Nearly 30 faculty, staff, alumni and friends of Notre Dame College spent nine days touring France over spring break 2013─and they documented their exploits in history, art, culture and food for Falcons back home.
They enjoyed the cobblestoned streets, quaint cafés and lively neighborhoods of Paris, the Provence, Nice and Monaco. Faculty member Elizabeth Presley, instructor of education and reading specialist, blogged on behalf of the adventurers, while other travelers took pictures to share with those stateside.
In the blog, members of the campus community can read about the groups’ encounters with the Iron Lady and real men who eat quiche and crepes and baguettes on crazy treadmill/escalator hybrids, see how many contrived film references they can find a la Cinema Veritae and learn useful and not-so-useful French phrases courtesy of the new Falcon Francophiles.
On the trip, the Notre Dame entourage spent four days in Paris, enjoying a guided sightseeing tour and visiting the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, the Place de la Concorde and the bustling Champs-Elysées. They also explored the Louis XIV’s Palace of Versailles, its Hall of Mirrors and gardens.
A high-speed TGV took the team to Avignon, where they viewed the Papal Palace and the nearby Pont du Gard. Another stop in the Provence was Nîmes, a city full of Roman history and famous for its textiles.
The College trip also included a visit to Aigues-Mortes, known for its authentic medieval ramparts; Nice, the Côte d’Azur’s cosmopolitan capital; and the hilltop village of Saint-Paul de Vence, home of painter Marc Chagall.
In addition, the group’s trek to the perched village of Eze with its castle ruins and steep streets, included a tour of the Fragonard Perfume Factory and the Jardin Exotique. The team traveled along the corniche to Monaco─ the glamorous residence of the rich and famous, including the Grimaldi royal family─and spent their last afternoon in France on the Riviera.
Next year, the College expects to travel to Spain and Portugal for its spring break trip.