March 7, 2011

We started off the day in Bayeux by visiting the amazing and elaborate 30 meter-long tapestry supposedly made by the Queen Clotilde in the 11th century describing William the Conqueror's Battle of Hastings. We also visited a wonderful the Notre Dame Cathedral of Bayeux. Afterwards, we continued our visit in Rouen, the town where Joan of Arc was tried and convicted by the English, and finally burned at the stake. We saw the modern church by the site, listened to a choir from Michigan perform live and we saw the enormous and incredible clock.
-Ana Isabel Appedole

March 3, 2011

Today, we had the opportunity to visit Pere Lachaise Cemetery where only famous people and the rich aristocrats are buried. The cemetery is filled and it is very expensive for a small plot of land now to bury someone. Jim Morrison, the lead singer of The Doors, is buried there and we got to visit his grave as well as Edith Piaf's grave, who is a famous French singer who is buried there as well.
Later that day we got to visit the home of Victor Hugo who wrote Les Miserables. It was very interesting seeing his bedroom as well as his original writing desk.

-Christopher Leon

March 10, 2011

The Catacombs:
Today we visited the catacombs which contains around 6,000,000 bodies. It was a great experience in which we were able to see how people were buried since there were not enough graves after the plagues. The dark atmosphere and the wet ceiling gave the tour a great spooky feeling! This visit to the catacombs was one to remember and very interesting!
Mircea Bucio

March 5, 2011

Mont St. Michel
After staying at the Abbaye of Fontrevaud we went by bus to get to Mont St. Michael. The weather was nice and the sun was shining, you could not have asked for a better day. When the bus finally stopped, we got off and took a group picture and then preceded to go up to the abbey. It was really busy walking up and some of us almost got lost in the throng of people. Once we got the tickets and began actually walking through the abbey you could get a spectacular view of the area around the Mont. When we finished walking through the abbey and did our shopping we then went back down the Mont and preceded to collect our bags and check in to the hotel on the Mont. We had the rest of the afternoon off to shop and look around and the shops began to close at 7 because it was winter. We then met up at the hotel lobby and preceded down to dinner. At that time almost all the shops were closed and the crowd was gone for the day. After dinner we took a walk around the Mont and soon found a seat where we sat and wrote of our thoughts of the trip.  - Mike Hartley

March 9, 2011

Another day across the pond spent rushing through crowded metros and train stations. Today was the first day we took an actual train and I discovered that the metro is more my style.
Anyways, we went to Versailles and got a VIP tour through the "grande palais" while crowds of other people had to stay behind the red velvet ropes. After walking around the palace, we went out to the gardens and rented bikes (best idea ever). Chris got a perfect shot (via camera, not gun) of two swans on the water with their necks in the heart formation. It's goooorgeous.

Later we went to Sacre Coeur, the highest point in Paris, and got to see the mosaic of Jesus on the ceiling of the chapel. Now we're all tired and covered in dirt and grime from underground metros and bike riding. Bonne nuit. - Bethannie Greco

March 7, 2011

 Cathedrals

Each cathedral is a beautiful and different experience, making it nearly impossible to compare. Notre Dame Cathedral at Rouen was a beautiful display of Gothic style. I find it similar to Notre Dame in Paris. However, Notre Dame in Paris created more of an image of mystery than Notre Dame at Rouen, but the latter gave a darker image. This comparison is only for the outside; inside is what matters and what is the most breath-taking. Each church has a gorgeous altar and a large area for chairs and walking for tourists. Since the churches are Catholic, they all have the holy water basin and a booth for confessions. Each, however, is completely different.  I especially noticed the rows of lit candles and those waiting to be lit. Each cathedral is beautiful in its own way, and I believe no one who sees them would ever think one is less because of another. - Natalia Miller

March 6, 2011

Today our group went to the beaches of Normandy and the sights of WWII in France. Our first stop was the German Cemetery. This cemetery vastly contrasts with the American cemetery as it contains many dark stone graves with two to three soldiers per stone. At this site there are 20 thousand fallen warriors who have been honored by their families. Pointe-du-Hoc was next on our journey where we saw the gray windy cliff strewn with ruins and artillery holes. At this place the American Rangers scaled the cliff under German fire but prevailed and took the artillery batteries. Next was the American Cemetery where 10,625 white marble graves stand to show the sacrifice of America against tyranny. At the cemetery we placed a wreath at the memorial as we heard the National Anthem and Taps to honor our warriors final sacrifice. Afterward we visited the Batterie-sur- Longue where the Germans bombed the beaches trying to stop the liberators. Here we took pictures by the bunkers and saw what a German defender saw on the morning of June 6, 1944. Arromanches was our last stop where we saw the port built by the allies to get supplies on the front. We learned that without this one point the entire invasion would have failed. This trip to Normandy let us see hands on the places that we have only seen pictures of where the fate of the world was decided. - Britt Schwing