Seriously, You’re Too Loud in Frigid Paris

Time for the Eiffel Tower

Paris was the culmination of spring break in France. To keep track of all students at each new restaurant, monument, or hotel, each chaperone rounded up their students and counted. We created a unique team cheer. Our particular team cheer involved yelling a popular high school French word combined with a silly expression from a French movie, thus the amazing “Hypercool, j’t’ai cassé!” It may not seem that exciting until you hear it in person and watch the reaction of the French with looks of bewilderment.

Eiffel Tower Time

No Parisian visit is complete without heading up the Eiffel Tower. Due to time constraints and a set bateau mouche time fast approaching, there was a dilemma. At the first platform, students were at about to board the escalator to the very top. Students had to decide between the very top of the Eiffel Tower with me or head back down to ride the bateau mouche up on the Seine.

To my surprise, two-thirds of the students chose the bateau mouche making everyone behind them in line happy. Those that remained successfully reached the top. With 15 minutes of a panoramic view of Paris, the group was ready to return to the hotel. Down the legs of the tower we ran. In teacher mode, I made students to direct us back on the subway. Fortunately, we didn’t end up at the Moulin Rouge.

You’re Pretty Tall Notre Dame

Caught a Visit of Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral

After visiting the wind tunnel better recognized as La Défense a day later, our group arrived on time for the Musée d’Orsay. Yet true to French daily life, Musée d’Orsay was functioning at half speed. One half of their staff was on strike demanding more cheese and wine during their lunch break.

The one place I’d never visited previously, but wanted to visit was a place that contained more dead than living, The Catacombs. Basically, to help prevent further transmissions of the Plague, the French buried the dead hundreds of feet below ground.

Five of us walked the long underground tunnels the Catacombs, tilting to the side to avoid scraping our heads. Yet we had to see the dead. So two male students and I ended the monotony. We let the two girls continue walking quietly falling behind, and hid behind a dark corner. Eventually realizing they were alone, they turned around to come back. And just as they turned the corner, an opportunity, really a responsibility, we jumped out and scared them nice and good. They were scared, but not to death, and yelled really loud, but not enough to wake the dead. Soon after, the dead and scores of their femurs and skulls appeared.

The Windy View from La Défense

On a more serious note, our guide the entire trip was a very knowledgeable, outgoing, and patient young French guide. That is until you put her in a French restaurant with 40 high school students and the crescendo of their dinner voices transforming into “we’re-out-of-the-country-without-our-parents” voices. For some reason, Léo couldn’t comprehend why they would talk so loud in a restaurant with other people trying to enjoy a peaceful meal. I obviously agreed with her that their voices should be at a more respectable volume, but I enjoyed even more her getting all worked up with the entire situation.

She would start by peacefully eating at the table with everyone enjoying conversation. Slowly as the volume became louder, the agitated look on her face was followed with the swing of her head from side to side glaring at the other tables, until her face finally turned an apple red. She would stand up and yell, oddly enough briefly increasing the noise level in the restaurant demanding that everyone be quiet. With looks of horror, they shut up . . . for two minutes.

A Recreation of Photo of Nadine and I at the Louvre in 2001

By the time my feet, green backpack, and students arrived home nine days later, it couldn’t have come any sooner. Spring break is supposed to be a relaxing time to recharge your batteries, conversely, I returned feeling more tired that before I left.

Next scheduled stop, study abroad in Argentina with Nadine and Sophie for five weeks in June and July.