Last day in Paris

It's hard to believe but we are less than 24 hours from getting on a plane and heading home! I believe the girls have had a great time, however, I think they are READY to come home. This morning we departed for a guided tour of the Versailles - the home and gardens. Our tour guide, Etienne, gave us a brief history of Versailles on the bus ride. Once we arrived and started to tour the gardens - it rained! Even though it was not pouring down rain, and there were a few umbrellas to share, everyone seemed to get a bit wet! What a farewell to Paris. We then toured house and again our tour guide provided valuable information in all the rooms we visited. Of course, the girls hit the gift shop before we departed home. There seems to be a lot of talk about "suitcase issues" so when we got to FIAP, we encouraged the girls to start AND finish packing. Tomorrow morning we depart at 7:00 a.m. for the airport to catch our 10:00 a.m. flight. Au Revoir Paris . . . it's been WONDERFUL!

Transportation

As our trip winds down, I was just reviewing all the forms of transportation that we've used in London and Paris. Obviously, we started out on a plane to London. Once in London, we took a motorcoach, the underground and a double decker bus. We took the Chunnel to take us from England into France and once in France we took the Metro and used the public bus system. We also used our feet - alot to get around both countries. The girls have become "experts" with the Metro system in Paris. The picture is taken at the Glaciere station which is our main departing depot and the map is the Metro system map which we have navigated daily.

Bastille Day & Rebecca's Birthday

Finally - "we get to sleep in". That was the comment regarding yesterday. Since it was Bastille Day, there was no school and the girls took full advantage of it! We met for lunch at noon and had the cafeteria staff bring out a cake for Rebecca. We sang Happy Birthday in French, English and Spanish. At 2:45 we departed for a nearby cinema to see Harry Potter. All the previews and commercials were in French and I was getting concerned that the movie would be played in French. But much to my surprise, the film was in English with French subtitles. Bernice and I are not really a Harry Potter fan so the girls had to bring us up to date before the movie started. There was crying, cheering and applause. We stopped in for dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant that was quite lovely. Friday is the last day of school so the girls want to celebrate by...shopping! I know, that's quite a shock so Bernice and I will force ourselves and take them to a few areas for shopping. Saturday morning we depart for Versailles and Sunday it's home. See everyone very soon!

Orsay Musuem and The Chapel of the Miraculous Medal

Shortly after lunch we departed for the Orsay museum. Again, we reminded the girls that some of the most famous impressionist works are housed in this museum and they have the opportunity to enter and view the pieces for FREE! One of the things I love about Paris is that they encourage young adults to become culturally educated by giving them access to the museums for free. The Orsay is much smaller and easier to navigate than the Louvre and the girls enjoyed their visit. We then walked to the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal and the home of St. Catherine Laboure - just beautiful. As we headed home, Rebecca, Caro Nunez, Caro Carasa and Katie Watson joined me at the Cafe Oz to watch the Amercian women defeat the French women soccer team - Go Team USA! Alex, Caryn and Olga ate at FIAP, while the other girls stopped at the Italian restaurant by FIAP for dinner.

Today, July 14th, in addition to Bastille Day, it's Rebecca Charur's birthday. We met for lunch and had the kitchen staff prepare a cake for her as we sang Happy Birthday. Later we're scheduled to go the movies to watch Harry Potter. The pictures posted are in front of the Orsay and at the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal.

As our trip winds down, I hope the girls have had an awesome time in London and Paris. While I'm glad to be headed home, I'll miss Paris - the City of Lights!

The Seine River

Unfortunately, our scheduled picnic was rained out. The girls seemed grateful for the opportunity to take a long afternoon nap on a rainy day. That evening we departed for a river boat cruise on the Seine River. The sights on the river are even more beautiful at night including Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Orsay museum. On Wednesday we are scheduled to visit the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. St. Catherine Laboure relayed a request from the Blessed Virgin Mary to create the Miraculous Medal that is worn today by many Catholics and even Non-Catholics. After visiting the chapel we head to the Orsay museum home of the some of the most famous painting by impressionist painters such as Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Cezanne and Degas. Tomorrow is Bastille Day and Rebecca Charur's birthday. Happy independence day France and very Happy Birthday Rebecca!

Free Day in Paris

After the "exhausting" weekend, we decided to give the girls a "free day in Paris" i.e. no planned outings. We went back to the area with L'Opera and Galleries Lafayette. Some girls toured the opera house, while some girls toured the shopping malls - you know who you are! In the evening, FIAP hosted a dinner for our group as well as groups from Canada, Brazil and Argentina. After a little coaxing, we seated the girls with the other groups so they can get to know some of their fellow students. The evening turned out quite well and we all realized that teenagers are teenagers no matter where they come from! Today we are scheduled to have a picnic at Jardin du Luxembourg and this evening we are scheduled for our boat tour along the Seine River. I will post picture when we return from our outing. The girls have been great and while I know they are enjoying Paris - some are just a tad homesick.

Normandy, St. Malo and Mont St. Michel

Saturday morning departed FIAP for the weekend. The first stop was Caen, where the Peace Memorial is located. This memorial is dedicated to the forces that stormed the beaches on Normanday. We viewed a film via a split screen that shows the Allied forces storming the beach while the German soldiers prepared for the invasion. The film was moving as well as the walk through the museum. We then departed to Omaha beach where we were able to walk along the same beach that our soldiers landed on. It was an extremely moving and emotional experience, especially after we visited the cemetery where 9000+ American soliders are buried. Our tour guide, Etienne, spent a great deal of time retelling the history of the war on our drive down to Caen. He also expressed his gratitute on behalf of the French people for the efforts during the two month of the Normany invasion.

After leaving the cemetery, we drove for about 2 hours to a quaint fishing town called St. Malo. The hotel provided dinner so we departed for the "city" around 9:00 p.m. Our tour guide walked us through the town filled with rich history. The girls shopped, ate crepes and ice cream. We made it home around midnight where everyone went to sleep right away. The next morning we left the hotel at 8:30 a.m. for Mont St. Michel. Etienne, took us on a walking tour of the abbey and explained it's dedicated to St. Michael, the Archangel. The girls had free time to eat lunch and shop. We departed for FIAP at 1:00 p.m. and made it home around 6:00 p.m.

It was a wonderful, event filled and emotional laden weekend. I hope the girls enjoyed themselves and so did I.

Rodiin's Museum and Napoleon's Tomb

After lunch and nap time, we departed for afternoon of history and culture. In Paris, most of the museums and historical places we visit are free for students. Madame took a few minutes to explain to the group what an opportunity they have to be enriched in culture. Our first stop was Rodin's museum. The house and gardens are home to his most famous works including "The Thinker", "The Kiss" and the "The Gates of Hell". His works in marble and bronze are amazing to view. We headed to Les Invalides - the home of Napoleon's Tomb. In addition to Napoleon, some of his family members and soldiers that served for him are buried here. Although we were going to head home, we took the girls to Galleries Lafayette for shopping. Some ate dinner out, while other ate dinner at FIAP. Today, we are headed to the Louvre and expect an early evening since we are departing for Mont St. Michel and Normany Saturday morning.

The Eiffel Tower

Wednesday evening we departed for the Eiffel Tower. We had lift tickets at 8:30 p.m. so the girls could experience the tower at night. We stayed until 11:00 p.m. so we could see the tower twinkle. An awesome experience.

Montmartre

I don't know why but the girls are just "exhausted". We let them nap after lunch and departed at 3:00 p.m. for a fun filled afternoon. We began by visiting the Basilica of Sacre Coeur. Montmartre is located on a hill and you can see an amazing view of Paris from the top 129 meters above sea level. Some girls chose to accompany Madame on the tram, while the brave ones walked up the steps with me. The church takes your breath away. Afterwards we headed into Montmartre. Many artists such as Dali, Monet, Picasso and Van Gogh had studios or worked around the Montmartre community. Today, the city is filled with "starving artists", shops, restaurants, galleries and a museum dedicated to Salvadore Dali. Many girls had artist paint their portraits. It was a great time watching the artists draw a picture that developed into such a likeness of the girls. They are very excited to show you their "portrait". After spending time in Montmartre, before heading home, we headed to the Champs Elsyees. The avenue is filled with such energy and girls had some time to explore on their own. We arrived at FIAP around 10:30 p.m.

This evening (Wednesday) we are headed to the Tower Eiffel - in the evening. We were able to purchase advance lift tickets for 8:30 p.m. At 10:00 p.m., nightly, the tower lights up and twinkles. Looking forward to it . . .

First day of school

The girls officially began their french classes on Monday morning. They were placed in levels that correspond to their current knowledge of French. They have met people from Russia, Brazil, Japan and Spain. After lunch we departed as a group for the Pantheon. It was originally built as a church dedicated to Ste. Genevieve (the patron saint of Paris) and now serves as a mausoleum for distinguished citizens. Among the people buried in the crypt are Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, Emile Zola and Alexandre Dumas. The first floor is dedicated to portraits of Ste. Genevieve, Joan of Arc and the French revolution. The structure is beautiful! We headed back to FIAP to take a walking tour of the area that includes St. Anne's Hospital (used to house soldiers during the war) and the Catacombs which was built in the 1700's and house around 6 million people. We continued our walking tour in an area known as Denfert-Rochereau that is filled with restaurants and shops. Even though the original plan called for dinner on the Champs Elysees, the girls were "exhausted" and ate dinner on their own at one of the surrounding restaurants.

Our first day in Paris

After breakfast this morning we departed on our city of Paris. The day was glorious - low 70's, blue azure sky and not a cloud in the sky. Our tour guide was wonderful and filled us interesting information as we navigated our way through the narrow streets of Paris. We had plenty of photo ops at the Eiffel Tower, Napoleon's Tomb, the Arc of Triumphe and the Champs Elysees. Our last stop was Notre Dame cathedral where we stayed for mass - simply awesome and breathtaking! We stopped for sandwiches and crepes then walked over to the Latin Quarter. The Latin Quarter is home to Sorbonne College and is filled with shops, cafes and a lively atmosphere. It is also home to statue/fountain of Saint Michel. After exploring the area, we took the Metro home and settled in for dinner. Tomorrow we've scheduled an afternoon of sightseeing after lunch then it's back to FIAP for a welcome reception at 5:45 p.m. I'm really getting to know the girls and their nuances. Some girls like to shop, some are NOT morning people, some like to eat, some like to walk and others - not so much, but one thing they all have in common is that so far ALL the girls love Paris.

Bonjour!

We've made it to Paris! After checking out of our hotel this morning, we headed to the train station where we took the chunnel to Paris. Taking the train is NOT like taking an airplane. You are responsible for carrying your luggage through security and onto the train. Our group's luggage overwhelmed the workers and almost delayed the train. The ride was awesome and we were only "under the channel" for about 30 minutes. Once we emerged from "under the channel" we were promptly deposited into France. The train takes you through the countryside of England and Paris and it was just beautiful. Full of green rolling hills and farms, you could have mistaken it for the midwest in the United States. Our motorcoach dropped us at FIAP - our home for the next two weeks. After settling in and eating dinner, we had a short orientation regarding FIAP and the rules and regulations. Tomorrow we meet for breakfast at 8:00 a.m. then off to a city tour of Paris. Our last (and only stop) will be Notre Dame Cathedral where we hope to attend mass at 12:45 p.m.

Madame and I are SOOOO excited to show off Paris - the city of lights - to your girls. We are planning fun and full days. Please know that your girls are being well taken care of and looked after. Stay tuned . . .

London Day #3

This morning we took an abbreviated city tour of London where we saw Big Ben, Parliament Square a quick view of #10 Downing Street then to Westminister Abbey. Breathtaking is the first word that comes to mind. The history behind the Abbey is incredible. After the Abbey, we continued on a city tour and spend the afternoon in Picadally Circus and Trafalgar Square. That evening we went for dinner and entertainment at a Medievel Dinner Theatre complete with Henry VIII, his queen (s), the court jester and the court acrobat. The girls had a good time and ended the evening dancing to "American" music. Tomorrow morning we depart for Paris via the chunnel. Stay tuned . . .

175 Steps and counting

The best way to get around London is to take the Underground - which we have been doing. However, the stations are jammed with people and to get on the train you have to take the lift a.k.a. elevator down. I encouraged the girls to take the steps with me and they did - all 175 of them down and all 175 steps up! Since we took the underground twice yesterday we did a total of 700 stairs! The girls are about to kill me, but I keep telling them they'll thank me later when their legs look good!

Yesterday - the City of London public workers went on strike causing a slight disruption in our plans. We went to the Tower of London which houses the crowned jewels. Amazing! Afterwards our bus dropped us at Covent Gardens for lunch and shopping. Covent Gardens is an outdoor area filled with shops, restaurant and is the home for the Royal Ballet. It is lively, filled with music, street performers and an outdoor market.

Later that evening we took a double decker bus to the theatre district where we saw "Legally Blonde" - the girls loved it! We found a lovely place for dinner and made it back to the hotel around 1:00 a.m. A great day and evening in London.