From March 15-24, the PCDS French program explored the cities of Paris, the Loire Valley, St. Malo, and Normandy. All students from French I to Special Topics were eligible to participate in the trip. They were accompanied by French teacher Madame Solves, Upper School History teacher Ms. Hott, and Director of Arts Mr. Burns. 

With a stacked itinerary, these French scholars had a lot to look forward to. 

On the morning of March 15, the 16 students and three chaperones trickled into Phoenix Harbor Airport around noon for a 3:50 pm departure. After a long flight from Phoenix to Paris, the group met with WorldStrides travel guide Fiona Sharpe. According to Sharpe, the tour guides are not informed of the itinerary and travelers until 10 days prior to the trip.

Activities 

After arriving at the hotel, there was no time to rest. The first stop was a boulangerie, or bakery. Students picked up a lunch of chocolate croissants, ham-and-cheese sandwiches, and espressos.

PCDS students at their first food stop. (photo taken by tour guide) 

Sharpe directed the students to the first attraction, the Notre Dame Cathedral. 

Students observed the reconstructed cathedral and learned of its historical significance as a central place of worship for Catholics worldwide. Additionally, students learned about the unification required to rebuild the cathedral after a fire in 2019. 

On the first night, the group saw the Eiffel Tower. Junior Angel Gutierrez said, “I would 100 percent recommend [visitors] to visit the Eiffel Tower at night…When it lights up, it’s such a beautiful experience.”

The second day of the trip began with a common French breakfast: pain au chocolat, croissants, différents types de charcuterie, une variété de fromages, jus d’orange, du café, et plus! After breakfast, students took a guided tour of the city, making stops at the Arc of Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. During the day, students were given the opportunity to walk the streets of Paris and visit shops or cafes. 

Senior Joao Rodriquez said that “walking around in Paris [and] looking at all the streets and hearing all the background noise” was one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip. 

The third day consisted of visiting the Louvre Museum and the Palace of Versailles. As overcrowded as the Louvre can be, students still enjoyed seeing the works of art and learning more about European history. 

One of the major takeaways from exploring a foreign city is learning the language. Gutierrez said, “I was able to practice my French skills in France and it helped me expand on some of their slang.” Senior Sophia Bosch agreed, saying, “I genuinely think I can have better conversations in French.” 

Students communicated with cafe workers and read business signs while touring Paris. Junior Charlie Robertson added, “Actually interacting and using the language in a real-world situation did help improve my lingual skills.”

Sharpe added that the PCDS group’s “ability and desire for speaking the language was way more than any group I’ve ever had.” Sharpe says she was really impressed with our effort to speak a different language, and that it had to do a lot with having a teacher from France. 

On days five and six of the trip, students spent time in the Loire Valley. They stopped in the town of Blois to view the Château de Chambord. Afterward, the group traveled to a village called Troglodyte and took guided tours of the Château d’Amboise. Day six consisted of a bike ride in Loire Valley. This calm activity allowed the group to appreciate the countryside’s colorful scenery and breathe in fresh air. A few stops later, the group had a picnic near a river for lunch. Bosch said the bike ride and picnic “was so out of [a] movie” and that “it was really beautiful.” 

One activity related to the gastronomy theme was a cooking class on day six in Loire Valley. The students worked together to cook tomato-and-goat-cheese tarts and bake a chocolate soufflé. Sophomore Emerson Shultz said, “Everybody had to do their part, and all the people were super sweet…I got to know everybody a lot better.”  

On day 7 of the trip, the group traveled from the Loire Valley to St. Malo. 

Shultz said St. Malo was the highlight of the trip: “We got to walk around this big medieval wall, and I went down to the beach, and looked in tidal pools, and ate fish and chips on a medieval wall, and it was really epic.” 

WorldStrides had organized a scavenger hunt for the students to participate in. The hunt consisted of walking to different parts of St. Malo and finding clues in the explanations about historical sites or figures. Whoever completed the scavenger hunt most accurately and took the best pictures won some souvenirs.

Winners of the scavenger hunt with postcards. 

On the eighth day, the group traveled from St. Malo to Normandy.

Students visited Mont St. Michel, the Normandy D-Day landing beaches, and the Arromanches D-Day Museum. Sophomore Rollin Sabeeh and Bosch said their favorite part of the trip was the Mont St. Michel. Bosch shared, “I grew up loving Tangled. Rapunzel, you know, like… the King’s Castle, and obviously, the King’s Castle was inspired by the Mont St. Michel, so I’ve always wanted to see it, and it definitely lived up to my expectations.” 

Ms. Hott said that “being on the beach and thinking about all the history there” was one of her favorite aspects of the trip. Junior Paige Cusolle shared that Normandy was her favorite part of the trip because she was able to see the history that she had been learning in her classes. 

After a night in Normandy, the group traveled back to Paris for their last full day in France. 

Sophomore Alaia Lalji said the last day of the trip was her favorite because of the makerspace street of Montmartre. This hilltop neighborhood is filled with artists and dozens of souvenir shops. Most famously, the church, Basilica Sacre-Coeur, presides over this area. The group walked up hundreds of steps to reach the church. They participated in the tradition of attaching a lock, inscribed with their initials, the name PCDS, and the date (March 13, 2026). After a long travel day, the group ended the night with dinner in Montmartre and departed on the subway to the hotel.

Overall Experiences

When Madame Solves began to organize this trip, she had three themes in mind: history, culture, and gastronomy. The students experienced all three. Being in an old country already has a lot of history in itself, but when given the opportunity to explore the details of a country like walking through an old castle or riding the metro (subway), one’s perception of the country’s culture shifts. 

As everyone returns to their regular routines, these travelers will have plenty of beautiful memories to look back on.