Friday and Saturday, April 16 and 17

Paris!!!

When you think of France, you think of Paris. Everyone gets to the train station on time. We are to pick up five students in La Loupe, the first stop on the train ride to Paris. We are also meeting one student in Paris. First minor crisis comes when only four students show up at the La Loupe station. Nothing we can do. The train can't wait. Repeated cell phone calls yield nothing. However when we arrive at the Paris station, there is our missing student. Unbeknownst to us, she had arranged to ride into Paris with the other prearranged student. Miscommunication. GRRRRRR!! But all ends well.

The Paris train station is not like your typical bus station in Potsdam or Canton. It is HUGE! The trains and metro (subway) were to be our means of travel for the next two days. The chaperones had to act like a cross between mother ducks leading their ducklings and border collies herding their sheep. We are responsible for forty-one students, some of whom pay attention and are travel savvy, while others chat and are clueless. Fortunately, the fear factor kicked in and they all made sure to get on the metro, regardless of how crowded, and to all get off, regardless of who was in the way. We didn't loose a single student. :-)

Danielle Wilson had an appointment at the American Embassy at 9:30 AM to replace Ryan's passport that burned in the fire. So the other chaperones led the group to the Musée d'Orsay. The Orsay Museum is spectacular! It is actually a converted rail station, but the architecture is stunning with a high arched ceiling. I really enjoyed this visit. There were great works there from the impressionists, such as Monet and Manet. The Potsdam art teacher, Leslie Sutter had given the Potsdam students a list of eight works to not miss. I was able to find six of them, including Monet's huge painting of water lilies, "Nymphéas bleus" and the sculpture "Porte de l'Enfer" by Rodin. Danielle called to say that the embassy appointment went well, and she and Ryan (with a new temporary passport in hand) would join us at 11:30.

For the next hour we strolled down the sidewalks along the River Scène. We arrived at the Notre-Dame Cathedral about 12:30. The students had forty-five minutes for a quick lunch and were to meet back at Notre-Dame by the statue of Charlemagne. From there we went for a brief tour of Ste Chapelle. This church is one of the oldest known buildings of Gothic architecture in Europe, and dates back to the 1200's. The students then had some free time and we met back at Charlemagne's statue at 3:30. A short metro ride takes us to the Arc de Triomphe. We tell the students to meet us at the Place de la Concorde at 6:30. This gives them almost three hours to walk the length of the Champs-Elysées, which is about a two miles long. This grand avenue is lined with stores, shops, restaurants, and cafes. The weather was sunny and warm. You couldn't ask for a more perfect day. Again, I dinned on more fine French food. Good thing I'm walking off the calories. There must really be something to the French paradox. In spite of the fantastic food, I have seen few obese French people.

At the end of the Champs-Elysées we collect everyone, and walk to the Louvre. This museum is large and beautiful. The famous glass pyramid at the entrance is stunning. I'm sure most people remember it from a scene in the movie, The Da Vinci Code. The museum is so elaborate; it is easy to get lost in the many rooms. We did look for the famous "Mona Lisa" painting by da Vinci, and found it. We also found the "Venus de Milo" statue. The Louvre is so large; you get overwhelmed trying to view it all. Jean tells me later that the best way to see it is to choose specific portions, and visit that section only. Then choose another area for another visit.

At 9:00 PM we gather and take the metro to the Eiffel Tower. At night, the lighted tower is spectacular! By 11:30 everyone has managed to take the elevators to the top of the tower. The view of Paris at night is magnificent. At 11:45 everyone meets at the base of the tower to take the metro to the hostel where we are staying for the night. We have to take two trains, and low and behold, the second train is closed. We just missed the closing time. Yikes! So what do you do when there is no public transportation? You walk. After a two-mile walk down the sidewalks of Paris, we arrive at the hostel at about 1:15 AM. By 2:00 AM, all are in bed and sleeping. You have to admit, this is a real immersion trip. :-)

Everyone gathers at 9:00 on Saturday morning after a continental style breakfast. We take the metro (the one that was closed last night) back to the Eiffel Tower, where we have an appointment for a one-hour tour boat ride on the River Scène . Again we luck out. The weather is warm and sunny. We view many of the sites we saw yesterday, but this time from the relaxing comfort of a boat. After the boat tour, we take the metro to an area of the city called the Latin Quarter. It is called the Latin Quarter because was the center of education. This area contains the Sorbonne, one of the first Universities. We found a cafe and had a leisurely lunch in the courtyard just by the Sorbonne. I splurged for my last meal in Paris with wine, roasted duck, mashed potatoes, and followed by crème brulée for dessert. After lunch we found the Pantheon. this is were the most famous of French authors are buried. Then we strolled through the Luxembourg Gardens. These gardens are not a botanical garden, but rather a public space. In fact, there were signs encouraging people to sit on the grass. Thousands of people of all ages were out reading, picnicking, napping, and soaking up the sun. Children were playing with sailboats in a large shallow pool. I don't think I have ever seen such a large group of people sharing a public common space. When I returned to Nogent, Jean told me how he and his cousin who lived in Paris used to play with the sailboats on the pool there.

At 3:00 everyone gathered and we took the metro to the train station. Here we caught the 5:18 train to Nogent, and arrived back in Nogent at 7:00. I am dead tired, but just overwhelmed by the experience of French history and culture. I would like to come back someday, but even if I never do, I will remember the two days in Paris forever.