Faculty-Led Trip to France

In March of 2013, nine students and two faculty members traveled to France to become immersed in French culture, food, wine and educational systems. The tour traveled by train from Paris to Clermont-Ferrand, which is in the middle of France and home of Blaise Pascal University. We were met by a class of tourism students and Catherine Morgan-Proux, faculty member in the Department of Tourism. They were our very hospitable hosts for this portion of our trip. They had arranged for us to visit local chocolate, wine and knife shops, the cathedral, and the well-known market where we tasted specialty cheeses, meats, and fresh vegetables and fruits. Other trips included going to the small tourist town of Viche to taste the renowned healing waters, a local cheese farm where we observed cheese being made, and the Rhone Region where we visited the vineyards and tasted the wines.

After five days in Clermont-Ferrand, we took the train to Paris and spent two nights in a very French hotel. The students toured the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower. They also became very familiar with the Paris landscape, local restaurants and the Metro system. It was a wonderful trip because students were exposed to a different culture, language and foods. But the primary take-away was the friendships they made with the French students from Blaise Pascal.