Paris in Depth

June 2009  

Once upon a summer time...22 CR South students of French and Art and 3 chaperones went to explore "Paris in Depth".  

 

We took le métro like pros... We walked the 500 steps to the Sacré Coeur to view Paris at night, rode the iron lift to the top of the Eiffel Tower on a clear day, you can see forever...l "Arc de triomphe, les Invalides, Place de la Concorde, le Panthéon...Oh! the famous sights and monuments...  

 

We took a trip by Bateau Mouche after a storm, just in time to see a rainbow over the river Seine, behind Notre Dame venerable cathedral...

 

We mused in the bookstores of the Quartier Latin and tried a few 10 Euros restaurants" menus with ... what else? escargots and delicious fromages, filet et frites and a ton of pâtisseries. Don"t worry, we walked it all off!  

 

We walked through the majestic gardens of Versailles. The palace brought to life the monarchy and the revolution, studied in class.

 

It was difficult to leave the Louvre and the Musée d"Orsay... there was so much to see and absorb.  

 

Browsing in boutiques and going to Louis Vuitton"s on the Champs Élysées, by day and by night was a must. We took time to discover the French culture while experiencing the parisian pace with youthful energy.  

 

We left Paris to visit the Loire Valley, the Châteaux d"Amboise et de Chenonceaux, stopping on the way to discover the XV century Cathédrale de Chartres with its deep blue stained glass windows. We ventured in  Normandie to visit Giverny where Monet lived and painted. We arrived in the early morning, when the dew was still on the flowers, the willows and the famed water lilies...even the boys were impressed!  

 

Beyond the usual sights, the group experienced the celebrated Père Lachaise Cemetary. We went on a hunt for historical figures enterred there: poets, musicians, political figures such as Appolinaire, Balzac, Bizet, Chopin, Eluard, Jean de la Fontaine, Molière, Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde to name a few...

 

To finish the day, we ran through the Catacombs, an underground tunnel in Paris, where about 5 millions skulls and bones have been stacked, through the centuries, after battles, plagues or overflow from orphanages demanded such a funeral re-organization... I wished you could have seen the students" faces! some loved it, some ran through it, some wanted to know more... I am sure they will have something to talk about next Halloween!  

 

Through the eyes of young people, it was wonderful to see the enthusiasm and the reactions as they experienced another culture. After the rigor of the academic year, this beautiful voyage was enjoyed by all.    

 

Enjoy the pictures below!