The one thing everyone pictures when they think about Paris is the Eiffel Tower. As soon as I arrived in Paris I started looking to the skies to find it; little did I know, Paris is a vast city and you can’t see it from every part. For the first week in Paris I only saw it from afar and many of us on the trip joked that we were never going to see it. Finally, on my second week we took a boat trip that took us right next to it… It truly is breathtaking. The view of the tower at night cannot be explained in words, so please take a look at the pictures. The next day we finally went to it. It is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, tourist spots in Paris. You can go to the very top and I would recommend doing it once in your life because the view from the top is amazing. It will take anywhere from half an hour to an hour to get to the top because of the lines, but it is worth it. You can see everything from the top, from the Arc de Triomphe to Notre Dame. Not only is the Eiffel Tower beautiful it has an amazing history.

It was built in 1889 for the World’s Fair in Paris by Gustave Eiffel. It measures over 1,000 feet and it held the record for tallest manmade structure for over 40 years. It was not meant to be a permanent exhibit, since Gustave only had a 20 year permit. During World War I, it proved to be such a valuable resource for antennas so they left it up. It’s a good thing that France left it up since it is the most visited paid monument in the world. There are three levels to the Eiffel Tower and all are reachable by the public. The bottom level, ground floor, is where you can reach the other levels. You can reach the second level by stairs but it really is quite high so prepare yourself. On the second story they have some good gift shops and a good café, so if you need some souvenirs they have them. From the second level, you can reach the top. You feel like you are on top of the world when you are at the top, especially since it is one of the tallest structures in Paris. The Eiffel Tower is the definition of Paris and for good reason. I hope it will be there for generations so my kids can see the beauty I did when I was younger.

On Monday, the 27th of May, our first class trip was to Les Invalides. It was quite an experience to say the least. I am not very well-read in the areas of French history and did not know what to expect up arriving. The first thing I see when I Walk up is what appeared to be a beautiful gold plated domed church. I was awe struck at the architecture and beauty of this dome at Invalides which I later found out to be Napoleon’s tomb. It was nothing like I had ever seen before. This was the first image that really stuck out in my mind. Continuing our trip, we traveled onward to see the Musee De La’armee which is right next to Napoleon’s tomb. This was a very interesting museum. It contained articles, books, videos, actual WWI and WWI rifles, gear, maps, etc. It was really cool to be able to see this first hand. This was a guided tour, but what was significantly different from what I expected a tour to be was the fact that you had a head seat with audio that explained all the different areas and sites of the Museum. This really helped because you could go at your own pace throughout and if you missed anything or needed to see something again you were able to do so with a push of a button. The museum was very influential to me because I was able to see the history first hand which helped me to better understand the material being set forth rather than just reading out of a text book. It left a lasting impression that I will remember forever. It was also interesting to see other aspects of history that I had not learned before; being that this museum was set from a French perspective. I learned some background to the French Military and how they evolved into in the early 20th century. France was the most stricken country of the Great War, WWI. Millions had fallen and many more wounded and mutilated for life. World War II was just as severe. It is hard to imagine the reality that all the soldiers and civilians had to face during these terrible times. One interesting fact that really stuck with me was when I was learning about the Yellow Star. This is a star that Jews over the age of six had to wear. I was informed that in France, out of the thousand captured, arrested and deported only three percent ever made it back from the camps. This number was shocking. There is more to tell but you will just have to see it yourself to fully understand. Before I left Invalides I had to visit Napoleon’s Tomb. This was the most intriguing, stunning a display I had ever seen. It is more than I can describe in words. You must see it if you ever have the chance.

James with Dr. Langston on his first commercial flight ever!

All different kinds! If you take just a few minutes to read the biographies of the fifteen students participating in the War & Memory Study Abroad in France, you’ll discover a varied group of students. We have men and women and sophomores to seniors. Some are students who have never travelled abroad and some have travelled before and were looking for an opportunity to go again. Some come from small towns while others live in big cities. You will discover future scientists, business leaders, engineers, psychologists, historians, and those whose career paths aren’t clear yet in our group. A few have studied a foreign language; most have not. There are athletes, artists, musicians, outdoorsmen and women, history buffs, mechanics, military enthusiasts, foodies, introverts, extroverts, and Francophiles. (See their full bios at the “Meet the Bloggers – France 2013” link.) [Read more…]

Rule #1: Be flexible. During our pre-departure meetings with students, we stressed the importance of being flexible while traveling. Turns out, this was one of the first things we needed to do ourselves! We met James, one of our students, at the airport in St. Louis. We had plenty of time to spare before our flight. Too bad the weather did not want to cooperate.

Rule #2: Remember that you cannot control the weather. Our flight was delayed because of storms in Chicago, which meant that we would miss our connection to Paris. We spent an hour with a very nice ticketing agent who did her best to get us to Europe on schedule. She tried routing us through London, Madrid, Dublin, and other cities. Finally, she got us flights from St. Louis to Houston to Frankfurt to Paris—except that we had to fly out on Thursday instead of Wednesday.

Rule #3: Make sure your luggage is easily identifiable. Since we were not going to fly to Chicago, the ticketing agent had to call to remove our bags from the plane. It helped to be able to distinguish them from the hundreds of other black, blue, and gray suitcases.

Rule #4: Pack essentials (including extra clothes) in your carry-on. We were fortunate enough to get our bags back before they flew off without us, but this is not always possible. Last summer, Dr. Fogg made it to France a week before her suitcase did!

Our ticketing agent gave us meal vouchers and a hotel coupon. We took a shuttle van to La Quinta Inn, in Hazelwood, Missouri. Our excitement for the evening consisted of going out for dessert at Denny’s and catching up on email. Alas, no breakfast in Paris Thursday morning. But with a little flexibility and good humor, any trip can be an adventure and a story to share.

Pics to come!