Day 4: Paris, France

Day 4 (July 3, 2004) Paris, France

We got to sleep in until breakfast, which was 9:00 a.m. We had to pack our luggage, as it was kept in one room at the hotel while we were gone. After breakfast, we took the metro to the hotel de ville, or city hall. We walked around for an hour and a half in Paris. We passed a museum that featured the history of Paris and a museum devoted to the history of France. We also saw other places with nice gardens and grounds.

The students commented on how bad traffic was in Paris. They saw how some people didn't exactly follow the rules, creating chaos. The subway ran very well and it was an easy way to get around Paris. A ticket was about one euro to go from place to place in and around Paris.

The walking tour was done at around noon and so we received out tickets for the Louvre. Adults had to pay but students were free. Instead of going in, we decided to eat lunch first. The group walked around near the Louvre and found a place to eat lunch.

We entered in and went to see part of the Louvre. The kids wanted to see the Mona Lisa first, so we headed in that direction. After seeing that, the students continued until their interest started to wane. Sooner or later, I had Ali, BJ, Ben, Kayla, Jessica, and the Abels.

Getting ready to go into the Louvre Doug and Terrie Abel with the crowd watching the Mona Lisa

We saw such things as the Winged Victory and the medieval castle part, which was originally what the Louvre was. It had been the home of the Kings and Queens of France. We saw the temporary exhibition Delacroix and the story of Dante and Virgil in Hell.

We lasted until 4:00 p.m. and started to head back to the hotel. We got our stuff and got on the bus. We had a chicken dinner and I got to talk to our guide Luigi (Gigi) Sorrentino. He has taught in Morocco, Italy, and France. The subjects he teaches are Italian, French, and Art History. He enjoys moving around, staying at a place for a few years and then moving on. He likes to work with people and is very personable.

We arrived at the train station Gare d"Austerlitz, and got on our couchettes for our 8:30 train. The kids were surprised at how small the compartments were, but not as surprised as I was when I found out there was only four to a room. There was a sink in each couchette and even the bathrooms were much nicer, a far cry from four years ago.

We played cards and talked until the wee hours of the morning, as the train traveled towards Barcelona, Spain.

In a couchette on the train to Barcelona (clockwise from upper left: Megan Wiles, Jessica Newell, Laura Cochrun, Ali Nink, Lauren Simpson, Katie Jourdan, and Kayla Sherwood