when worlds collide

After a year and a half of planning, a group of Classen kids arrived in Paris on Thursday morning. I drove my rental car to Roissy, dropped it off, and met the group at the airport. I can't believe how much the kids have changed, especially the soon-to-be sophomores. I think they have each grown at least a foot! It's a bit surreal to see them after a year, and to see them in France rather than at home. But after the first five minutes, I felt like we'd never been apart. Sure, I've missed a bit of drama at school this year, but they're doing their best to catch me up.


Thursday we checked into our hotel, and then I got to take the kids out to Paris without the rest of our tour group. We went to Beaubourg and Les Halles, where the kids visited the Centre Pompidou and did some major shopping in under two hours. We met back up with our tour director and had a mediocre dinner before crashing into our comfy beds at the Holiday Inn Gare de l'Est. Friday, we got up early and took a guided bus tour of Paris with the most captivating guide who definitely knows how to keep the kids attention with her stories, intriguing details and sense of humor. We visited Notre Dame de Paris and then walked to the Louvre. In a museum that would take 8 months of nights and days to see only 4% of the permanent collection (and that's if you spend only 30 seconds in front of each item), the kids saw some major highlights in ... two hours. Afterwards, we walked through the Tuilieries gardens and up to the Champs-Elysées where they did just a bit more shopping at Monoprix, among other stores. We met back up at the Arc de Triomphe and took the Métro back to the hotel. Today, we left early so we'd be some of the first to arrive at the Château de Versailles. Each person had an audio guide, narrated by either a commoner, a noble, a clergy member, Louis XVI or Marie-Antoinette. We then met with a theatre director who had the kids role-play their characters to give them a better understanding of the French Revolution. It was a great success!