Day 11: Today we were separated into groups A and B for the first part of the day. While group A went to The Ritz For the pastry class and hotel tour, group B had their mornings free and it’ll be vise versa for tomorrow. This said, a couple of students took advantage of the time and revised for future presentations that’ll be scheduled later this week, while I took the opportunity to go on a solo adventure for fresh baguettes around the neighborhood. When the time came, we had group presentation for Arrodissement 9th Palais Garnier- 1875 Opera House. Afterwards we headed down to Brasserie Des Prés for the restaurant tour where we were able to learn about the differences between them and other brasseries. Overall we all enjoyed coming back together as one whole group after being separated in the mornings and having free time.

Photo Collage

Our day began approximately at 6:45 today when we loaded onto a bus and made our way to Champagne, France—a special thank you to our sponsor, Julia Child Foundation, for today’s excursion. We were able to take advantage of visiting two separate wineries, both known for being family-owned vineyards. Our first stop was at the Champagne Duval-Leroy vineyards. The director, who overlooks all the vineyards, had us walk into some of the vineyards to learn a bit more about the winery’s history & viticulture background and how climate has influenced the growing seasons of the grapes. On the walk over, I didn’t include him in the pictures because I forgot, but I named a snail I found and took photos of the snail with flowers. Later on, I felt slightly guilty for ordering the escargot.

Lunch was a great and well-needed break between the two tours, as it was a few hours for the first tour, and I accidentally forgot to bring some breakfast. I enjoyed the escargot with scrambled eggs, I believe it was the best I’ve tried! This cod filet fell apart on the fork and melted in your mouth with the perfect contrast of the crunchy fried exterior. It was finished with a pannacotta topped with wild berries that complimented the lightness of the panna cotta.

Our Champagne tasting in the Duval-Leroy was an experience I would never forget. I’ve tasted the difference in the “cru” wines, from Premier to Gran, and had more Photo Collageexperience with the tasting process. As gorgeous as the facilities were at the Duval-Leroy, the second vineyard, Champagne Geffroy Winery, was a more intimate experience. It felt very personable and way more inviting for questions and learning about the winery passed down through a few generations. Something interesting is that the family’s second daughter is currently intrigued by traveling, exploring different reds worldwide, and looking for ways to improve her family’s vineyard.

I went to Sainte-Chapelle with Daniel in the afternoon. It was definitely much needed because I was feeling homesick. The chapel was very beautiful, and there was an indescribable feeling once you stepped inside.

After visiting the chapel, we walked around and met up with some friends. We did some shopping around arrondissement 1 area, which had a lot of thrift stores. Today was just what I needed to feel refreshed and ready for the week ahead.

Today was a lovely, mellow, and exciting day with friends. I headed out of the hotel in the early afternoon after getting ready with Deysi (my lovely roommate). We met up with Daniel, Lesli, and Bryn, and our little adventure began. The day was a mix of cold, occasional wind, sporadic rain, and mostly cloudy skies. It kept us guessing, but thankfully, we had our umbrellas ready at all times.

We headed to the Jardin des Plantes and strolled around the gardens and its many attractions. There were fewer flowers than expected, likely due to the unpredictable weather. Many flowers were wilted or blown away by the wind, but some, like the roses in the beautiful rose garden, were thriving. We visited the free mineralogy exhibition, where we admired giant, magical crystals. The crystals came from various origins, showcasing a great variety of colors, sizes, and brightness; some even glowed in the dark.

Afterward, once the rain had stopped, we explored the streets of Paris. We wandered around looking for shops and discovering what the 5th arrondissement had to offer. I visited a cute store called “The Bleu,” a small shop with original Japanese-made clothing, ceramics, and more. I bought a beautiful moonstone ring, and the store clerk was very sweet, even though we communicated with minimal words.

After some shopping, we went to Folie Crab for my first seafood boil! The service wasn’t great, as it was very slow and they seemed to actively ignore us. However, once the food arrived, everything was fine. It was spicy and juicy and taught me quite a bit of patience.

After dinner, we wanted to kill some time before our cruise tour on the Bateaux. We walked around the 2nd arrondissement and stumbled upon a cozy restaurant called Pisco Bar. It was a lovely Peruvian place that offered really good empanadas and Latin American dishes served tapas-style.

Finally, it was time for the amazing boat ride across the Seine River. The tour highlighted many famous sites, such as Notre-Dame, the Palais du Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, and more. However, the most memorable part of the evening was watching the beautiful Eiffel Tower light up. As the sun set, we stood there in awe and silence, fully absorbing the moment. It was when it really sank in that we had made it to Paris, and we knew this experience would stay with us forever.