Bon voyage for Cape High French students

When 13 Cape High students visited Notre-Dame in Paris, they had no idea they would be among the last visitors to see the gothic cathedral as it had stood for centuries before it went up in flames April 15.

Cape High French teacher Holly Criswell said during this year’s trip, the week before Palm Sunday, students saw Notre-Dame less than a week before the fire that destroyed its spire and part of its ceiling.

“All the churches and cathedrals were beautifully decorated for Easter, and the Crown of Thorns, one of Christianity's most prized relics, was on display in Notre-Dame,” she said.

“The stained glass was breathtaking,” said Ruby Lundeen.

In 2005, Cape launched a travel exchange program with a French sister school. That program ended in 2013; the current one began in 2017 and occurs every two years. It is open to any student studying French.

“The fact that it is a Paris-only tour keeps the price very reasonable for a European trip,” Criswell said.

This year, 13 students, three adults and two teachers made the transatlantic journey. Students stay in the Quartier Latin, the student quarter. A five-day tour took them to the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre-Dame, la Sainte Chapelle, les Invalides and the tomb of Napoléon Bonaparte, le Louvre and Versailles.  

From the top of Eiffel Tower, Emily Racz called her grandmother to show her video of the Parisian skyline at night. Emily said her grandmother attended the Sorbonne, so she and Criswell made a special trip to her grandmother’s former university apartment to take pictures.

Allison Mack said her favorite site was the Arc de Triomphe. “From there, you could see monuments everywhere you looked,” she said.

Madi Swontek enjoyed eating a picnic lunch on the steps of Versailles and re-creating statue poses with friends. Noah Montgomery liked having actual conversations with Parisians in French.

Students remarked that Napoleon’s tomb was large for a small man. The complex of buildings around his tomb includes museums and monuments celebrating France’s military history, and a hospital and retirement home for veterans.

The Mona Lisa, students said, was underwhelming and small. They much preferred the Louvre’s Greek statues, da Vinci pieces and the iconic glass pyramid at the entrance.

Anna Patterson said learning about the city’s art and classical history was her favorite part of the trip. “We got to see where the painters hang out at Moulin Rouge,” she said.

Criswell said fewer militia were present than when she visited two years ago, due, in part, to enhanced security measures such as a bulletproof wall around the bottom of the Eiffel Tower.

“The bottom of the tower used to be full of people,” she said. “Now it’s deserted and there’s only one way in and out.”

Students enjoyed gourmet meats, grilled cheese with ham, frites, chocolate croissants and lots of coffee. They were surprised by the lack of ice in drinks and when an order of lemonade turned out to be a glass of lemon juice.

Students also visited a bakery to see how the traditional French baguette is made, toured the Fragonard perfume museum and took an evening cruise on the river Seine.  

“That was the coldest part of the trip, but you got to see everything from the boat,” Maddie Betts said.

Contrary to stereotypes, students said, Parisians were very nice, and spoke English as long as students at least tried to converse in French. Students said all Parisians dressed well, without a pair of sweatpants to be seen. When they smoked, the French were more polite about directing exhales away from people.

Criswell said students walked everywhere, at least 10 miles a day. Her daughter, Evie Criswell, joined the group for her second Parisian tour.

“I saw the same things as last time, but there were differences,” Evie said. “Last time, actors were rehearsing in the opera house so we didn’t get to go in. This time, we got to go inside. The lobby was amazing with statues. We got to see the stage and seat boxes, and even a ballet rehearsal.”