With long awaited dreams being fulfilled, a large group of Hope High School students took a week-long trip to France to explore the beauty and history of Paris, Normandy, and Brittany.
Led by High School teacher Ms. Raina Ghormley, the high school Travel Club took 21 students and 11 chaperones on a trip of a lifetime leaving on Tuesday, June 23rd, and arriving back at the high school on Wednesday July 1st.
The trip began with a flight from Dallas/Fort Worth International to Montreal, and then from there to Charles De Gaulle International Airport in Paris, France. The group visited many top sites in Paris such as the Arc De Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, and of course the famous Eiffel Tower, which members of the group were able to go to the top of on the final day of the trip. Other endeavors of the crew here included a scenic boat ride on the Seine River and a very intriguing visit to the Fragonard Perfumery and museum.
After exploring Paris, the team turned their attention to the region of Normandy, a culturally rich area north of the capital. They first visited the capital of Normandy called Rouen, next going to a small port town named Honfleur and then moving on to the main attraction of this area; the beaches of Normandy. The club visited Pointe Du Hoc, the famous area where U.S. Army Rangers scaled the cliffs against enemy fire on June 6th, 1944. After this, they visited Omaha Beach, the infamous beach where thousands of U.S. soldiers landed in the D-Day invasions. Next up, they went up the cliffs to see the Normandy American Cemetery, where over 9,000 American soldiers are buried.
To finish off their trip, the group traveled west, first visiting one of the most unique and beautiful monasteries in the world, Mont St. Michel. After this, they traveled to the region of Brittany, the home of crepes and a place with a distinctively Celtic history. Staying in a place named St. Malo, a walled town with a long track record of pirates, the travelers spent their penultimate day of the trip simply enjoying the vast surroundings of beaches and the genuine cultural experience offered there. Some of the students even discovered a town community dance and get together, with the students getting to dance with the local families.
Finally making their way back to Paris after their fun-filled journey, the group finished off the trip with going up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Capping off a monumental voyage that the students will never forget!
The well-traveled crew would start their way back the next morning and would arrive back in Hope early in the morning on Wednesday, July 1st.
Pictured: Group walking the streets of St. Malo
Pictured: Group walking the streets of Rouen, Normandy
Pictured: The group by the Les Braves monument on Omaha Beach
Pictured: Notre Dame Cathedral
Pictured: Group in the Normandy American Cemetery
Pictured: Group outside of Mont St. Michel
Pictured: The group exploring the monastery of Mont St. Michel
Pictured: Group in front of Eiffel Tower
Pictured: Last stop in Chartres before Paris
