2022 Henderson France and Italy Cultural Journey
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Saint Chapelle
Written by Kelsey Kuegler
We went to the Saint Chapelle on the left bank of the Seine, a few blocks away from the Notre Dame Cathedral. It had very intricate gothic roman architecture designs and tall painted ceilings. There were little artifacts from early centuries and blurbs written about the history behind each. My favorite part was seeing the second floor up the tiny spiral stone staircase. The stained glass was amazing and the paintings on the ceiling and the walls were beautiful. I’m really excited for the next adventures to come.
Our Second Day of Paris
Written by Preston Lubeski
When I awoke from my first sleep in Europe I was rejuvenated and ready to start our second official day in Paris. Our quick breakfast of fresh pastries and scolding coffee was followed by a metro trip to Saint-Michael in the middle of Paris. Here we viewed the Fountain of Saint-Michel before visiting the beautiful Saint Chapelle Church and it’s vibrant stained glass windows. After a quick stop at some local shops, our group crossed the Seine to view the Notre Dame Cathedral (which unfortunately was still under construction). Eventually we all were ready for a period of rest and refueling—an urge that was answered by eating many savory and sweet crêpes at a local café.
Our next stop was the Pompidou Center, which we visited after traveling past the capital building. At the museum we were allowed to explore the amazing modern art displayed, as well as appreciate the breath taking view of the city on the top terrace. Following this event was a short group discussion and a walk to another local restaurant for dinner. Here, we were fed a fulfilling meal of beef tartare and molten chocolate cake before reuniting with our group, traveling back to the hostel, and celebrating Elizabeth’s birthday, a fellow traveler. The exciting day ended with a warm shower and a reflection of the wonderful events that had just passed.
First day to slay in Paris
Written by Caralina Bellwoar and Ella Slossburg
Today we started off our day by waking up on the plane and landing in Paris at 1:30 pm! We went through security, got our bags, met our tour guides Alex and JP and hoped on a metro to our hotel. The city was a little rainy when we got there but it was still amazing and beautiful! It was about a ten minute walk to the hotel and once we got there we got small snacks and figured out our rooming situations. Then we had about a half an hour to rest and rejuvenate a bit for the rest of our day. We then walked to the metro again and got to see a bit of the city and experience more new views and places. The metro was much easier this time without our luggage but still a new fast paced and exciting way to travel that most of us haven’t gotten to see before. The metro took us to the Sacré-Coeur, we walked around and saw the incredibly beautiful art and architecture. We got to go inside the church and warm up while seeing the amazing relics inside, all while a Mass service was in process.
Afterwards we walked out and saw the incredible view outside of the entire city and saw the new fence of love locks which we learned the history of. When it was time for dinner we were all starving and ready to eat! The rain increased to a very cold snow – sleet type of weather which was definitely surprising for us. The weather didn’t slow us down we braved the cold and split up into separate groups for dinner. The two of us ended up going to Un Zebra a Montmarte! Ella had a delicious steak, green beans and potatoes. Caralina had sea bass with seared vegetables, and we shared some bread dipped in a camembert cheese with honey. Then we walked back to the metro and then to the hotel to sleep. It was a long day with not a lot of rest so the hotel was a joy to see! We both slept great, and in all it was a difficult but very enriching day.