Paris Day 1!

Guess where we are?  Paris!

We started this morning with out a wake up call from our hotel (ask the students about the showers here), but all of the students were up on time and ready to go after a quick breakfast.  One of the first things we noticed was that it rained in Carcassonne overnight.  We got on the bus and headed to Toulouse, la Ville Rose (the pink city).  It is called that because a lot of the buildings were built with pink brick.  When we got off the bus, it was raining and fairly cool, but the kids all had jackets or hoodies and did very well.  The only comment that we heard was from Ms. Huff who said, “It’s raining, but it’s raining in TOULOUSE!” :^)  Also always the optimist.  The kids really didn’t seem to mind the weather at all as we walked through older parts of the city to see a Basilica that was built in 1209 (and we thought the US had history!).  We went inside the basilica and had to be very quiet.  It is Sunday after all, and mass was in progress.  It was very interesting.  Afterwards the kids were able to roam the center of the city for an hour or so to find lunch and some snacks for the train to Paris.  The Capitol Plaza was hustling and bustling with people in celebration of the Rugby tournament going on in the city.  Apparently Toulouse won a game last night, so people were out celebrating with flags and song.  When we were in the city market, where you can buy rabbit and pigeon ready to cook (Kenna felt vindicated), a group supporting a local team walked into the center and began chanting and singing for their team while onlookers clapped in rhythm.   Then it was back to the bus for our ride to the train station.  Once there, we all got our bags and bit Adieu to Luis, our bus driver (from Spain, but raised in Australia), and boarded the train to Paris.  The trip was about six hours, but the kids passed the time with their ipods, iphones, ipads, while Ms. Huff used her ilids (oh come on… I thought that was clever).   The train took us over most of France, from the southwestern to the north-central region where Paris is located.  The country-side was beautiful with rolling green hills, livestock, and miles and miles of vineyards.  We arrived in Paris about 9pm our time, and travelled to the Hotel Brescia via minivan.  It is a very charming, quiet (at least until we arrived :^) hotel in the heart of Paris.  We are only a couple of kilometers from the Opera House and a few more meters from the Hotel des Invalides (where Napoleon is buried).  The kids are in their rooms and are getting a good night’s sleep for tomorrow’s tour of Paris starting with a 7am wake-up call and breakfast at 8pm.  We will be going to the Louvre (pronounced Loo-vray for you western types) tomorrow.  The students are very excited for that, as well as Notre Dame which we passed on the way to the hotel.

Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow.  Stay tuned…