News
04/15/2025
It’s All Nice in Nice: Harper Blumberg ’28 Journals Through France
“I had so much fun getting to learn more about French culture and practicing my French with the locals, while bonding with peers on this trip. I absolutely loved seeing the highlights of the country and its famous monuments that were beautifully emblematic of an extensive history.” – Harper Blumberg ’28
Follow Harper Blumberg ’28 as she takes us along on her journey through France as part of the Curricular Travel program. From viewing iconic works of art like the Mona Lisa to breathtaking landscapes and vibrant cities, Harper shares the group’s immersive experiences exploring French culture and history. Through her reflections, she demonstrates that travel not only opens the mind and deepens learning—it also strengthens bonds within the group, bringing everyone back to Poly with a renewed sense of community and curiosity about the world.
Day 1
We arrived at Charles De Gaulle Airport at around 6:00 AM in the morning. I was jet-lagged and tired, but feeling happy. After dropping our bags off at the hotel, we went on a walking tour of Paris. We got to see and learn about many famous sites including Notre Dame, the Cathedrale Saint-Genevieve, and the home of Ernest Hemingway. We took lots of photos and grabbed lunch in the 5th arrondissement. Later in the day, we visited the Louvre Museum. We saw many famous paintings including the Mona Lisa, but I especially loved the expansive ceiling artwork. Before going to dinner and back to the hotel, we did a little shopping and walked around exploring. It was a tiring day, but so much fun!
Day 2
On our second day, we took a bus tour in the 1st arrondissement and saw Paris’ famous landmarks like the Champs Elysées, the Luxembourg Gardens, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe in the morning. In the afternoon, we went to the Musée d’Orsay which had more famous art. The highlights for me were works by Van Gogh and Monet. Like the Louvre, there was a lot of very detailed, impressive ceiling artwork that was stunning, but I especially loved seeing the Van Gogh collection. That night we went on a chilly but marvelous boat tour along the Seine. It was absolutely gorgeous seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up at a new hour. I was surprised by how beautiful I found the tower to be. I had never really seen it up close before, but I had assumed it was overhyped. Maybe it was because I live in a city with a lot of famous monuments, so it’s nothing I’m not used to, but I still found it breathtaking.
Day 3
At this point, I had mostly adjusted to the jet lag until we had to wake up at a very early hour to catch a four-hour train ride to Biarritz. We arrived at the beachy city around lunchtime and went to a few markets. Within the first few hours in Biarritz, I immediately noticed a change in culture dynamic compared to Paris. I found that a lot of people in Biarritz were more patient and polite than those in Paris. I thought Paris was similar to New York in this sense just because of the big city, no-nonsense vibes. After lunch, we checked out the Grande Plage, an expansive and beautiful beach with a bright and vibrant coastline. It was moderately cold, but sunny, and I enjoyed walking up to higher ground get the best view of the beach while singing to One Direction with some of my peers. I thought it was really cool that from certain angles, we could see the mountains in Spain. We headed back to the hotel to have dinner and we were finally able to catch up on sleep. That was very exciting to me.
Day 4
During our second day in Biarritz, we took a side trip to a city called Saint-Jean-De-Luz. Saint-Jean-De-Luz is located in the Basque Region of France. People there speak French and Basque, an entirely different language that is actually closest to Hungarian. We were able to get some pamphlets and learned more about this language. After exploring the city center and having some lunch, we visited a pretty church that is where Louis XIV got married. Afterwards, we headed to another beach, where we got to hang out for a bit, get ice cream, and take more photos. Soon it was time to go back to the hotel to get ready for another travel day.
Day 5
In the morning, leaving Biarritz and Saint-Jean-De-Luz, we took a bus to Carcassonne. On the way, we visited a very religious and serene place called the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, a Catholic shrine that attracts many faithful visitors every year for its healing powers. It had many beautiful views of the city from the peaks which were a little bit of a hike to get to, but worth it.
We saw many different medieval castles and fortresses throughout the afternoon, which were rich with historical information and events that I found really fascinating. After leaving the sanctuary and having a lunch break, walked around and checked out several different shops, including a lot of candy stores.
Once we arrived in Carcassonne, a medieval-walled fortress, we went to a museum that taught us about what the education system in France was like in the early 1900s. We learned what it was like to write with a quill and ink, while practicing our dictées that we often do in French class. We also learned about the different medical treatments of the time, and the overall healthcare system which was interesting to interpret in another language. Next stop is Avignon.
Day 6
On our way to Avignon, we visited was called the Châteaux de Baux-de-Provence. We had a competition around lunchtime to see who could take the “Frenchest” photo and then post it on the group chat. These were quite creative and funny to look at.
Avignon was filled with ancient castles and churches. I was a little under the weather today, but went to see the Palais des Papes, known as the Palace of the Popes, which I thought was quite interesting and cool.
Day 7
Today we arrived at our final stop, Nice, but along the way we took a day trip to Nîmes and Pont-Du-Gard, an ancient aqueduct that is still standing and has water flowing through it. We had to hike to get around it, but the weather was really nice and it was very peaceful since there were not that many tourists. It seemed very much in the depths of nature.
Fun fact, Nîmes is where the term “denim” comes from, since “de Nîmes” means from Nîmes!
We walked around a bit more in Nîmes and had lunch. Afterwards, we visited a historic site where gladiator fights and bullfights used to be held. We sat in the stands like the spectators used to do centuries ago. We didn’t watch anything like they did of course, but we did take a lot of pictures. Later in Nice, we explored the colorful buildings and narrow alleyways, which were a nice contrast to suburban Brooklyn. After a little shopping and dinner we headed back to the hotel.
Day 8
Our last full, non-travel day was spent in Èze and Monaco. We spent the morning in the beautiful town of Èze on the French Riviera, where we visited a parfumerie and learned about how perfume was made including where the ingredients came from. It turns out making perfume is a very complicated process, which is why many nice perfumes are so expensive.
We also took a bit of a hike up in Èze to see more picturesque views. Afterward, it was a quick trip to Monaco City from Èze. We strolled around Monaco City and saw the palace where the royalty lived up close. Similar to Nice, it was filled with very vibrant, historic architecture. Being along the along the Mediterranean Sea, the whole city had a very coastal, yet regal atmosphere. Much to the excitement of my younger brother, we saw where the Grand Prix takes place. Before dinner, we headed back to Nice to peruse the town and spend more time at the beach on our last day. I could barely believe our trip was nearly over.
Day 9
After a brief layover in Paris, we flew back to New York. I had so much fun getting to learn so much about French culture and practicing my French with the locals, while bonding with peers on this trip. I absolutely loved seeing the highlights of the country and its famous monuments that were beautifully emblematic of so much extensive history. It was really fun, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone taking French who is eligible for the trip in the future.
