Nine Harwood Union students along with 17 U-32 students spent 12 days exploring France, the language, and the culture last month during April break.
The first leg of our trip took students and their chaperones to Caen in Normandy. They had a guided visit, focused on the fragility of peace, of the Memorial de Caen, a museum and war memorial commemorating the Second World War. They also visited the Arromanches D-Day Landing Museum and the D-Day Experience, an immersive museum featuring the Normandy landings.
In Colleville-Sur-Mer they paid their respects to the American troops who died in Europe during World War II, laid a bouquet of flowers on the school's behalf while U-32's Colby Tuller gave a poignant speech in memory of all fallen soldiers.
Before leaving Normandy they explored le Mont Saint Michel, a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of the most visited sites in France. This island is topped by a gravity-defying medieval Abbey, which the Vermont visitors were able to explore. It began as a Benedictine monastery, then a fortress and prison during the French revolution.
Then, after the two nights in Normandy the group headed for Paris. Their hotel was located in what is known as “Bercy Village” and was just a few metro stations from all the sites they visited. During their four days in Paris, they toured Le Musee D’Orsay, which originally was a railway station, but now houses some of the best and most-known 19th- and 20th-century works from artists like Renoir, Cezanne, Degas, Monet, and Van Gogh.
They also got an inside view of the rebuilt Notre-Dame Cathedral and a glimpse of the Mona Lisa during their guided visit of Le Louvre. After going up to the second floor of the Eiffel tower they took a boat ride on the Seine to see the iconic monuments of Paris from the river. They also took time strolling through the Quartier Latin, the Luxembourg Gardens, l'Île de la Cité, Place des Vosges, les Halles, Montmartre and the local farmers’ market of Bastille. They reported that they easily averaged over 20,000 steps a day.
The third leg of the trip took them to Langres, in the Haute-Marne region of France. French teachers from Harwood and U-32 have been working with teachers from the Lycee Diderot for many years. Students in Vermont French classes have pen pals with students in the Diderot High School. This year their pen pals invited them to visit. For three days, the Vermont students stayed with French host families, attended school and visited the town and its surroundings.
“It was an amazing experience for all involved and we are so grateful for the friendship and generosity of our hosts. We even made the local paper,” said French teacher Marcus Grace on behalf of the ninth-, 10th- and 11th-grade Harwood and U-32 students along with parents Melissa Tuller and Tracy Philips and chaperone Caroline Grace.
