Rowan University Discovers Europe 2013

Dear parents,

Today we began our visits with the Arc de Triomphe, built after the Napoleonic wars in 1806 to commemorate the victories of the French. Needless to say that Waterloo is nowhere to be seen. In the arch there is also the tombstone of the unknown soldier of WWI. We then followed the Champs Elysee and your children were able to visit some of the expansive stores that line up this famous avenue. By 11:15 a.m. we were at the Eiffel Tower for a visit up to the summit. We had lunch at a restaurant located on Quai du Louvre, along the Seine River. A short walk further, we entered the Louvre Museum for a private visit with an English speaking guide (her English and accent could have been better) until 5 p.m. Your children then visited on their own an area of the museum that they particularly enjoyed.

Our dinner was at the restaurant “Au Machon d’Henri” a small typical restaurant of the left bank. Its reputation was such that the restaurant was full and people were standing in this tiny restaurant waiting for our table to leave.  We then went on a cruise on the Seine River and saw many of the 38 monuments that the visit should have included. The flood of the Seine River (it has been raining steadily since we arrived in Europe) made it impossible to go around the Ile de la Cite wherethe cathedral of Notre-Dame stands.
One of the participants asked me if anyone on my trips was ever pick pocketed… and I said no!

The reason is that all groups before the May 2013 one, followed my directions when it came to safety and general information for the trip. I said that girls should not take a handbag with them (10 out of 10 of them have one).   I said that it was not a good idea to bring a cell phone with them (12 out of 13 participants  have one). I suggested taking only small amounts of money from an ATM. I said that the best place to put money was in a money belt (none has one). I said that the weather is highly variable in May/June and that each participant should have a WINTER jacket. (2 have a winter jacket, one does not have a jacket at all!). I said that everyone should wear walking shoes in Paris and that I did not want anyone wearing flipflops or sandals. One hundred percent of the female students have chosen to disregard my multiple suggestions for city safety.

In the metro, at the very first one, between getting on the train and the FIRST STOP (less than a mile of travel) one of the girls was the victim of a pick pocket who stole over 70 Euros (see my suggestion to only change small amounts of money) from her handbag and took her cell phone as well! On the first day in Paris, with temperatures of 50F, rain and SLEET, three of the girls were wearing sandals on their bare feet, another one was wearing a very thin sheer sweater over a tank top. Another was wearing a cotton sweater for two days in a row with intermittent rain all day. This lack of concern for general safety and health risks puts the entire group in jeopardy. If one person gets hurt or sick, it affects everyone’s trip, adds work on our plates, and may delay, postpone, or cancel activities for the entire group. This  is why I have meetings to discuss these issues and include parents.

The only thing that all participants respected is the size of the luggage! Needless to say, Paris was a success for the students however this blatant disregard for safety concerns us both and causes unnecessary stress since our number one responsibility is the welfare of your children.

From two concerned mothers to you all,

Dr. L. and Dana Litwornia.

Today we arrived in Paris!!!

We were all very excited. The city was absolutely beautiful and very quaint. We stopped at a delicious restaurant for lunch with amazing goat cheese salad, chicken and pasta, and creme caramel and then began our journey through Paris. Our first stop was the Sacre-Coeur of Montmartre. This was a nice area filled with boutiques and painters. It was on top of a big hill on cobble stone roads. We then took the metro to the Cript of Notre Dame and saw the remains from the Roman harbor and houses. This was recently discovered when they were expanding the parking lot of Notre Dame. Our next stop was the Sainte Chapelle. It was a two stories chuch filled with gold and beautiful, huge stainglass windows. Each window told a story from left to right and then bottom to top. We were so impressed by the stainglas and the fact that 70% of the stainglass is original. The bottom level of the chapelle was for the poor people and the second level was for the nobles and the king. Then we were off to Notre Dame. It was absolutely beautiful and amazing to see. It was gigantic in the inside and out. The church was filled with stainglas windows as well as fabulous gothic architecture. Then we took the metro again for dinner. It was a delicious mean and we celebrated Jonathan’s 23rd birthday. The hotel we are at tonight is really nice. It is quite unique because the sink, shower and toilet are all separate. Our first day in Paris was really fabulous. We cannot wait to continue our journey through Paris tomorrow.

Felicia and Amy

P.S. Shout out!

Hi Mom and Dad, Love you. I am having a blast! Felicia.

Today we started out  by driving from Belgium to France. Our first stop of the day was at the “Cave aux Fossiles” , a fossil cave near the town of Reims in Champagne. Here we traveled back 470 million years to experience how the transformation of species evolve over time from the Paleozoic (which  began 470 million years ago) to the Lutetian (30 million years ago) during which time period, the region was covered with a shallow and warm sea. We were able to see fossils from the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras. The owner showed us how they mine the fossils and told us about the workshops that are held there. After viewing the cave which is famous for Campanillum Giganteum , the owner allowed us to taste the Champagne of his vineyard.

After another short drive through the Champagne region, we arrived at the Cathedral of Reims. We were all amazed by the history that was displayed there for more than 15 centuries. There were beautiful stained glass stories shown on the windows, and  art work of Jeanne d’Arc.

The last stop on our trip today was the Champagne cellar of Vranken-Pommery. We descended down the 116 steps of the stairs to learn the history of the 28 million bottles of Champagne that are stored there today. We were told the lengthy process involved in making their Champagne. We were able to view the Bas and Hauts Relief carved into the chalk stone found deep in the cellar.

Overall, this was an experience that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

Today we traveled to the Bouillon Castle in the Ardennes Region built around the La Semois River. We learned that the castle was built strategically for defense from enemy advances, sitting high above the river surrounded by a moat. The mountains of the region were folded and were formed in the Paleozoic Era. The castle incorporates the rock of the region into some walls fortifying it. Knight Godfrey from Bouillon built it in the Middle Ages, he was involved in the first Crusades. Our second stop of the day was in Bastogne, where we visited a WWII museum dedicated to the Battle of the Bulge, as well as the WWII memorial, Mardasson, located down the road. We all experienced gratefulness and appreciation for the veterans of WWII. Lastly, we stopped at a sheep farm in the Province of Luxembourg. The farm produces and sells their own products within European farming practices. We witnessed the sheep being milked, and then had a taste of the milk and milk products produced at the farm.

Dear parents,

Our flight to Brussels left on time and arrived 10 minutes early. The weather was clear, no turbulence and we had an excellent service on board. We picked up two 9-seat-vans at the Europcar car rental. They are dark and light gray. We arrived in Cugnon where our hotel is located around 11:20 a.m. after stopping at an ATM for all participants to get some money.

At 2 p.m. we went to Orval, an abbey built in the 12th century and expanded in the 18th, and finally rebuilt in 1928. Our guide received permission to let us visit the monks private church (we were the third group since January 2013 to be granted the visit).

This abbey produces bier and cheese which we are going to taste tonight before dinner.

We then went to France (5 miles away from Orval) and visited the cathedral of Avioth. What a strange location: a cathedral built between the 12th and 14th century that can contain 2,000 people in a village of 109 inhabitants in the last census! We are back at our hotel and your loved ones are freshening up. Our dinner is at 7 and after that they will happily go to sleep!

Everything is going well on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Dr. L.

Please give the link to our blog to your loved ones. You should also check your TO DO  LIST.

Dr. L.