Alice ’25, shares the groups adventure filled days in Paris.
This adventure has been a worthwhile roller coaster as we visited every famous spot in just five days in Paris. I truly enjoyed the packed schedule that allowed me to experience all the museums and architecture I dreamed of seeing on this trip!
Our departure from Marseille was marked by my wheel breaking off my suitcase as I carried it down the steep, tight Europeans staircases. We took the really cool and speedy TGV (Train à grande vitesse) and arrived at Gare de Lyon, a beautifully built train station. After settling down in the hotel, we strolled down the large Parisian streets to the one and only…EIFFEL TOWER!! Definitely the highlight of the trip. We hiked up almost twenty-four flights of stairs to reach the top of the tower! Although tiring, the gorgeous view of the entire city from above was so worth it. Afterwards, we had free time to visit three separate art museums. For dinner, we had a fun picnic dinner by the Seine with the food bought by us in different groups assigned sucré, salé, and desserts. We had a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower as we crafted baguette sandwiches with veggies, various meats, sauces like Hummus, desserts, and snacks. This was my favorite part of the trip as we sat as a group and just bonded by the Seine and were bedazzled by the Eiffel Tower shimmers.
On the morning of the second day, we visited the Musée d’Orsay!! Beautiful paintings by Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, and so many others greeted us with warmth inside. For the temps libre (free time), groups separated for burgers and Escargot at a French restaurant. They were trop bons. With the rest of our free time, we explored thrift shops and this unique shopping district in the Marais before meeting up at the Canal Saint Martin. At night, we ate crepes and attended a Jazz club where a talented group of old musicians played their hearts out at the Caveau de la Huchette. We enjoyed dancing and drinking nonalcoholic drinks. On Friday morning, we separated into two groups to visit either the Invalides with the tomb of Napoleon or the Rodin museum with le Penseur, with his famous works stationed outside in a garden area. I was very intrigued by the collection of paintings, smaller drafts of his works inside the museum, and the Gates of Hell, as a compilation of all his sculptures together. Next, we visited the Louvre (my Lupin dream come true) and even saw the La Joconde (The Mona Lisa) At night, we moshed in the festival of music in the streets of Paris. It was so fun dancing to Papaoutai by Stromae with other teens. Hype night! I loved getting to witness the active night life of the Parisians. Later, a small group of us chose to visit Notre Dame at night with crepes. On the way back, I was serenaded by an accordion player on the metro! Paris is so cute.
Our last two days were underscored by plenty of temps libre (free time) which I thoroughly enjoyed. Saturday morning we had free time until 14:30 (French people write time this way) so Skye and I shopped at Brandy Melville, Zara, and other stores. Others stayed at the hotel or also went shopping! We then visited le Centre Pompidou, which is a quirky modern art museum with even the building itself being an artwork—the outside looks like a computer screen and a construction site. Later, we ate a group dinner at a unique Italian restaurant with funny names as the food options. After dinner, a small group chose to not sleep and go visit L’arc de Triumph at 11 pm and watch le Tour Eiffel twinkle one last time at midnight with a full moon!! Alas, it is now the last day. At the Paris flea markets, Dr. Hunt and Monsieur Romick tasked us, in groups of two to three, to buy the funniest thing we could. I might be biased, but I’d say Tene, Vivian, and I bought the most drôle (funny) toy. We then took a bus to 18th Arr, hiked up flights of stairs to Sacré Cœur Basilica, and then split up with free time. We went to the absolutely stunning Galeries Lafayette and ate Chinese cuisine for lunch. To end this trip with a bang, we had a nice group dinner at the Brasserie Dubillot.
Enfin, I would like to thank the CSGC office and trip leaders Dr. Hunt and Monsieur Romick for making this trip possible and so worthwhile. I wouldn’t have been able to experience the rich culture of France without the sacrifice of them. I also thank my besties who went on this trip with me: Vivian, Tene, Skye, Rory, Eliza, Aye, Eli, John, Rowan and Neva, although you guys constantly messed with me for feeding pigeons and saying Bonjour to all the locals (all jokes), this trip wouldn’t have been the same without the energy and personality you guys all brought. On behalf of us all, we deeply enjoyed the exchange trip in Arles with our homestay families, Marseille, and Paris. We have collectively improved our French skills and also witnessed the diverse and beautiful culture of France. Merci beaucoup! We will miss this trip so much!
