A busy weekend in the capital!

Sunday, July 7th, 11pm


Bonjour from Paris!

We've made it to the City of Lights, and the first couple of days here have been extremely busy...! We left early on Saturday, and goodbyes were very difficult for our students. There was hardly a dry eye, both among the students and their host families. Even though they have only spent four weeks together, they have created very strong connections, and it was a very emotional morning. After sleeping for a few hours on the bus, most of them had recovered their smile and were looking forward to the next adventure in the capital of France!











We headed to Versailles, and after a 6-hour drive, we made it to the Palace. We arrived about 15 minutes after the Saumur group, who was scheduled to visit at the same time as us. We ate our picnic together, and then made our way through the golden gates. Students were given about 2 hours to visit the Palace, in groups of three. I crossed paths with some of them, took some pictures, and then, once they had finished visiting, we stepped outside to take group pictures!






















Then it was time to get to our accommodation for the Paris trip, which is located near Bastille, a convenient location to get to the main attractions of the city. We checked in, dropped our luggage, took a minute to freshen up, and then got on our way to the restaurant that was booked for us. We had dinner at a Britanny crêperie, which made sure our students felt right at home, and they had the choice of a savoury crêpe, a sweet crêpe, and a drink. 

Finally, we headed to the main attraction of the evening, and one of my favorites: les Vedettes du Pont-Neuf. These are hour-long boat rides on the Seine that show some of the main monuments in the capital. They are truly an amazing way to see the city, especially when booking them at dusk. We were lucky enough to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle, and it was quite a memorable way to end our first day in Paris!

















The next day, we got up early, and left at 8am to take the métro. We headed northwest to visit the Eiffel Tower, and students were given about an hour to visit in groups of three. They got up to the 2nd floor and took amazing pictures of the unique view. Some students had already visited the Eiffel Tower, but for others it was their first time seeing Paris from above! While I was going around taking pictures myself, I crossed paths with some of them, and also saw many buy souvenirs of their visit to the most famous French monument.










Then we took the train to head to the Quartier Latin. We started at the Saint-Michel Fountain, and then we gave students an hour and a half to visit in groups of 3 and have lunch, before meeting back at the fountain.


We also saw the famous Sorbonne University, passed by the Cluny museum, said hi to the Bouquinistes of Paris and to the Samaritaine, all on our way to the main attraction of the evening: the Louvre museum. One of the most famous museums in the world, it was an opportunity for students to see the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, the Liberty Leading the People, and among many other pieces of art and artefacts from ancient civilizations. Even after having visited the Louvre several times, it is so big that there is always something you haven't seen, and it is always very easy to lose your way! Students had about 3 hours to visit the museum on their own and shop in the various boutiques.

Finally, we took the metro back to the Bastille neighborhood to a well-deserved dinner. Students were quite tired from the very full day we had, and we headed back to our accommodation after dinner for them to get an early night in!







Tomorrow, we have another full day of activities in Paris, and then it will be time to pack again and fly back to the US on Tuesday. It's crazy to think that we have less than 48 hours left in France...!

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