By MWCC Study Abroad Program
Nine Mount Students returned from London and Paris thus completing their spring course Introduction to Europe. Students earned three credits attending class once a week during spring semester and then flew to Paris, continuing to London for their hands-on experience.
Students felt the full spring breeze atop the Eiffel Tower for the evening lighting ceremony and then made a midnight tour of Paris, the City of Lights. The next day they strolled among the famous paintings at The Louvre, took in the beauty of the Mona Lisa, and cruised at sunset on the River Seine.
The eight ladies and one gentleman mingled for an evening in the hilltop community of Montmarte, listening to the open-air musicians. Artists such as Picasso, Van Gogh, and Renoir once occupied this very area.
A trip to Notre Dame and on to Versailles and the historic Hall of Mirrors completed the five-day Paris portion of the trip. The group then boarded the highspeed Eurostar Train traveling Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, and Big Ben were of course favorites in London. Students dressed for the evening theater and were mesmerized by the production of Phantom of the Opera.
A leisurely trip by coach to Oxford University near the Bridge of Sighs and a stop at Queens College was led by a very entertaining guide who performed Shakespeare on the bus and kept everyone laughing.
Students got a chance to visit the beautiful Saint Paul’s Cathedral as well as Westminster Abbey where Prince William and Kate were married last April. The Royals were not in residence that day but ironically The President and Mrs. Obama were visiting London under tight security, reducing the visiting hours.
Students navigated two fabulous subway systems in both cities that sped everyone around to their desired destinations during the ten-day tour.
Mount Professors Bonnie Toothaker and Judy Giacoppe co-taught this course for ten students. The course included an overview of healthcare, history, art, culture, communications, and an introduction to independent travel.
Professor Toothaker commented, “Everybody had a good time with minimal culture shock and homesickness. Students learned about not only Paris, France and London, England, but also about themselves and their comfort zones. It was meant to be a true interactive learning experience!”
The Mount students were part of a larger group of college students joining EFTours from Houston, Albuquerque, and New York. There was plenty of free time to shop and visit personal favorite places such as the Greenwich Mean Time at the Royal Observatory – only a short walk from the hotel. Some walked the dark Catacombs beneath the streets of Paris and shopped the fashion district. The museums, markets and bazaars and the London Eye were other’s must-see places. The U.S. students also hung out with locals at a jazz club and visited other night spots to relax and socialize.
Two students stayed behind; one with a grandmother in Scotland where she will take additional courses as part of certification to teach English-as-a-Second- Language, and another will backpack the summer through the Netherlands and Denmark.
The local cuisine was sampled by all and laughter and endless amazement made the trip to the two most well known cities in Europe a dream come true.
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