City Break Down
May 22nd | Chalon-sur-Saone
Went to the village of the creator of the first permanent photography, Nicéphore Niépce. There they had a museum in his honor and as well as a few memorial plaques and statues throughout the city. It was quite charming and we became friends with the cutest shop owner.
May 23rd | Saint-Loup-de-Varennes
Just as we visited the Birthplace of the inventor of Photography, we traveled to his home where he solidified the invention. At this time Photography was scientific instead of being seen as an art form like it is now. We spent the day drawing inspiration and learning about all he did.
May 24th | La Lue
We spent six hours from our last city traveling to the quiet town of LaLue! I might be obsessed with the amount of cows that were roaming the fields and rolling green hills that surrounded our Airbnb. This stop put us in the middle of more cities to visit.
May 25th | Normandy & Monte Saint Michelle
Sundays have been our free days but because we were tucked away in the countryside the whole group wandered out to the American Memorial on Omaha Beach with our professors. The memorial has to be the most heartbreakingly beautiful things I have been able to see. Thousands of graves for the soldiers that fought in World War Two were buried, named, and honored. If you ever travel to France, this is a must see.
We were also able to stop at what I believe to be the real life Disney castle. Located on an island out from the mainland, it was previously only accessible during low tide. Now, a common tourist attraction, busses and car are able to take you to this wonder.
May 26th | Monet's Garden
Spent the day at Claud Monet’s home and Garden. It was pretty crowded until towards the end of closing and things died down. I have never seen so many different types of flowers. I am also set on having a bright green front door like his home.
May 27th | Etretat & Rouen
Started at the Etretat Cliffs and spent majority of the day there. It was stormy but so beautiful to see. Ate a bomb crepe there. Then we went to Rouen to see the huge Gothic Cathedral. It was pretty but vibes were super weird in that city.
May 28th | Versailles
We spent the day at the Palace of Versailles. The gardens are twice the size of Central Park. There is a village within the gardens where Marie Antoinette pretended she was a villager when she didn’t want to be in the palace. It was a stunning garden with so many nooks and crannies, I will for sure be back.
May 30th | The Lourve
A day at the Louvre! Our group got there at 9 and was able to spend the day there exploring all the artwork. Our only rule was to be home by 9pm, so after a few hours, we hit up a boat tour to see the major sights of Paris.
May 31st | Best Day
Probably my funnest day of the trip! Hit a museum with tons of Monet, Van Gogh, and Seurat (huge highlight), then stopped at a couple historic photo sights before going to a huge cathedral overlooking Paris. Our professors bough us all crepes from a super nice place and cream brûlée from another. The soccer team won here which made the streets chaise so people were celebrating all night
June 1st | Disneyland Paris
Another Sunday, another free day! On a last minute decision me and other girl in the group went to Disneyland Paris. It was my first time at any Disney Park and I loved it! We ended up being there from rope drop until the last show and really took advantage of every moment that we could.
June 2nd | Daguerre
Our last early photography inventor to check out was Louis Daguerre. We visited the last diorama he painted for a church as well as his home where he retired and died. It was a quiet town rich in history. His process really helped push Photography to be more popular and used more widely.
June 3rd | Final Day
With this being our last day of the Study Abroad, we made our final list of things we wanted to do and headed out into the city. Our first stop was the Monet Museum to see the last bit of impressionism we could. From there we hit the Arch de Triumph which is way bigger than I thought it would be. Our big group was able to break off into smaller groupings until we were to meet at the Eiffel Tower that night. My group broke off to grab food and pick up macaroons to take home and we wandered the city a bit. Ending the trip at the Eiffel Tower was the perfect way to wrap things up. Such a solid group, so much was created, and so many memories made.
Study Aborad Take Aways
Overall, this study abroad was packed with so much new information and growth. I loved every second I was able to be there to try new things, photograph the things that I love, and connect with new people. England and France were a dream and provided me with amazing content that I hope to use in work to come. Stay tuned for the Fine Art Book that will be published for the 200th anniversary of the first permanent photograph and a focus on impressionism.
