Submitted by Lopez High School Students
This Spring, 12 Lopez Island High School students spent 15 days exploring France. Starting in Paris, they visited everything from the historic beaches of Normandy to the Roman ruins in semi-tropical Lyon. The trip also included a five-day homestay, where students were immersed in French culture.
“We started in Paris,” explains sophomore Nora Zapalac. There the French Club ascended the massive Eiffel Tower where they looked out at the panoramic city sprawling for miles. They also wandered through the Louvre, taking in historic works such as the Mona Lisa, Charlemagne’s sword and the enormous collection of French Crown jewels. The first day, right after landing, they visited the catacombs, an unground labyrinth filled with bones and fraught with lore. That day also marked the first taste of the fabulous French cuisine, fondue and escargots.
“The fact that the French can make snails taste good really says something about their cooking,” says Claire Roberson.
“Next we went to Lyon, the gastronomic capital of the world,” said Zapalac. The roads were packed with restaurants, bakeries, chocolateries and patisseries.
“I had the best cake of my life, three layers of creamy chocolate, better than anything I’ve ever had, I ate it with my hands,” claims Sterling Carfrae.
After Lyon, the Club nervously rode the train to meet their host families. The students lived around Avignon with different host families where they were welcomed as one of their own. Over the next five days, the students were immersed in French culture, speaking the language, eating the exchange parents’ cuisine and living life day-to-day as the French do.
“The food was so rich and fulfilling, I find myself having to eat so much more since France to make up for it,” shares Tobin Arden.
“The host family felt like a second family,” Roberson beamed. Students were surprised to find that French folks listened to American music and watched American movies.
After the homestay, students traveled to the Mont Saint-Michel and Normandy.
“The best part was Bayeux,” claimed some students. They visited many D-Day sites, the Memorial for Peace in Caën, the gorgeous basilica and the unforgettable Tapestry of Bayeux, a 1,000 year old work recalling the battle of Hasting over almost 300 feet of embroidered art.
“A part of me will always be in France,” Erik Paton shares nostalgically.
To hear more from him, the rest of the group, as well as the Greece trip participants, please come and see their visual presentations Friday, May 6. Expect great photos to accompany funny, interesting, or touching stories from the people who represented Lopez abroad. Refreshments and treats will be served. No admission fees: you already did a lot to support these trips.
