And now for Rome (thanks Allie)

Birthday in Paris

What a wonderful birthday!  Some of our wonderful students surprised me on our cruise with a box of Parisiene macarons. Believe it or not, I just are my first ever macaron.  It was amazing!

Cruising the Seine, Fireworks and Crowds. A Perfect Evening.

Happy Bastille Day!

> Good morning from Paris!
>
> Yesterday saw students touring the Louvre and getting a taste of Parisian
> culture at Restaurant Chartier, a former train station converted into a restaurant serving traditional French cuisine that has now been designated a
> historic monument. The restaurant is famous enough to have its own Wikipedia page, which can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chez_Chartier. Earlier in the afternoon, students were awed by the Louvre, both in terms of
> architecture and in respect to the vast quantity of priceless art held inside. We dropped the students off at the Mona Lisa, and then set them free with the requirement that they must seek out the Venus de Milo in addition to another 5 of 13 important pieces (as dictated by Business Insider), all of which spanned a wide variety of art forms (from sculptures to paintings) and eras. General consensus was that the paintings heavily featured nude
> subjects (much to our students' chagrin), but overall the Louvre was quite well received!
>
> This morning some of our students are watching the military parade down the Champs-Élysées to celebrate Bastille Day, the French version of Canada Day. This year Bastille Day is celebrating the centenary of World War I. Later today groups will be exploring our arrondissement (the 9th) in hopes of learning how Parisians celebrate this holiday, as well as visiting Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, and shopping along the Champs- Élysées. This evening the whole group will be embarking on a boat cruise down the Seine in a Bateau Mouche. From there, we hope to watch the firework display. This will be the first time in history that fireworks will be fired from the Eiffel Tower itself, and the whole group is incredibly excited for what is sure to be a beautiful evening.

Versailles

Bonjour nos amis!

 

Yesterday many of us had the chance to board the RER trains and venture out to Versailles. The group had a guided tour of the chateaux, and learned all about the history of the architecture, paintings and the French monarchy. Versailles was the summer residence for French royals, and approximately 7000 people moved out to the home each year. Today we’ll be visiting the Louvre, which served as the winter home, and should provide a nice contrast for the students.

 

A highlight of yesterday was the free time spent in the gardens, which spread over several square kilometers. Each student had the opportunity to explore various areas of the vast greenery, and they returned to me with fantastic pictures of unique finds within the grounds. The Hall of Mirrors was also stunning and a perfect opportunity for students to practice their selfies in the mirrors that extended the length of the hall. We all felt somewhat royal after our visit to this beautiful, opulent palace.

 

This was in stunning contrast to our visit to the Left Bank, which is home to many Parisian students who attend the Sorbonne, a famous university in Paris. Highlights included Notre Dame, the Latin Quarter, and our close encounters with the many pigeons (or flying rats as our tour guide, Aurore, called them) found in the city. Students were given seeds by a local man who delighted in watching the pigeons land on their hands and heads. Pictures should be posted on the blog soon (if not already) of our thrill-seeking students.

 

We’ve also learned that there are a few adventurous eaters on the trip! Six students came home last night bragging about having a typical French dinner, complete with escargot, foie gras and many other delicacies. Mrs. Young was especially pleased to know that her ban against eating McDonalds had been obeyed.

 

This afternoon after our visit to the Louvre, we will be having dinner in Montmartre and hopefully climbing the hill to watch the lights of the Eiffel Tower twinkle. We’re hoping the weather cooperates, and the sun and warm temperatures forecasted reach us a day earlier than planned.

 

Classes are going well, and students are preparing for their next assignments. English students will be embarking on their photo essay in a few days, and business students have begun preparing for their cultural presentations which will be presented later this week. Marks will be coming shortly after we leave Paris for Rome.

 

Again, apologies for the delays in updating you with stories and pictures. European wifi continues to be painfully slow. Today’s postings have been brought to you by the Starbucks near our hotel, which is only marginally better than the wifi in our hotel. Many students have been documenting their trip on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and for those who haven’t gotten in touch with you recently, know that they are safe and having an amazing time here in Paris!

 

À bientot!

Paris...from our resident photographer...Allie Fong

Images of London...thanks Allie Fong