My Summer in Paris - a summary
During our first week in Paris, our director Karl surprised our group with tickets to the Broadway musical, Le Roi Lion (The Lion King) on Broadway at Theatre Mogador. This musical was a great way to been our immersion into the French language, because although we weren’t able to understand every word; we were familiar with the plot. It was filled with constant entertainment & the costuming alone was magnificent. Le Roi Lion is recently new to Paris, debuting last fall. After the musical a couple of people from the group including myself wandered into the famous store, Galleries Lafayette right next to the Theater. It was established in 1895 and is one of the world’s biggest department stores offering anything & everything you can imagine. There are 7 floors including a restaurant and terrace located at the top. This store truly amazes me.
Throughout the trip we also had various museum visits including the Musee d’Orsay and the Louvre. The Musee d’Orsay was formerly a train station. This is my favorite museum in Paris because of its huge collection of impressionism. My favorite artist is Renoir, and it holds many of his works. This museum is so easy to walk through because it is planned out so logically. Towards the top of the museum you can walk out on the terrace and see the beautiful view of the city.
Our trip to the Louvre was also magical. We were fortunate to see the huge ferris wheel that is built during every summer right next to the Louvre before we even entered the museum. The glass pyramid makes for a popular landmark and entrance into the museum. To some, the Louvre can also seem overwhelming because of the amount of art it holds. My advice is to map out everything you would like to see before you start exploring. My favorite piece in the Louvre is the Winged Victory of Samothrace statue. It is so beautiful and the detail on the wings is impeccable. A trip to the Louvre would not have been complete without a visit to the Mona Lisa. Seeing this painting for the first time in person is surreal. Although she is protected in about 10 inches of glass, I still managed to take a decent photo.
On the second weekend of our trip, we took a trip to the Loire Valley region. Our first stop was at the Cathedral of Chartres which was built in the 12th century. Every cathedral holds a relict, and this church holds the Virgin Mary’s shroud known as the Sancta Camisia. Since the cathedral holds this shroud, the cathedral has become a place where people go to pray for fertility. This church also displays one of the largest collections of stained glass windows. The windows in this cathedral are known for their rich blue color. Our next stop in the Loire Valley was at the Château de Chambord. This castle was originally built as a hunting lodge for King Francois although he never lived in it for more than two months. King Francois symbol was a salamander and you can see it depicted numerously throughout the castle on the walls, floors and ceilings. The castle also features the double-helix staircase that Leonardo da Vinci designed. Our last stop on the tour was the winery. We took a tour through the caverns learned how they make and bottle méthode traditionnelle; which is a sparkling wine. I really enjoyed the beautiful countryside of France.
I would recommend this program to anyone interested in studying abroad. The experience of traveling to another country and studying the culture and society first hand is the best way of learning. This specific program provides wonderful attention to detail, extracurricular activities and prime housing. Our leader Karl was always organized, informative and available if needed. Paris specifically is such a fun city to study abroad in because it contains so many different aspects to explore such as the museums, musical theatres, fashion, and monuments. This was an experience I will never forget!
- Ashley
