'A once in a lifetime experience'

Intrigued by movies and books that featured the Eiffel Tower, senior Bryanna Worthy wanted to go to France. But she didn’t know if she’d ever have the opportunity to visit.

Earlier this year, thanks to UM-Dearborn’s faculty-led “France Sites of Memory” Study Abroad experience, Worthy spent a week traveling the country while earning course credit. She saw castles, World War II sites, famous paintings and — of course — the Eiffel Tower.

Director of Global Engagement Scott Riggs said the university wants any student who wishes to study in another country to have that opportunity. There are both exchange programs and faculty-led study abroad programs available for interested students. Upcoming experiences include travel to Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Norway, Spain and Sweden. 

Scholarships help students afford the travel — and the sooner students apply, the earlier they can learn about covered costs. “Applying does not mean you are committed to going — but it does start the process of seeing what scholarships and funding you qualify for,” Riggs said. A signature scholarship is the Go Global Guarantee, which is need-based support of up to $4,000.

Worthy, who had her trip partially funded through the Go Global Guarantee, said her time in France was “a once in a lifetime experience.” The Communications major wants to share it with readers in her words. Below is what Worthy has to say about her time in France.

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Day One: Bonjour, Paris
Our first day in Paris was short, but fun. We landed at the Charles de Gaulle airport around seven in the morning. Afterward, we headed straight for the hotel. Once we arrived, the rooms were not ready yet, so we headed to a nearby café, Le Bistro, for a coffee and lunch. I ordered a BLT with fries and everything was so fresh and amazing. After our petit lunch, we headed to see an antique chapel, Parisse Saint Merry, and went to Père Lachaise Cemetery, where some of the most prominent French writers were buried. To top the night off, we headed to a quaint restaurant that had the best French onion soup I’ve ever tasted in my life. It was warm, rich and delicious.

Day Two: Bienvenue au palais de Versailles
Although the palace is 356 years old, it still holds its glory today. The Sun King, Louis XIV, created a space that resembled the true French identity. For the duration of my visit, each and every corner of the palais left me in awe. From the jardins (gardens) to the private estates, Versailles won my heart. With the Greek and Roman influences, the palace has such a rich historical connection and display. King Louis XIV really demonstrated his power and achievements through the 357 mirrors in the “salle de glace” — hall of mirrors — which reflected the painted walls that displayed his achievements through Greek, Roman and Christian references. One day was not enough to see everything that Versailles had to offer.

Day Three: Paris, Je t’aime toujours
Our third day in Paris was magical. We started our morning with the most perfect petit déjeuner (breakfast) that had croissants, fromage (cheese) and assorted fruits. In one word, it was parfait! After breakfast, we headed to Le Louvre, which had so much art history about France and other countries. Our guided tour provided stories behind these great works of art, one of which was the Mona Lisa. Leonardo da Vinci created it between 1503 and 1517 — and it was stolen from Le Louvre in 1911, returning a couple years later. 

Before leaving Le Louvre, we were able to stop at the iconic Laduree Patisserie, which had the best macarons and cutesy gift items a person could imagine. After our trip to Le Louvre, we visited an area in Paris not far from Notre Dame that had small cafés, shopping and plenty of sightseeing. We also had a movie-esque outdoor lunch with a view of the quaint streets of Paris. Once we finished our lunch, we headed to the Latin Quarter, where students of Paris have studied for many years. In this part of the voyage, we were able to witness beautiful architecture that was hundreds of years old. Afterward, we had dinner at Les Noces de Jeannette (the Weddings of Jeannette). This restaurant has every bit of elegance and composure that one could have imagined. The restaurant, located near the Opera, had timeless decor that brought the scenery to life. When our night came to an end, we took the metro to the Eiffel Tower. The tower is embedded with approximately 20,000 lights that sparkle over Paris. Every student that attended this part of the trip was blown away. We were taken aback by its beauty, by its culture and by its history. All in all, day three was most definitely my favorite!

Day Four: Les Châteaux
Day four was a sweet memory as well. Monday morning, we woke up early and headed to Tours, France, where we went to tour the castles. Upon arrival, Professor of French Gabriella Scarlatta gave us the historical background of the castle we visited. After the guided tour of Château de Chambord, we had lunch right on the premises. Then once we were finished, we headed to our second castle, Château D'amboise, which was — in one word — magnifique! It had the most gorgeous small chapel on its grounds, as well as a beautiful view from the top of the castle that overlooked the town and river. For dinner, we went to a fun and elegant restaurant called Bistro Rossini, where I ate a chicken and potatoes dish that went along with a tomato sauce on top. When the day came to an end, we headed to our hotel, aptly named Le Grande Hotel De Tours. A hotel that was, in fact, grand.

Day Five: St. Malo
Day five is another one of my favorites. We started the day early and took a walk around the city of Tours, where we saw ancient buildings, many from the medieval period, that were still intact. Then, after visiting a few hidden gems, we visited our last castle, Château d'Azay- le-Rideau. It had a beautiful, serene stream running through it and a gorgeous, petite garden all around. The castle itself was small, but had a demanding presence. After our tour (which had a guided speaker phone), we headed to St. Malo, which is where we saw the sea. This was my first time seeing the sea, and I have to say, it was magnificent. As the day was winding to a close and the sun was setting on the horizon, it was a moment I will never forget.

Day Six: Mont Saint-Michel
Day six was probably one of our busiest days. We headed to the tidal island of Mont St. Michel, located off the coast of Normandy. We visited a monastery, which is hundreds of years old. The monastery was massive and currently houses 10 monks and 10 nuns. The building has had many uses since it was first built, including its original purpose as a monastery and as a prison cell in the 17th century. In order to visit the monastery, you must walk up the steps to the top and it involved a lot of cardio. To end the evening, we had dinner in an old farmhouse that’s now a restaurant, La Ferme Saint-Michel, and finished off our feast with a game of Uno.

Day Seven: Bayeux
For day seven, we made our way to the Utah Beaches located in Normandy, where World War II took place. Here we had a tour guide who took us through the Utah Beach Landing Museum and gave us a historic lesson on what happened during WWII, and the Utah Beaches, specifically. Our tour guide even gave us time to look inside the building, which had various WWII machinery and artifacts. We also had a chance to visit the beaches themselves, which were gorgeous. After our trip there, we took our bus to Bayeux. Since we only had the chance to spend half a day and the night in Bayeux, we stayed in this beautiful hotel called Lion d’Or (which several celebrities stayed at). After we received our rooms, we headed out for lunch and went to visit this very ancient cathedral, the Notre Dame de Bayeux (during Lent). The cathedral there was one of my favorites because it was so dark and medieval, yet it still had so much history behind it. To end the night, we separated into three main groups. Those who were tired could rest at the hotel, those who wanted to visit more historical sites, and those who wanted to go shopping. I was in the shopping group and got a purse, shirt and a dress.

Day Eight: Au revoir à France
Our final day in Paris was divided up between travel and exploring. We took a bus from Normandy, down to Paris. We arrived around noon and strolled the streets of Paris and ate lunch near the Eiffel Tower. After our lunch, we headed to the Catacombs of Paris. Although the experience as a whole was quite intriguing, it was probably my least favorite. We walked 100 steps underground to reach the catacombs. It's so far down that it is underneath the metro. You also can't return the way you came in, you must continue straight out of the underground. Since the last day was unlike the rest, we did have more time to go shopping in Paris, where we went to the Opera shopping district. Finally, to end the night, we had an “Au revoir” dinner at this amazing Italian restaurant, Les Rupins, and we watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle one last time.

Story by Bryanna Worthy and Sarah Tuxbury. Photos courtesy of Bryanna Worthy.