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OUR TENTATIVE ITINERARY
Day 1: Monday, June 14, 2004
From the Erie International Airport we will begin our adventure. Exact details are not yet prepared, but if it's like what we've done in the past, we'll fly from Erie to Detroit, and then Detroit to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. In 2001 we were scheduled to fly Erie to Cleveland, Cleveland to Newark, Newark to Paris.
Day 2 - Day 8: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - Monday, June 21, 2004
This morning we land in Paris. After we get our luggage and go through customs, we'll get on the bus or train that will take us to Cholet. Click here for the official Cholet web site (http://www.ville-cholet.fr/). This is the homestay portion of our trip. You will be living with your host family and experiencing life as a member of their family. The students with whom you'll live are students at the Lycée Renaudeau (http://renaudeau.online.fr).
There will be some activities that we will do together plus some activities that your family will have planned. Here are some of the things that we've done in the past.
Futuroscope (http://www.futuroscope.fr/ ) located in Poitiers. In 2000, the Tour de France began here. In 1998, and in 2001 our entire group went to this amusement park which consisted of several IMAX type theaters.
Puy du Fou
(http://www.puydufou.com/english/), an annual medieval festival located not far from Cholet. In 2001 we all went to the night time sound and light show.
Some of us visited the city of Nantes (http://www.mairie-nantes.fr/), also near Cholet.
Note: We will be in Cholet on June 21, la fête de la musique. Every year on the summer solstice, in practically every town in France, this day is celebrated with music (free performances) all around. I had the pleasure of experiencing la fête de la musique once, in the town on Nîmes. Just walking around the town for an evening we saw lots of bands playing. They just set up on a sidewalk and played. A few blocks away there was another. It's really something!
Day 9: Tuesday, June 22, 2004
This morning we say "Au revoir!" to our friends in Cholet and get on the bus and go to Paris. We'll arrive at approximately 3:00 pm and check in to our hotel.
Our first day in Paris is our "extra day". We will begin the NETC (http://www.netcusa.com/) portion of our tour tomorrow afternoon. Today and most of tomorrow we'll explore Paris on our own. With that free time we can take a walk and see the sites of our neighborhood, and/or try Le Métro for the first time to see some sites that aren't so nearby. The first evening we could go to the top of La Tour Eiffel (http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/) or take a ride on a Bateau Mouche.
Day 10: Wednesday, June 23, 2004
This morning and afternoon we'll continue our own exploration of Paris.
This evening we'll meet our NETC tour director and have some free time until dinner.
Day 11: Thursday, June 24, 2004
This morning we take a guided tour of La Ville Lumière. We'll ride down L'Avenue des Champs Élysées, see l'Arc de Triomphe, la Tour Eiffel, and the Hôtel des Invalides . (Note, we'll see, not necessarily enter either of these monuments while on this morning tour.) We will visit (inside and out) La Cathédrale de Notre-Dame and Le Musée du Louvre (http://www.louvre.fr/).
With the balance of the day, you'll have the opportunity to take a closer look at any Parisian site you like. What students in the past have chosen: Go to the top of Notre-Dame, visit Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur, take a closer look at l'Arc de Triomphe (including going to the top by elevator or stairs -- there's a museum up there, too!) and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, seeing the collection of impressionist art at the Musée d'Orsay, going to the Père-Lachaise Cemetery (a lot of people like to visit the grave of Jim Morrison), shop, or spending time at a sidewalk café people-watching.
Since the Louvre is the final stop of the morning tour, after grabbing lunch you may want to walk through le Jardin des Tuileries to the Place de la Concorde, to la Madeleine, la Place Vendôme, and la Place de l'Opéra. Or, from la Place de la Concorde you may choose to stroll down the Champs-Élysées.
Other suggestions that come to mind include: Seeing and going to the top of la Tour Montparnasse, visiting the underground sites such as the tour of the sewer system or the crypts.
Or, there may be some others sites not listed here that you'll want to visit. Check the interactive map of monuments and museums (http://www.paris.org/Maps/MM/) for some ideas.
Day 12: Friday, June 25, 2004
Today we will take a ride to Versailles (http://www.chateauversailles.fr/) to visit the palace that Louis XIV had built. We will also see the hamlet that was built for Marie-Antoinette, (http://www.chateauversailles.fr/en/123.asp ), located behind the palace, which many of our students found to be a nice change of pace after two days in a big city. Many wished they could stay longer.
The rest of the day is free to do whatever you wanted to do yesterday, but didn't get to.
Day 13: Saturday, June 26, 2004
This morning we leave Paris and travel to Normandy. While in Normandy, we will experience two very important events in the history of France: William the Conqueror's conquest of England (1066), and the D-Day invasions that led to the liberation of France from Germany during World War II (June 6, 1944).
We will see the Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidery which tells the events of the Norman invasion of England in 1066, a key event in France's history. To learn more about the battle and the tapestry, check out these sites:
Invasion of England, 1066 (http://www.ibiscom.com/bayeux.htm)
The Bayeux Tapestry (http://www.ukans.edu/kansas/medieval/108/lectures/bayeux_tapestry.html)
Bayeux Tapistry, with images of the tapestry, (http://www.sjolander.com/viking/museum/bt/bt.htm)
From Bayeux, we will visit the D-Day beaches. We'll visit the D-Day museum at Arromanches (http://www.normandy1944.com/).
We'll also visit the American Miltary Cemetery (http://gofrance.miningco.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.usabmc.com/no.htm) where over 9,000 American soldiers who were killed during that D-Day invasion and during the operations that followed.
Then, we'll get back on the bus and go to the city of Saint-Malo where we'll have dinner and spend the night.
In past years we've been able to walk along the shore of the English Channel to the old city (surrounded by walls) and relax. Sunset is really late (after 10:30 -- give or take a few minutes).
Day 14: Sunday, June 27, 2004
This morning we will visit Le Mont-Saint-Michel . This stop is among my personal favorites if for no other reason than the view as we approach it. Seeing from a distance the Abbey atop the island and then watching it get closer and closer is impressive to me.
For further information check out these sites:
Mont Saint-Michel
http://www.webfoot.com/travel/guides/france/mt.st.mike.html created by Kaitlin Duck Sherwood
Mont Saint-Michel
http://www.ouest-france.fr/lisieux/gb/stmichel.htm,
Mont Saint-Michel photos with a nice background midi.
http://www.asteria.fr/mont.htm
du Mont Saint-Michel
http://www.castles.org/castles/Europe/Western_Europe/France/france2.htm
I'm trying to find an official website, but haven't been lucky enough yet. If I do, I'll put it here.
After a few hours in this "island city" we hit the road for the Loire River valley. We'll spend tonight in Tours. If our hotel is near the SNCF train station (which has been the case every time I've been to Tours) we'll be a short walk away from a pedestrian-only outdoor shopping area. Also, and please note, this is not a guarantee, there is a night club nearby called Pyms. I've taken students there twice and they've enjoyed it. It's a two-story night club. One floor for adults, one floor for teens.
If we don't get to Pym's, we'll get some rest for tomorrow.
Day 15: Monday, June 28, 2004
We'll check out of our Tours hotel and visit two castles in the Loire Valley (http://www.xs4all.nl/~jvddoel/loire/), Chenonceau and Chambord.
Websites for Chenonceau:
Photos de Chenonceau
(http://www.castlesontheweb.com/search/jump.cgi?ID=698)
Chenonceau
(http://www.castles.org/castles/Europe/Western_Europe/France/france13.htm)
Chenonceau
(http://perso.wanadoo.fr/guillonniere/chenonceau/)
Chambord, with a city skyline as its roof, about 440 rooms, and its double spiral staircase, this is an interesting chateau to visit.
Websites for Chambord:
Chambord
(http://www.castles.org/castles/Europe/Western_Europe/France/france5.htm)
Chambord
(http://perso.wanadoo.fr/guillonniere/chambord/)
After visiting these chateaux, we'll head north to Chartres to visit the famous Cathédrale de Notre-Dame de Chartres . While there, we may also get a chance to see the broken sword monument in honor of Jean Moulin, mayor of Chartres who was tortured and killed during World War II.
Websites for Chartres:
Chartres
(http://chartres.cefm.net/chartres/index.htm) (In French)
Chartres
(http://www.lapinville.net/chartres.htm) (In French)
After Chartres, we head back to Paris' Gare de Lyon to catch our overnight train to Nice.
Day 16: Tuesday, June 29, 2004
At around 8:00 this morning our train arrives in
Nice
(http://www.nice-coteazur.org/). We'll get breakfast and check into our hotel.
After a bus tour of the area, you'll have a chance to go to the beach (every time I've been to Nice, the beach has always been within walking distance of the hotel), or shop (there's a mall "Nice Étoile" nearby) or both.
Day 17: Wednesday, June 30, 2004
This morning we will get on our bus for a side trip which includes the principality on Monaco,
Day 18: Thursday, July 1, 2004
Today we begin our long journey home. For us, this will last 30 hours. If our flight back to America leaves Europe at 1 pm, and lasts about 7 hours, we'll land in America at about 2 pm.
I'm not sure what our exact route will be this time. When I did this same tour in 1996, we flew KLM Airlines from Nice to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Detroit, and Detroit to Erie. In 2001, we flew from Nice to Paris, Paris to Philadelphia, Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh to Erie.
If it is like past trips, we should return to Erie at around 7 or 8 in the evening. More details on our flight times will be available shortly before we leave.
To return to the Fairview - Cholet 2004 home page, click here.
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