Calvin College – Interim 2019

We started our day with a trip to Isle de Cite’ to visit Notre Dame Cathedral and Saint Chapelle chapel.

Then walking and lunch near the museum area.

Saw great art at the Louvre Museum.

Bonjour from Paris! My assigned topic for the trip was the Catacombs! After an amazing time going up the Eiffel tower that morning, we had the option to go see the catacombs. The majority of us went because it sounded really interesting. Professor Brouwer said “it’s the most unusual tourist spot,” and it really is.

We successfully navigated our way there, and then went down into the catacombs. We had to walk down many stairs and through low (for me haha) underground tunnels to get to where the remains were. I have to say seeing the remains of over two million bodies arranged artistically was a pretty strange experience. The bones were stacked on all sides of the pathways and formed some sculpture-ish things other areas.

As the only nursing student on this trip, I did find some extra things interesting about the catacombs. I thought it was cool seeing real different parts of bones and parts of the skull, and I enjoyed sharing with others what different bones were as well. Also, as I was reading information signs, I learned that the catacombs gave researchers a ton of information about the general health of the population in Paris from the Merovingian era all the way to the end of the 19th century. Infections and diseases that were found common to the area were arthritis, enthesopathy, leprosy, and syphillis. Dental analyses show abscesses, cavities, and more that were indicators of malnutrition and various deficiencies for many people. Lesions in the bones suggest overuse in manual labor, and fractures and dislocations reveal difficult living and working situations.

It was really interesting discovering more about the historical ways of life and health in Paris through these remains!

Sarah

Many of the readers of this blog may be aware of some interesting events in Paris today. Our group is safe and in places that are considered very safe. The first was a natural gas explosion at a bakery on the north side of the city. They are unsure of the cause at this time. This occurred several miles from our group and we were only aware of it through news reports. The police have had a significant presence throughout Paris today. We talked with some and we were advised to avoid the Arch de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees after 12 noon today. Aside from the extra police presence, we have seen a fairly normal city of Paris. The students are very aware that they need to avoid that region and any place where police or yellow vests are found. Please pray that our students will have awareness of their surroundings and be safe and that this city and country will find peace.

I LOVE DOGS. So naturally the first thing I did upon arriving in France was learn how to ask to pet a someone’s dog in French. This proved to be one of the best parts of this trip for me. I would tell you how to say it, but I can’t spell it, so you’ll have to check it out for your own.

I have slowly been growing in confidence in my
French communication skills, so that has been fun. Every dog I see, I go up and ask its owner if I can pet it. This brings me great joy. What is even better is that it gives me a chance to try and speak with the locals a little bit and learn some more about the way French people live. For example, I found out that most dog-owners in Paris do not put their dogs on leashes. I also found out that the French people are actually pretty nice. Something I never thought before haha.

Anyways, thought I would share my story of how to immerse oneself in the culture; just ask to pet a dog! It has worked for me so far, and I have gotten to pet SO MANY cuties.

Signing off,

Ally

Bonjour! My assigned topic for the trip was the Eiffel tower (so obviously I was pretty excited.) I have actually already been to the Eiffel tower with my family on an incredible trip, but that was long ago, and it was so exciting to go back.

I have already seen the tower up close twice since I have been here. The first was the second night, when a few of us went into the park below the tower and walked a bit to get a good view of the flashing lights. Amazing. The second was when we WENT UP THE TOWER. Unfortunately, the day was pretty foggy, and we could not see much. It was also drizzling a little bit. However, it was still the best view of the city, and it was so fun to just be standing there looking up at it and knowing that you were on it. I played the song Paris in the Rain by Lauv while we were up there and it really set the mood haha. Anyways. Simply incredible.

A couple fun facts that I learned about the tower: It was built by Gustav Eiffel and paid for by his family, it weighs 1100 tons, and Gustav himself used to live in an apartment on top of it. Crazy. Anyways, such a beautiful structure and an incredible experience. The best part was sharing it with my beautiful friends who were seeing it for the first time. I guess you could say Eiffel in love with the tower 😉

Signing off, Ally.

As expected, the culture of Europe thus far has been drastically different from that of the United States. There are some aspects of the culture that you come here to experience, while there are others that make minor things a burden. Here are just a few I have experienced in the first week here.

Pros:

History: There is so much to see in each city we have been too. We have been to more museums this week then I have gone to over the last 10 years or so, and each place has its own unique story. In just today alone, I saw the Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa. There aren’t many places in the US where you could see 2 significant historical pieces in one day

Food: While I admit that I have eaten McDonald’s and KFC once on this trip, the food otherwise has been far better than what I eat in the US. The meals you eat here are all from little food shops, not chain restaurants with processed foods. The entire ombiance of the restaurants just make the food taste that much better. My favorite spot thus far has been a small fish and chips shop in Middleburg, Netherlands.

Cons:

Everything is small: From the restaurants to the restrooms to the streets to the sidewalks, everything is smaller here. We can’t fit more than 5 people into the typical spot we eat for lunch. It is hard to take a big group unless you are willing to spend a lot of Euros.

Language barrier: While the people in the Netherlands spoke good English, the experience has not been the same in France. It is fun to try and communicate with some locals. For example, a group of us had a long conversation with a guy on the metro who only spoke French and it was fun to guess what he was trying to say. However, doing things like ordering food has been harder. Today at McDonald’s my burger took 15 minutes and it was tough to voice my frustration with the workers

Overall, the Pros obviously outweigh the cons and I am enjoying the cultural experience/challenge and am excited to see what is yet to come!

Up early for the bus to Paris

First stop the Palace of Versailles

Then on to Paris with a stop to view the Eiffel Tower

To the hotel and then dinner at Le Café du Commerce

Learn the Metro (subway system) on the way to see The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur.

The next morning we went directly to a foggy Eiffel Tower

Then the students were on their own to explore the city.

Bonjour from Paris. After rolling in yesterday from the palace of Versi the group was all eager to get a taste of life in Paris. The first place we visited was the basilica of Sacre-Coeur. This gorgeous basilica is dedicated as a house of prayer and the silence of the confessional time was an interesting contrast from my preconceived ideals of the hustle and bustle of the busy city and from the trip in general. It was very refreshing to begin our time in Paris with a quiet meditative scene. Just as we were exiting the basilica the Eiffel tower in the back ground began to sparkle. A group of students also visited the bluff just up the hill from the basilica. This area is known as the center for art and some local sketch artists were on the street selling there ware’s along with some shops selling other peices of art. It was a very beautiful area but the professors said it would have been much more active during the tourist season in spring.

Our devotions for Wednesday morning came from Our Daily Bread. In it the author talks about how on long trips it is common to hear “Are we there yet?”. I definitely thought this on our seven and a half hour plane ride here. Sitting there trying and failing to sleep I just wanted to reach our destination. The author goes on to say that we often feel the same way in life when we are going through challenges. We need to talk to our Lord when we go through times of stress.

That day we also went on a walking tour of Bruges, Belgium. This is a beautiful city that thrived in the 13th to 15th centuries. We saw amazing architecture in many buildings including:

The Begijnhof

The Church of Our Lady

The Town Hall

And The Market Square

Bonjour! Our day began with a trip to the Eiffel Tower where we were able to go up to the second level. Although it was a rainy morning, it was still an amazing view and experience up there. From there we were able to go explore on our own. Most of the group started out by going to tour the catacombs under the city. It was a tight squeeze so far below the ground, but also a cool experience to see all the remains.

Stopping for a quick lunch at a local sandwich shop, some of us struggled with the language barrier in attempting to order, but eventually we got it squared away. I find that to be my favorite part of France so far is trying to use the small amount of French that I know and giving it my best shot to converse with the locals.

From there a few of us were able to visit the Arc de Triomphe, a stunning sight to see. A walk down the Champs-Elysees was well worth it. With a beautiful view of the Arc and seeing all the luxurious name brand stores we knew that was the perfect way to end our day of taking on Paris.