortest trip I had ever taken- just one week to travel to Paris, Provence and Barcelona (I had never done a trip over spring break- I usually reserve my travels for the summer), I didn’t know what to expect doing this particular itinerary, with this group of students during this time of year, but I’m happy to report that the trip was absolutely wonderful, perhaps one of the best I have led. The students were a dream- using their language skills (even Spanish kids trying to speak French when they could), asking questions, eager to learn more about the culture, paying attention to the guide, and seemingly loving every part of the trip. There was no homesickness, there were no incidents of malice or bullying, the kids even put down their phones and reveled in the different, sometimes strange, new things they were faced with. Allow me to share in some of our travel stories and pictures of the trip.
We had planned to meet at the airport at noon, and when I arrived at the airport at 11:59 (feeling proud of myself for being on time and not late like I usually am) I was greeted by most of the students and parents, who had obviously arrived early. The airline worker was already feeling pretty frantic about getting everyone checked in, so I helped her out and got everyone through the line pretty quickly. We did a group photo, said our goodbyes to family and went through security and to the gate with no problems. We had an easy flight to Chicago on a very small plane and then a 3 hour layover in Chicago. Once at the gate in Chicago we had three hours to grab snacks, change money and relax, some students playing card games. Before long we were on the plane to Paris, and the kids were excited by the screens in front of every seat- they were ready to watch movies and relax on the 7 hour flight, I was just hoping they would sleep because when we landed in Paris the next morning we would be going hard the entire day, taking in all the sites.
Getting through passport control literally took NO time, we went straight through, navigating the funny tubes and tunnels that make up the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, grabbed all our bags at the baggage carousel, and then through customs where we were greeted by Sophie- our tour guide. We were picked up by the bus outside about 10 minutes later, and even though it was early and we didn’t have a lot of sleep the kids were already so excited to be in France, exclaiming that the air smelled different- I was loving how excited they were, not every student group I have traveled with has acted like that. We rode the bus to our hotel, which was actually just outside the border of Paris in Bagnolet, but right next to a metro stop on the line 3. So after everyone changed or freshened up in the two public toilets, we were on our way.
We took the metro (the first time for the students) to the Latin Quarter, the Saint-Michel stop. There we split into small groups to wander, explore and grab lunch. We decided to eat French sandwiches or paninis (warm pressed sandwiches filled with whatever you like), the best kind of sandwiches in my opinion, and ate outside on the sidewalk. I myself had a 3 cheese panini and a coffee- I’m not supposed to be eating gluten anymore but how could I resist while we are in Paris- home to the best bread I’ve ever had. While outside there were a lot of pigeons flying around, and I screamed as I saw one on the awning above us stretch out its tail feathers and poo right onto the back of Sarah Z. Then I was almost attacked by pigeons after a student dropped a French fry from his gyro onto the ground (probably the same rude pigeon that pooed on Sarah)- but it was lovely start to our day in Paris. We had to finish off our lunch with freshly-made crêpes of course.
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| Saint Michel statue on the left bank of Paris- in the Latin Quarter. The statue was built in 1828 when Haussman was redesigning Paris by widening the boulevards and make large squares. |
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| our group enjoying our French sandwiches |
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| the street in the Latin quarter great for souvenirs and lunch |
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| don’t these sandwiches look delicious?? |
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| panini! |
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| typical French café |
We had a little time to wander into the neighboring shops before heading down the street. And then one of my favorite things when traveling, walking down an average street just to come to the end and be greeted by the first glimpse of something breathtaking- the Notre Dame cathedral! It was Good Friday so there was a special mass going on, a priest outside was reading scripture and there were songs being sung as we waited in line to enter. It was the longest line I had ever see for Notre Dame, perhaps because of the holiday weekend, but it moved quickly, and then we had about 20 minutes to explore the inside. There was a service going on and communion was being given, so visitors had to be particularly quiet.
Ready for your quick history lesson on Notre Dame? You know I can’t resist. Notre Dame (which means ‘Our Lady’) was built on Ile de la Cité in the oldest part of Paris, now the 4th arrondissement (there are 20 arrondissement in Paris- starting in the middle and winding its way out like an escargot). Construction started in 1160 and ended in 1345- almost two hundred years! Some of the features of Notre Dame that make this Gothic cathedral unique are the flying buttresses that were put in place to hold up the sides during construction but never removed (the church was one of the first to use this type of construction), the twin bell-towers that one can climb to see a great view of Paris as well as see the gargoyles, used as rain spouts and to ward off evil spirits, up close. Maybe visitors will catch a glimpse of the famous hunchback, Quasimodo, but I never have. Inside visitors get to see the beautiful rose windows- the round stained glass windows, and upon entrance one can gaze at the amazing statues surrounding the doorways. Did you know that Notre Dame is where Napoleon crowned himself emperor in 1804, and this is also where Mary, Queen of Scots married the French dauphin (king-to-be).
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| one of the rose windows of Notre Dame |
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| the choir screen in Notre Dame |
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| one of the chapels in the back of Notre Dame- check out the painting ceilings and stained glass |
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| the gargoyles of Notre Dame |
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| flying buttresses, supporting the structure of Notre Dame |
After regrouping outside, we walked around to the park behind Notre Dame to enjoy the beautiful landscaping, and the view of Notre Dame from the Seine.
After snapping several pictures we continued our walk across the Seine to the Hôtel de Ville, the city hall in Paris that was built in 1873-1892, replacing the previous building that had burnt down, though this site has been the headquarters of Paris since 1357. There a few students decided to take advantage of the carousel located on the square in front of the Hôtel de Ville and go for a quick spin.
We continued walking down the right bank towards the Louvre. It was raining off and on and was only about 50 degrees but even in dreary weather Paris is enchanting, the lack of good sleep was starting to set in, and the Louvre was packed, but I did have to snap my pic of the upside-down pyramid underneath the Louvre.
Ready for that Louvre history? I thought so. The Louvre is located on the right bank of Paris in the 1st arrondissement, right next to the Seine. It is not only the largest art museum in the world, but also the most visited. It wasn’t always an art museum though. It started as fortress, built in the late 12th century by French king Philippe II, in fact visitors can still see part of the original fortress in the lower part of the museum. In 1546 the fortress was converted into the royal palace for the French kings, and was extended several times, until Louis XIV decided to move the royal residence to Versailles, outside of Paris. However, he did decide that the Louvre would be perfect for showcasing the artwork the royal family had amassed throughout the years, and thus began the museum. The glass pyramid was added in 1989 by architect I.M. Pei and the inverted pyramid in 1993.
