Paris and Nice were well worth the year long wait!

‍

On May 4th, forty Harbordites, along with four French teachers (Mme. Anthony, Mme. Micheal, Mme. Melo and the retired M. LeBlanc) flew to Paris, France for a week-long culture and language trip. We all spoke lots of French, visited many famous sites, and ate lots of amazing food.

‍

We started our trip in the capital, Paris. The first two days of the trip were very hot, with temperatures reaching twenty-seven degrees. 

‍

We visited a local food market in the morning of our first full day, which was very charming. Then, we transited to the Musée D’Orsay. On our guided tour there, we saw many famous paintings such as Van Gogh’s self portrait, Monet’s water lilies and Degas’ ballerinas. We ended the first day climbing a lot of stairs to visit Sacré-Cœur, the highest point in Paris.

‍

‍

‍

On day two, we visited the famous Chateau Versailles, where Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI lived and where the French Revolution took place. After making our way back to Paris by train, we climbed the Eiffel Tower all the way to the second floor which had an amazing view.

‍

‍

Our dinner that night was at Bistrot de la Montagne which had a solo musician playing guitar and singing. Two Harbord students, Giselle Schilling and Marina Scherman, even sang and played guitar in the restaurant. 

‍

On our last day in Paris, we visited the famous Cathedrale de Notre Dame, which was still under renovation due to the fires. In the afternoon we visited the Louvre where many of us saw the Mona Lisa up close after waiting in the large crowd.

‍

‍

‍

Departing from Paris we took a six hour train along the Côte d’Azur arriving in Nice. During our two full days in southern France we visited many nearby towns: Antibes, Èze, and Cannes, where they were getting ready for the film festival which was next week. 

‍

‍

Èze was my personal favorite, known for its small medieval town, located on a mountain next to the sea. It is also next to Parfumerie Galimard, operating since 1747, which we did a tour of. 

‍

‍

Our last afternoon was spent in Monte Carlo and Monaco City in Monaco. Monaco is home to F1 racing, luxury stores, the Casino in James Bond Casino Royale and is the second smallest country in the world.

‍

‍

I had a lot of fun on this trip and would recommend it to any students thinking about going next year. 

‍

Merci à tous les profs pour nous apporter!