School Paris Trip!
My whole class and I went to Paris for 3 days! It was a spectacular trip filled with memories, learning, and all around excitement. I will do a detailed itinerary of the trip, but here are a few of my favorites from Paris!
My favorite aspect of this trip, which was different from our trip to the South of France, was that we had the freedom to choose our activities beforehand. A week before the trip, we were given a sheet to choose our top two activities out of three in each activity period. Many of the sights were repeats so if you didn't get the choice you wanted one day, there was a large chance that you could visit the sight another day. Gratefully, I received all of the activities I requested! There was also lots of free time between and after each activity period to independently explore Paris without the school. Every morning we received metro cards which encouraged us to explore the different quartiers of Paris freely!
My favorite sight from the Paris Trip: Shakespeare & Co. - Our visit to Shakespeare & Co. was extra memorable for me because we studied the Lost Generation, Ernest Hemingway, and Sylvia Beach in English class before our trip. Since I love to read, this iconic bookstore from the 1920s definitely wowed me and had me geeking out after all that we’d learned about it in class. Learning about something interesting then seeing it in your own eyes always makes me fascinated by the topic or place even more! I didn’t buy any books because I had no room in my suitcase, but I did buy a tote bag. The hidden gem of Shakespeare & Co. is the upstairs, Sylvia Beach’s apartment and reading layer. Everything upstairs is still intact like it’s the roaring twenties. The bookstore wants to preserve Sylvia’s legacy as much as possible so no photographs are allowed. A core memory, which I have no photo or videoproof of but is still a super special moment to me, was playing the piano in Sylvia Beach’s room, with the music of the bookshop. The moment was incredible because the only thing in the room was me, the piano, and books, nothing in between (expect the people watching me😉). I was transfigured into an artist of the Lost Generation, playing the piano freely with nothing to lose. That was also the first time I’d played the keys since last year, but wow it felt so good to play. Usually I am very shy when it comes to playing the piano in front of others, and I only play when I’m alone. But there was something so liberating about playing the piano in Shakespeare & Co. for the world to hear, I loved every minute of the three songs I played. If you love reading, literature, playing the piano, or just France, visit Shakespeare & Co. and you’'ll find yourself lost in a different generation of time.
My favorite restaurant from the Paris trip: Chez Janou - As a foodie, I researched lots of restaurants before the trip, mostly restaurants close to our hotel by the Bastille. Chez Janou is a famous French spot that I’d wanted to try on my Paris trip with my mom, but it was very far from reach on our trip. When noticing that Chez Janou was a five minute walk from our school trip hotel, I leaped at the opportunity to try this classic bistro. On our first night in Paris, my friends and I ate at this delicious restaurant and I was not disappointed one bit! I devoured the magret de canard au romarin, or the duck breast with rosemary. It was hearty and delicious. But the main attraction Chez Janou is known for is the chocolate mousse that is scooped out of a humungous pot! The fluffy whipped mousse exceeded my expectations and was a large enough portion to share between 4 people, definitely recommend if you have a sweet tooth in Paris!
My favorite memory from the Paris trip: singing along the Seine - So the last night of the Paris trip on our way back to the hotel, my friends and I walked along the Seine, blasting Taylor Swift songs and Counting Stars by OneRepublic; what a night! While cool excursions, fancy sights, and fantastics views are awesome, so are simple moments of pure joy. Walking along the Seine and singing at the top of our lungs was something so simple but so memorable to me. These are the moments I will remember about my year abroad in France: being 17 years old, dancing and singing in the streets of Paris, without a care in the world, just pure happiness. Sometimes the best moments in life are the unexpected, and the ones that don’t cost a single penny!
The Paris Trip is another highlight of my time in France, I always love the amazingly planned school trips! I’m grateful to be a part of a program that takes so much attention to detail in planning incredible trips and activities for their students.
