Bonjour!
Welcome home to all travelers! I hope you were able to get a good night's rest! I wasn't able to find any warm croissants in my kitchen this a.m..... so sad!
This is the last post on our blog. I added a few photos. We will have a Flickr account, when it is set up I'll send you all a link, so we can share pictures with one another.
We were sure proud of our group to France, you were all great ambassadors from Issaquah. Many people along the way commented on what a great group of students you were! There is a lot to be said about that. We appreciate how amazing you are!! Special thanks to our adults, who helped make the trip a great success.
Enjoy your weekend, we'll see many of you on Monday! :-)
Mme Legier and Mme Silverman
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Thursday
Wow! Our last day was fabulous! Once again we had sunshine and enjoyed every minute of it!đMonet's gardens at Giverny were beautiful, our excursion to the countryside included the Japanese gardens and a visit of his home. We lunched in the pretty little village of Giverny and then headed back to Paris.
Our group spent the afternoon doing different activities: some went to a market, did some souvenir shopping, had café time, went for a ride on the Ferris wheel and visited the Orangerie museum to see Monet's murals.
After dinner we walked up Montmartre to the Place du Tertre, where the Impressionists use to live and paint. There are still artists there, and it was nice to wander through the neighborhood, have coffee and even a portrait done. We saw Sacre Coeur, the large white basilica up on the hill overlooking Paris. What a view! It was a pretty special way to end our stay in the city of light.
As we head home tomorrow, it's exciting to think about our travelers coming back to Paris one day, with friends and loved ones. Although everyone is ready to go home , they are also sad to leave this magical place. We have had late nights and early mornings, jam packed days full of amazing experiences. Sure our feet hurt from walking a million miles a day, and the Internet at the hotel has been impossibly slow, but we are now seasoned travelers, "masters of the metro" and pretty darn good at speaking French (at least not as nervous as in the beginning of the week!) We will all miss fresh croissants every morning and oh yes, macarons, too! It's been a great adventure, a lot of fun had by all, and we are returning with wonderful memories and stories to tell. It truly has been a "bon voyage"!
Our group spent the afternoon doing different activities: some went to a market, did some souvenir shopping, had café time, went for a ride on the Ferris wheel and visited the Orangerie museum to see Monet's murals.
After dinner we walked up Montmartre to the Place du Tertre, where the Impressionists use to live and paint. There are still artists there, and it was nice to wander through the neighborhood, have coffee and even a portrait done. We saw Sacre Coeur, the large white basilica up on the hill overlooking Paris. What a view! It was a pretty special way to end our stay in the city of light.
As we head home tomorrow, it's exciting to think about our travelers coming back to Paris one day, with friends and loved ones. Although everyone is ready to go home , they are also sad to leave this magical place. We have had late nights and early mornings, jam packed days full of amazing experiences. Sure our feet hurt from walking a million miles a day, and the Internet at the hotel has been impossibly slow, but we are now seasoned travelers, "masters of the metro" and pretty darn good at speaking French (at least not as nervous as in the beginning of the week!) We will all miss fresh croissants every morning and oh yes, macarons, too! It's been a great adventure, a lot of fun had by all, and we are returning with wonderful memories and stories to tell. It truly has been a "bon voyage"!
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Wednesday evening
Another magnifique day! It was gorgeous, sunny and blue skies most of the day! We have really been lucky with our weather! Our day started off with a walk through the Tuileries gardens, and then on to the Musée d'Orsay to see Impressionist art ( from the late 1800's). Our travelers saw paintings by Monet,Manet,Renoir,Degas,, Cassat, Morissot, Pissaro,Sisley, Seurac, Signac, Cezanne, Rousseau and Van Gogh (and many more!) as well as sculptures by Rodin, Claudel, Degas and others.
We stopped for lunch near the museum before we went to the Luxembourg gardens for our art lesson. Our art teacher, Adelaide, told us about the history of the gardens and had us do several activities. She supplied us with sketch books and sets of colored pencils. We then moved about the gardens, drawing and sketching trees, statues and the Luxembourg palace. She was creative and had us drawing in all kinds of fun, interactive and creative ways.
After our art lesson, we wandered through the Latin quarter, passing by the University of Paris, the Sorbonne. Some of us went through the Cluny museum (museum of the Middle Ages) and saw the lady with the unicorn tapestries, while others did a little shopping. We met up for dinner and then went up the Eiffel Tower! A beautiful evening, it wasn't crowded, and the everyone loved it, especially when it was twinkling!
Tomorrow is our last day(already!) and we are off to see Claude Monet's garden so in the morning.
We stopped for lunch near the museum before we went to the Luxembourg gardens for our art lesson. Our art teacher, Adelaide, told us about the history of the gardens and had us do several activities. She supplied us with sketch books and sets of colored pencils. We then moved about the gardens, drawing and sketching trees, statues and the Luxembourg palace. She was creative and had us drawing in all kinds of fun, interactive and creative ways.
After our art lesson, we wandered through the Latin quarter, passing by the University of Paris, the Sorbonne. Some of us went through the Cluny museum (museum of the Middle Ages) and saw the lady with the unicorn tapestries, while others did a little shopping. We met up for dinner and then went up the Eiffel Tower! A beautiful evening, it wasn't crowded, and the everyone loved it, especially when it was twinkling!
Tomorrow is our last day(already!) and we are off to see Claude Monet's garden so in the morning.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Tuesday night
Bonjour! We had an action packed day, with a road trip to the Loire valley. We stopped along the way to see Chartres, a gothic cathedral built before Notre Dame, finished in 1225, and admired it's beautiful blue stained glass windows, amazing sculptures and architecture.
We continued on along the Loire river, in the gardens of France, to the town of Amboise, with its fortified castle perched up on the hill over looking a quaint village. Amboise was home to the great Renaissance king, François 1, who brought Léonard de Vinci and the Italian Renaissance to France. We enjoyed shopping and lunch at outdoor cafés on cobblestone streets, in the sunshine.
Our journey continued to the castle of Chenonceau, the castle of the ladies, built across the river Cher. Home to King Henri II, Catherine de Medicis and Diane de Poitiers, this Renaissance castle has quite a history! Surrounded by gardens, it is breathtakingly beautiful.
Upon our return to Paris, we dined at an Alsacien restaurant and had flammekueche, a kind of very thin pizza. Then we headed up to the Arc de Triomphe and saw the tomb of the unknown soldier, strolled along the Champs-ĂlysĂ©es, with a stop at La DurĂ©e for some fabulous macarons, before hopping the metro back to our hotel.
Everyone will sleep well tonight and we will have more fun tomorrow!
We continued on along the Loire river, in the gardens of France, to the town of Amboise, with its fortified castle perched up on the hill over looking a quaint village. Amboise was home to the great Renaissance king, François 1, who brought Léonard de Vinci and the Italian Renaissance to France. We enjoyed shopping and lunch at outdoor cafés on cobblestone streets, in the sunshine.
Our journey continued to the castle of Chenonceau, the castle of the ladies, built across the river Cher. Home to King Henri II, Catherine de Medicis and Diane de Poitiers, this Renaissance castle has quite a history! Surrounded by gardens, it is breathtakingly beautiful.
Upon our return to Paris, we dined at an Alsacien restaurant and had flammekueche, a kind of very thin pizza. Then we headed up to the Arc de Triomphe and saw the tomb of the unknown soldier, strolled along the Champs-ĂlysĂ©es, with a stop at La DurĂ©e for some fabulous macarons, before hopping the metro back to our hotel.
Everyone will sleep well tonight and we will have more fun tomorrow!
Monday, April 11, 2016
Monday
Sunday evening
Salut! Another fabulous day in Paris! We headed out for a city tour of Paris, catching the sights. We made a stop at the Eiffel tower , always a great photo opportunity! Then we were off to Versailles . It was a beautiful sunny day, and the town of Versailles did not disappoint. Our timing was great, we hit the farmers market (that is held only Sundays) and soaked in the sights and smells of fresh produce, cheeses, olives and flowers. We enjoyed croque Monsieur, crĂȘpes, soupe Ă l'oignon...and hot chocolate (Marie Antoinette's favorite beverage!) The visit to the palace of Versailles was amazing (had a wonderful tour guide, ValĂ©rie) and wandered through the beautiful and vast gardens. Tonight we had dinner in the Latin quarter , followed by a "bateau mouche"" ride down the river Seine!
Oh lĂ lĂ ! Paris sparkling at night. TrĂšs joli!
Oh lĂ lĂ ! Paris sparkling at night. TrĂšs joli!
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Bonsoir!!
We have arrived in Paris! Everyone is tucked away in bed for the night, our hotel is fine, good location. Everything is little (sinks, rooms) just as we expected! After a busy day of travelling...and sightseeing, everyone will enjoy a good night's sleep!
Today our group enjoyed a visit to Notre Dame and stroll through the Marais district (the old Jewish quarter) the students got to practice their français at a café over-looking the Seine river, and they ordered lunch :-) just like real Parisians! They had a lovely boeuf bourguinon dinner (with crÚme brûlée for dessert!) They had their first experience with the métro, also! Lots of firsts!
Tomorrow they get to sleep in...our day doesn't start till 900am!
Remember we have a 9 hour time difference. Mme Silverman and I will update our blog daily!
Merci!
Mme Legier
We have arrived in Paris! Everyone is tucked away in bed for the night, our hotel is fine, good location. Everything is little (sinks, rooms) just as we expected! After a busy day of travelling...and sightseeing, everyone will enjoy a good night's sleep!
Today our group enjoyed a visit to Notre Dame and stroll through the Marais district (the old Jewish quarter) the students got to practice their français at a café over-looking the Seine river, and they ordered lunch :-) just like real Parisians! They had a lovely boeuf bourguinon dinner (with crÚme brûlée for dessert!) They had their first experience with the métro, also! Lots of firsts!
Tomorrow they get to sleep in...our day doesn't start till 900am!
Remember we have a 9 hour time difference. Mme Silverman and I will update our blog daily!
Merci!
Mme Legier
Friday, April 1, 2016
Welcome!
Bienvenue (welcome) to our Paris In Depth blog. Madame Silverman and I will update you daily on our trip to Paris! Follow along on our adventures! C'est magnifique!
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