Crystal Springs Uplands School: France 2026
March 28, 2026 (Saturday)
Bonjour Parents!
On Friday afternoon, we boarded our AirFrance flight to Paris. For dinner, they served chicken, rice, bread, and chocolate cake. Très délicieux! When we arrived in Paris, we took the bus to our hotel and ate a delicious lunch buffet. We enjoyed some bread, pain au chocolat, and of course, croissants. After lunch, we took the bus to the Musée d’Orsay, where we looked at everything from sculptures to impressionist paintings—including paintings by Monet and Van Gogh. Then, we went back to the hotel and had some free time, during which some of us went shopping and some others played games. To end the night, we went to a delicious crêpe restaurant where we ate savory and sweet crêpes. À demain!
By Lucas, Wyatt, & Alex
March 29, 2026 (Sunday)
Today was an exciting day. We started by eating breakfast at the hostel where they had an assortment of french foods like baguettes, croissants, and cheese. We then walked over to the metro to visit the Eiffel Tower. When we arrived, we went up lots of stairs (330) to reach the first level where we walked around the tower for about an hour. The view of the Paris skyline was awesome and we took lots of photos. Next, we took the metro again to reach the Jardin de Tuileries where we had lunch outside in a nice park. After lunch, we spent some time walking around the garden and admiring the outside of the Louvre. After that, we walked across the île de la cité and learned some interesting facts about Paris. For example, there was a bridge where people would put love locks and it was a popular activity for tourists. However as more and more people added locks, there became too many for the weight capacity of the bridge (almost a million locks), in which case they had to be cut off and changed to prevent locks from being placed. Now that bridge has no more locks.
Once we finished our initial tour of that section of the city, we had free time where we broke off into small groups and walked around the city. Our mini group decided to visit Zara, a clothing store. Once free time was over, we went to Notre Dame as a group, where people were celebrating the mass of Palm Sunday. The church was huge and filled with lots of glass artwork. When we finished looking at the church and observing the art, we walked back to the hostel to rest up before dinner. Once we were ready to go, we walked over to a Moroccan restaurant for dinner. The food was delicious! Finally, we headed back home from the night. By the end of the day, we were happy yet tired because we had walked about 25,000 steps (12 miles) that day. Overall, it was a great day and we’re looking forward to tomorrow.
Ario & Garo
March 30, 2026 (Monday)
Today was one of the best days of the trip so far. We started at a cemetery, learning about several notable people buried there, including Oscar Wilde. There was also a story about a French “Romeo and Juliet,” which made the visit more engaging and memorable. After that, we took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe and had lunch at Brasserie des Champs, which was very good, I had the ravioli and it was very flavorful. Then we had some free time to walk along the Champs-Élysées. We tried macarons, and they were definitely worth it. Seeing the Arc de Triomphe up close was also impressive and much larger than we expected.
Later, we traveled to Montmartre and walked up many stairs, but the area was very charming and full of character, so it felt worthwhile. We visited Sacré-Cœur and climbed 292 steps to the top. The view of Paris from there was incredible and easily one of the highlights of the day. Afterward, we had free time to explore the small shops and boutiques, which was very enjoyable. We ended the day with dinner at Relais Gascon in the heart of Montmartre, and then took the metro back to the hostel. Overall, was a very memorable day with many adventures and sites to see!
Caroline and Kori
March 31, 2026 (Tuesday)
Today was such a fun and busy day! We started off by waking up in Paris and taking a TGV all the way to Avignon. The ride was really nice, and the views outside the window were très jolies!
When we arrived, we took a bus to our hotel, settled in for a bit, and then headed out to explore the central city. We visited the Palace of the Popes, which was super cool and really historic. While we were there, we saw a group of French elementary school students, and one of them randomly came up to us and asked, “Do you know 67?” which is a funny joke among us teenagers in america.
After that, we walked through a nearby garden, and it was so windy. We then got ice cream and cookies and had about an hour to walk around downtown and shop, which was really fun.
Later at the hotel, we did a group activity where we wrote our favorite memories from the trip so far and brainstormed questions to ask our host families (we meet them tomorrow we’re all really excited!). Some of our favorite memories included going to the Eiffel Tower and shopping along the Champs-Élysées.
We ended the day with a really good dinner where we got to choose three courses. Some of the group’s favorites were the duck, truffle ravioli, and tiramisu. We ended the night with a walk back to the hotel, and we are excited to go to Carcassonne tomorrow!
By Peyton & Sherry
April 1, 2026 (Wednesday)
Coucou les parents!
Today we woke up bright and early, ate breakfast and gathered our luggage. Together, we then went to the market to gather lunch. Each group of 3 was assigned a food category to shop for. Par exemple, bread, cheese, desserts, and more. After we collected the goods, we got on the bus to head to Pont du guard. At Pont du Gard, we started with the museum. There, we watched a movie, listened to audios, read the signs, and looked at the artifacts. We learned that it was built in the 1st century A.D, so very very old. We also met a cute little dragonfly! Afterwards, we had a little picnic, but the wind was crazy strong. It literally blew away all the food and wrappers which made clean up a little harder. Despite this, all the food was so delicious. After this, we took a little hike and saw the aqueduct! As said before, it was super windy, but we still had an amazing time.
We then walked to our bus, and took a 3 hour bus ride to Carcassonne to go meet our host families! We mainly slept or watched movies on the bus. When we finally arrived, it was raining really hard and we had to rush to our hotel with our luggage. In the hotel, there was a potluck and our individual groups were able to meet the host families. We all shared food our families brought while playing trivia. There was a tie, and the tiebreaker was guessing french and american songs. After that, we all individually drove to our host families houses, got a house tour, and ate dinner together while asking questions and getting to know more about each other. The night ended with us playing games and hanging out together with our new families as we went to bed. À bientôt!
By Chloe, Khadija et MJ
April 2, 2026 (Thursday)
Today, we woke up in our host families homes after spending our first night with them. We enjoyed a nice breakfast with our families before saying goodbye to do some community service work! We went to the Chemin du Compostelle where we did some trail maintenance. We cut up felled trees using saws and pruners and put the branches into a large pile for removal. We worked very hard and did even more than we were supposed to because we got so into the project. Then, we went to La Cité, which is an incredibly preserved castle from the middle ages. There can be found mosaics from the ancient Romans, and crepes from the French! After our journey through time, we enjoyed a dinner made by our host families. Yummy! We miss our real families very much.
Sending love,
Emma and Camila
April 3, 2026 (Friday)
Bonjour families,
Today we visited a middle school in Carcasonne. The school day consisted of attending different classes that included French, English, Latin, History, Spanish and Math. In history class we learned about 9/11 and Picasso’s art during the Korean war. In English, we were interviewed by the French students and every few minutes we switch tables to meet new kids. It was like an interview circuit. In Latin, we learned about the Greek and Roman gods, their symbols, and what they are the god of. We had chicken, rice and yogurt for lunch in the cafeteria where we ate with the middle schoolers. All of them loved saying 67 and they also stared at us a lot. They played the national anthem every time there was supposed to be a bell to switch classes and there was a welcome sign with the American flag and the Statue of Liberty on a TV screen. Afterwards, we went to La Bastide the city center and got small pastries and had some shopping time to buy souvenirs and look at the different boutiques and different stores. After, La Bastide we walked to La Cité and met up with our host families and went home with them.
Jasmine & Diamond
April 4, 2026 (Saturday)
Dear families,
We started off our day on a bittersweet note, saying goodbye to our host families in Carcassonne, to start the full day ahead of us. After a short bus ride, we headed to La Grotte de Limousis to explore the ancient rock formations and impressive crystals through grand caverns and an immersive light show-c’était très magnifique! After, we ate a picnic packed by our wonderful host families and hopped on another bus off to Toulouse. When we arrived, the bustling streets and sounds of the city greeted us with open arms. Following dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we went to explore the city with our tour guide Elena and saw everything from kids skateboarding in a local park to a wedding. On the tour, we visited famous Toulousian monuments such as the Capitol building, a medieval church of the Jacobins, and an ancient house (Hôtel d’Assézat) with various intricately detailed carvings. Finally, after a bit of shopping and free time in the many department stores, small boutiques, and souvenir shops, we wrote letters to ourselves reflecting on our amazing adventures and all that we’ve learned, then we had a delicious dinner of crêpes. Just like our first night in Paris, a perfect circular ending to our trip! Overall, this has been an incredible experience that we’ll miss dearly! à demain!
Cindy, Livi, & Riley
April 5, 2026 (Sunday)
For me, my favorite part was the homestay in Carcassone. I felt like I connected well with my family and learned more of life in France. Additionally, the school visit was interesting as we got to see what life is like as someone our age. While the museums and shopping were certainly highlights, I loved seeing what “la vie quotidienne” is like for a high schooler in France.
Sydney
A core memory from this trip was visiting the Eiffel Tower and shopping along the Champs-Élysées. We had the opportunity to explore different parts of France, including climbing the Eiffel Tower, which made the experience even more memorable. On our walk to the Champs-Élysées, our group took photos of the Arc de Triomphe, appreciating its architectural beauty. I especially enjoyed my time on the Champs-Élysées, where I had free time to explore and shop at unique stores with my friends. I will never forget that day.
Camila M.
