Day 7

dimanche, le 14 juin

We started our day with seeing what might be the most famous museum in the world, the Louvre. On the way we were able to walk through our local flea market and even picked up a few things. The students saw many works of art at the museum, from the Winged Victory, the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa. Dane and Avery told me they were abke to see the The Code of Hammurabi, something they had learned about in their English class this year. 

What amazing connections the students are able to make all the while practicing their French. It was a magical start to the day! I think they were impressed with the collection and the sheer size of the museum. The students learned very quickly that most stores and shops are closed Sunday with the exception of highly touristic places.

Garnier Opera House

We briefly took a photo of the Opéra Garnier House, which is famous for its ballets. The students were in awe of the beautiful gilded architecture and its "grandeur".

Paris Metro

We hopped on the metro and headed to the Arc de Triomphe.  The students took pictures and remarked on the 12 point roundabout. I explained that when you enter, your insurance on your vehicle is no longer valid and any accidents are considered 50/50. We decided that it would be best never to drive here! 

Under the Arc, the students viewed the names of battle victories of Napoleon I depicted on the arch and the eternal flame of the unknown French solider from WWI. We had a mini history lesson on the importance of Charles de Gaulle marching through the arch and down the Champs-Elysées after the liberation from Nazi occupation in 1944.

We then had some free time to stroll the Champs-Elysées and do a little shopping. The kids noted the highly manicured trees that line the grand boulevard and envisioned what it may be like to capture a view from the side as the bicyclists of the Tour de France race up to the finish line.

We decided to lunch in the famously chic Marais district. So we hopped back on the metro and zipped on the line 1 to City Hall. 

Lunch in the Marais

We ate with views of French families out for a Sunday stroll and Sunday shoppers buying up fashionable items. The Marais is known for being one of the trendiest places to shop, with unique boutiques and the hottest Parisian trends...and is open on Sundays! We walked down the famous Rue des Rosiers that has a highly concentrated population of Jewish citizens. There, they saw people milling about with falafels and delicious looking desserts.

We returned back to the hotel to rest and pack up a bit before our fancy dinner. After, we hit the streets to head towards our dinner for the night at Le Procope. ACIS again provided meal vouchers so we could have this special treat. The students loved our tour manager so much that they insisted that she join us for the evening. It was exquisite!  

Le Procope dinner in the Benjamin Franklin room

The interior was gold gilded and "typiquement français". The students learned of the history that took place there. It is called the "oldest restaurant in Paris" and was established in 1686. Famous people both French and American, drank coffee and dined to share gossip and political views. It was said that Voltaire drank 40 cups of coffee a day at the restaurant, at the time the drink was exotic novelty. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin both convened there to draw up ideas and notes for our country's Constitution. Later during France's revolution, Danton and Robespierre used the café as a meeting place. 

After our lovely dinner, we went to one of my favorite crepe stands nearby. Here we enjoyed our last French crepe with homemade chocolate. The students were in heaven! 

At the L'Avant Comptoire for dessert!

Tomorrow we leave this beautiful place behind, with amazing memories. I am so truly grateful for the parents of these students, for raising such amazing and wonderful children. They behaved and acted flawlessly.  My French friends and our tour manager, Marie-Helene, were thoroughly impressed by their manners and said "on se voit qu'ils sont bien élèvés!" Or.."one can see that they have been well brought up!". Truly a compliment of the highest coming from the French. 

I feel deep gratitude to ACIS, my students, and their parents for making this happen and having such tremendous support in this endeavor. The students have been given an unforgettable opportunity and experience in their journey of France and its culture.

So I sign off for the last time saying "à demain", meaning see you tomorrow! 

A demain!

-Mademoiselle Sadler

Day 6

samedi, le 13 juin

The kids all started the day happy as we were able to sleep in until 7:45! Woopie! We headed to St. Chapelle built by Louis the IX on the island of Cité. The kids explored the private chapel of the king and took in the beautiful stained glass windows that were shimmering like jewels from the morning sun. Our lovely guide, Marie-Hélène, took a moment to explain how the chapel was built using the students to recreate the construction of a "chapel". One of the photos below shows the students learning this. The Prefecture de la Ville, the headquarters of the police, was located right next door...I jokingly threatened to send them there if anyone misbehaved!

At St. Chapelle

Then we took an inner urban train from Cité to the grand chateau de Versailles. Some kids took a moment to snooze on the RER as true Parisians. The formidable chateau was bigger than they imagined! They walked through the famous Hall of Mirrors and had a glimpse of what life was like for the King of France. Louis XIV really did have exquisite taste! We then strolled through his gardens that Marie-Antoinette once meandered, settling on a perfect location to eat lunch amongst the trees in an outdoor café.

Le Chateau de Versailles

  Lunching in the Garden of Versailles

We then headed back to Paris to do a little more souvenir shopping at St. Michel and ice cream while walking in the Luxembourg Gardens, admiring the Palace of Luxembourg built in Italian renaissance style. The chateau was a gift for Marie de Medici because she was missing her motherland of Italy.

Luxembourg Gardens

We then took a brief moment to rest our feet and get ready for dinner with some friends at a North African restaurant, The King of Couscous. We met up with Peggy (my French friend), her husband and daughter, and two other students that graduated from LCHS that happened to be in Paris for the weekend. ACIS was great and provided us with meal vouchers that allowed us to pick our own restaurants. What a treat!

Couscous Dinner at Le Roi du Couscous

Tomorrow the students will take in the art at the Louvre and see the famous works such as the Mona Lisa and Winged Victory. Afterwards they will have free time. I will take the students to walk a bit of the iconic Champs-Elysées and have lunch at the famous Marais district. Later that night we will have our last dinner in Paris at the famous Le Procope where Benjamin Franklin crafted part of the U.S. Constitution and was once his favorite restaurant in Paris.

Day 5

vendredi, le 12 juin

We started our day early by saying "Au revoir!" to our temporary home of Caen. It was a wet morning, but c'est la vie en France! We traveled the countryside for about two hours, heading towards Giverny. I'm pretty sure the kiddos slept part of the way. France has been keeping them up at night and waking them early! The tradeoff for this early morning was the decadent croissants waiting for us.

Giverny Gardens

Claude Monet's famous Japanese Bridge in Monet's Garden

The quaint town of Giverny is so small and in the blink of an eye you could easily pass it you're not paying attention. We discovered how the celebrated artist Claude Monet lived and viewed some of his work. We then strolled through the gardens that were fresh and still dew covered from the morning rains. It made the colors of the flowers more vibrant, we could feel the breath of the trees and it amplified the lushness of the lily pads. It was easy to see why Monet felt the need and desire to try to capture such natural beauty. 

We then took off for Paris and dropped off our bags at our hotel near Montparnasse. This area of Paris is quite bustling, with streets lined with cafés, restaurants, brasseries, big and small boutiques. The students took some time to go shopping on "Rue de Rennes" in search of souvenirs from France from the likes of H&M, Mango and Kookaï. We grabbed a café to rest our feet from all that "souvenir" shopping before heading off to dinner at Chez Clement, a charming and stereotypical French restaurant that ACIS hand selected for us.

After dining, we set out determined to make it up the Eiffel Tower before nightfall. We waited a good while in line before taking the elevators up to the second floor. We tried to identify the various monuments from the view that layed before us, spotting the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, the Pantheon and Sacre Coeur Basilica atop the hill of St. Denis.

Heading to the Eiffel Tower

Exhausted from the day's sightseeing and travels, we headed back to hotel. Tomorrow we will start our day by visiting St. Chapelle followed by a tour of Versailles. Dinner that evening will be spent at a restaurant specializing in North African cuisine and meeting up with my dear friend, Peggy, and her husband and daughter. Peggy is the daughter of the family that hosted our dessert tasting, Annick and Jean-Luc Bouton.

Until tomorrow!  À bientôt!

-Mademoiselle Sadler

Day 4

vendredi, le 11 juin

This morning we woke up early with beautiful weather and headed to the American cemetery. Once there, we reflected on the effects of war as we walked through the rows of gravesites. Some of the students walked down to the beach. 

Afterwards, we headed to Arromanches, a small port town. We watched a fascinating short film that had nine ecircling screens, allowing us a realistic glimpse of what it would have been like on June 6, 1944. We lunched in the small town. The kids weren't crazy about trying the local famous cuisine of moules frites(mussels & fries), so some had hamburgers and others crêpes.

We then said, "Au revoir!" to the small village and headed to a German cemetery. It was very powerful and moving. It was good for the students, conversely, to see the other side of war and remember that our actions affect humanity.

German Cemetery in Normandie

We then loaded up on the bus and visited Pointe du Hoc. The students shared the view that once our soldiers had during WWII, overlooking both Omaha Beach and Utah Beach. 

Chez les Boutons

Tonight we had a bit of free time to shop in our home of Caen before eating a nice dinner "à la Normandie" with fresh Camenbert. We then set out for a special treat. Your students were welcomed by the warm and friendly French family, and dear friends of mine, "Les Boutons". Chez les Boutons, the kids were treated with an array of typical French desserts and specialties of the region.

ACIS has planned a fun adventure for us tomorrow! We will head back to Paris, but first stopping at Claude Monet's villa in Giverny and taking a stroll through his gardens.

-Mademoiselle Sadler

Ps...les Boutons had "the best wifi ever"

Day 3

mercredi, le 10 juin

Well, a change of plans from last night! We decided to go up the Eiffel Tower when we get back into Paris this weekend. We went, instead, to the beautiful art district called Montmartre that rests at the top of a big hill that gives a similarly breathtaking view of Paris. Next to the art district is a large basilica called Sacre Coeur. As we walked through the solemn aisles, the students witnessed a traditional Catholic mass in progress. It was great for them to see and learn that these buildings, although famous monuments, remain sacred through the centuries. The students are loving the sites and enjoying the food (especially the crêpes au Nutella).

Today we left Paris early and headed out into the beautiful countryside of Normandie. The students discovered the town of Rouen where timbered houses are common. Enjoying the slower pace of a smaller town, the students meandered through the streets where Claude Monet once stayed, leading him to paint the Cathedral Notre Dame de Rouen (multiple times to capture the light at different times of day, thus creating the Impressionist movement). They learned about Jeanne d'Arc (Joan ofArc) and finally the location of her demise in the small town.

Timbered houses of Rouen

After a lunch of pizza...yes, pizza, we continued our travels to a local farm that is famous for their delicious goat cheese. We tasted many types of goat cheese...which would have paired well with wine, but alas, it's not that kind of trip. ACIS has created an amazing and true cultural experience!

   Our pizza lunch in Rouen

     

At the Goat Farm

After getting our share of cheese, we hopped back on the bus and continued to our new home in Caen for the next three nights. We dined at a lovely restaurant and walked it off by discovering our new surroundings.  

During our walk, our amazing 24-HR ACIS Tour Manager, Marie-Helene, taught the students a dance from the times of William the Conqueror in front of his castle! ACIS has placed our hotel right next to it and in the center of town. I can't think of a better location!

Tomorrow we will have our history lesson on the greatest generation that ever lived and learn about our American heroes of WWII as we visit the American cemetery.

Our days are packed and the kids are exhausted but excited. It's great to hear them order food in French. As their teacher, my heart is full with the thoughts of them employing their study of this beautiful language. Even Gabi, our Spanish speaker, is picking up bits of French and blending right in with the group as she is taught how to order food in French from the students.

Everyone is getting along so well. I couldn't ask for a more delightful group of students. I am grateful to all the parents for raising such respectful and kind young ladies and gentlemen!

-Mademoiselle Sadler

Day 2

mardi, le 9 juin

We have joined with two girls from a high school in Corona, CA and two boys from Alabama. They are lovely!

We started early (and everyone on time!) with an informative tour of Paris, by bus. We saw famous sites such as Champs-Elysées, went in circles at the Arc de Triomphe, visited and lunched in the busy and lively Latin Quarter. On our tour, we discovered the Sorbonne University, which is truly a sight to see as the second oldest in Europe. We visited the Pantheon and then the picturesque Luxembourg gardens and St. Sulpice, the home of the Rose Line. 

                                       Stopped for a quick photo!

We drove down the beautiful Boulevard St. Germain where Hemingway hung out, which inspired him to write his famous work “A Moveable Feast. We then traveled past the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay and the Academie Française, an institution, created in 1635 to protect the French language. We stopped for a moment to have a wonderful history lesson on the French Revolution at the Place de la Concorde.

Dane and Avery at the Catacombs

 We scared ourselves at the famous catacombs, where piles upon piles of bones lay stacked the ceiling, all hidden away under the streets of Paris. To top off these exciting past few days, tonight we have plans to go to dinner next to the Tuilerie Gardens followed by a trip to the top of the EiffelTower! Talk about a lot of amazing things that ACIS has planned for this educational journey.

Tomorrow morning we part for Normandie!

                                                      Selfie! <3

Day 1

lundi, le 8 juin

We made it safe and sound!! 

Landing in Paris <3

The kids have already experienced their first Parisian crêpe! 

       1st taste of Parisian crepes! 

We walked by Notre Dame, the Bastille, small outdoor flower markets and walked the old streets of Ile St. Louis. The students visited my old stomping grounds on the island. We visited La Vigie, the dorm that I lived in during my study abroad. The students were able to catch a glimpse of what life in Paris would be like.  

We are getting ready for dinner and pulling an “all-nighter” (and avoiding jet lag) in hopes of enjoying an evening cruise on the Seine. 

   Waiting to catch our boat

Our boat ride passing the Musée d'Orsay

Seeing the Eiffel Tower from our boat!

          The kids are excited to see what ACIS has in store for them!