Ahh, Paris

Well today was a long, long day.  We woke up this moring to a breakfast of croissants, meat, cheese, grapefruit juice and yogurt.  I loved it, not so sure about all the students, but they all tried it at least.  We left our hotel and headed straight for Paris (we are staying on the outskirts).  Our bus driver got a little lost, he is Italian, but we got to our destination early.  We were able to get off the bus and stretch our legs before our bus tour of the city.  Our guide, Ann, was very, very knowledgeable about the history of the city.  I think most of her references to the "sun king" and other historical events and figures went over most of the students' heads, but they soaked up as much knowledge as they could.  Then on foot she took us to Notre Dame Cathedral.  She went over the major characteristics of a Gothic church, which i found fascinating because of my art background.  Then we went inside.  Some of us lit candles for a small donation, some bought rosaries, one student even went into confessional with a priest.  

 

After that it was back on the bus for more history until we were dropped off at the Champs Elysées.  We went to a place for lunch that serves these really thin pizza like dishes.  I loved them, and i think the students did too.  We had ham and mushroom ones as well as dessert ones such as apple and cinnamon and chocolate.  They even served us sodas which the students loved because they didn't have to pay any extra for it.

 

After that they got over an hour of free time on the Champs Elysées to shop for souvenirs.  Once that was over we walked the long, long way to the Louvre. 

 

 

Once inside, all of us were tired, very, very tired, students and leaders alike.  However we all rallied for our guided tour of the Louvre.  As an art teacher, I thought it was perfect.  We saw all the most famous works without having to spend too much time.  Of course we saw the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa, along with some other few key pieces.

 

Then we were given a voucher to eat at the Louvre gallery, which had food from all over the world.  There was mexican, chinesse, and of course french creeps.  Michelle, the leader from Yakima, and I got Crepes Suzette.  It was  great.  From there we found our bus in the basement and drove the 1 hour to our hotel.

 

As i type, there is a group of girls from all three smaller delegations crammed in one hotel room laughing and getting to know each other.  When i passed, they remarked, "Kate, look, we are bonding!"  It is wonderful to see this, as they have been all open to getting to know each other but with all the tours haven't had the time to do it in their own way.

 

Thanks to Kay Lynn for letting me use her computer.  Hopefully, she won't mind if i ask her every other day to email the blog and update you all.

Please disregard any spelling mistakes.

 

Tomorrow, on to Versailles and Montmartre.  Can't wait.

Kate