Neither snow nor sleet hampered the mood of our ninth grade boys during their stay in Paris. Versailles was stunning in the snow, and so was Mr. Pei’s pyramid with rain running down its magnificent glass and metal structure. Paris was all the more interesting this year, with the many colorful ads, signs, posters, and elegant decorations the city had displayed to try to seduce the Olympic Committee, which was visiting the city the week we were there. It was obvious everywhere how much Paris wants to host the 2012 Olympic Games. Mayor Bertrand Delanoë and his team did a superb job in making Paris even more beautiful than usual. Every detail has been tastefully chosen. Bravo et bonne chance, Paris!

Our ninth graders were superb travelers. They were a happy bunch, eager to please and ready to discover les grands travaux that they had been studying for months in French class. There were many laughs, witty quips, intelligent observations, and best of all, much appreciation for what they saw. And they had much to see during the six short days we were there. Leaving our small Latin Quarter hotel at 8:30 a.m., we filled each day with new sights and new experiences. Three new destinations were added to the itinerary this year: le Musée Cluny, les égouts de Paris, and la Basilique Royale de Saint-Denis, a masterpiece of gothic architecture in a northern suburb of Paris, where elaborate tombs contain the remains of kings and queens of the Merovingian, Carolingian, and Capetian dynasties. The Bourbon sepulchral vault, which holds the remains of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and Louis XVIII, was of special interest to our ninth graders, as was the cenotaph commemorating Louis XIV.

When asked to identify their favorite Parisian structure, most of the boys said that they particularly enjoyed the very modern Grande Arche de la Défense. This answer is not surprising from New York City boys. There is frequently an intrinsic link between what one knows and what one likes. Other sites visited were la Bibliothèque de France, l’Institut du Monde Arabe, Notre Dame, le Musée Pompidou, les Invalides, le Louvre, le Musée d’Orsay, Versailles, and l’Hôtel de Ville. In addition to their encounters with the great public-works architecture of Paris past and present, the boys had the opportunity to get a taste of “living” French culture through their encounters with Sylvie, Béatrice, and Charles, and the boisterous Bernard, all wonderful French friends they will never forget. We celebrated Alex’s fifteenth birthday with fun, laughter, and a delicious steak-frites preceded by an apéro maison.

Our return home was also memorable, with its unexpected bird’s-eye tour of the grands travaux of the United States between New York and Chicago and our lengthy visit to the impressive O’Hare International Airport. It was a grueling 25-hour adventure, but we were lucky nonetheless in our misery. It turned out that the day after we left, Paris was immobilized by major strikes. The French are still fiercely debating les 35 heures, and the students (including high school students–our boys’ age!) are up in arms about a proposed reform to the education system. The rambunctious French spirit is very much alive. How great! What would France be without its strikes?

No. 32, Spring 2005, page 14