As you heard from Tara, I was in France last week on a study trip with 19 students from our school and another school in our district that is across the kingdom on the Red Sea in Yanbu. It was a great trip, but no vacation. Taking a group of students to another country is very exciting and stressful. I slept about 90 minutes between the flight and nine hour layover in Amsterdam. It was about 36 hours from when I woke up at home to when I went to bed at our hotel. I was also chosen by the trip organizer to be in charge of passports for all the students and to carry the largest sum of money. Tara gets a little nervous when I am carrying just our family's passports. Thankfully, the trip was without any major catastrophes.
We spent 5 days in a city called Aix in the southern part of France called Provence. From Aix we made our daily trips. The first day we hiked up Mont Sainte Victoire. We didn't have enough time to make it all the way up, but a group of us covered about 20 km round trip. We also explored really neat towns like Le Beaux, Arles, Nimes, Marseille, and Avignon. We saw and learned about some really well preserved Roman ruins. We also kayaked the Gard River to the Pont du Gard, a very famous Roman aqueduct. The kids had a great time with the kayaking and most had never done anything like that before. In Avignon we toured the Palace of the Popes. Most people don't know, but seven Popes lived in Avignon when Rome was too dangerous for them.
The last day and half of the trip was spent in Paris. Paris was amazing. The Louvre was incredible. Without any artwork it would be a magnificant mansion to tour. Phillip II built the first part and Louie XIV lived there until he moved to Versaille. Louie XIV used the Louvre to display the royal collection after he moved and it has been a museum since the French Revolution. We also made it to the Eiffel Tower in the evening and climbed the stairs to the second level to avoid the long elevator line. From the second level, we took the elevator to the top. It was quite the experience. Still, once you have seen the sights in the North, Southern France would be my vacation destination.
One of the best parts of the trip was coming home. I really enjoyed the experience of chaperoning and couldn't help but enjoy the sights, history, food, and culture. However, I missed my family the whole time and was very glad to see them again. I arrived late at night and woke up to see Aden sitting on our bed smiling at me in the morning. It was a nice homecoming.
Enjoy the incredible pictures.
Jamie
We spent 5 days in a city called Aix in the southern part of France called Provence. From Aix we made our daily trips. The first day we hiked up Mont Sainte Victoire. We didn't have enough time to make it all the way up, but a group of us covered about 20 km round trip. We also explored really neat towns like Le Beaux, Arles, Nimes, Marseille, and Avignon. We saw and learned about some really well preserved Roman ruins. We also kayaked the Gard River to the Pont du Gard, a very famous Roman aqueduct. The kids had a great time with the kayaking and most had never done anything like that before. In Avignon we toured the Palace of the Popes. Most people don't know, but seven Popes lived in Avignon when Rome was too dangerous for them.
The last day and half of the trip was spent in Paris. Paris was amazing. The Louvre was incredible. Without any artwork it would be a magnificant mansion to tour. Phillip II built the first part and Louie XIV lived there until he moved to Versaille. Louie XIV used the Louvre to display the royal collection after he moved and it has been a museum since the French Revolution. We also made it to the Eiffel Tower in the evening and climbed the stairs to the second level to avoid the long elevator line. From the second level, we took the elevator to the top. It was quite the experience. Still, once you have seen the sights in the North, Southern France would be my vacation destination.
One of the best parts of the trip was coming home. I really enjoyed the experience of chaperoning and couldn't help but enjoy the sights, history, food, and culture. However, I missed my family the whole time and was very glad to see them again. I arrived late at night and woke up to see Aden sitting on our bed smiling at me in the morning. It was a nice homecoming.
Enjoy the incredible pictures.
Jamie
Chateau d'If. Ring any bells? Monte Cristo?
Our kayaking lesson
Pont du Gard!
In Nimes. Not quite the Colosseum, but it is still used for bull fighting.
Palace of the Popes. Look at how small the people are at the door.
In the Louvre. DaVinci Code?
Outside the main entrance of the Louvre.
Passing by the Eiffel Tower on our Seine river tour.
Can you find the smallest house in Paris?
