What about Sophie & Hannah?????

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While Sophie and Hannah won't be flying down to Southern California with us, or even meeting us in Newport with their little sister, that doesn't mean that they're not going to be having fun by jetting off on their own adventures.

Hannah, who graduates from High School tomorrow evening (!!!!!) is going to be treating her mom to a trip to Disneyland. She's a little bit anxious about the flight and the crowds, but very excited to see Belle and Captain Sparrow and even Mickey.

Hannah is also going to be doing a couple of fun camps this summer. One, exploring the cascades and the other exploring the Oregon coast.

Sophie, who is finishing up her sophmore year at South Eugene High School with a 3.97 GPA, is flying off to France for two weeks with her French class. (Attached below is their itinerary.) Sophie may be even more excited about France than we are about our sail. She has spread all of her things all over our living room and is experimenting with how to be pack her luggage.

Sophie plans to keep a journal and will be thrilled to share her experiences with any of you who are interested. If an of you want to send her an e-mail to wish her a great trip, her address is: [e-mail]


SOPHIE'S TOUR DE FRANCE 2007

June 14 Thurs Depart Eugene 10:40 AM. Meet at terminal ready to check in at 7:30 AM.
(United Express) UA 6404 Eugene to San Francisco
(United Airlines) UA 0900 San Francisco to Frankfurt (1:53 pm)
(Lufthansa) LH 4218 Frankfurt to Paris (12:10 pm)
Refer to my packing requirements as you pack your bag. The airlines are very strict. Please bring snacks or money for the flight. We will be fed on our flight to Frankfurt, but not on the flight to San Francisco. Dress comfortably for travel.

June 15 Fri Arrive Paris 1:20 PM
We will take public transportation from the Charles de Gaulle airport to our new “home” in the Marais. The fast, suburban line (RER) takes us directly to the city center. We have one metro transfer and a short walk to the International Center. It is essential that you have only one small bag to roll or carry on your back, and one other smaller bag or day pack. You must be able to maneuver within the metro carrying everything. I must approve the baggage you intend to use for this reason. NO EXCEPTIONS!
Hôtel de Jeunes Maubuisson (MIJE Paris)
12, rue des Barres
75004 Paris
(tél) 01 42 74 23 45
métro: Hôtel de Ville
Formerly aristocratic residences transformed into Youth Hostels, our new home is located in the Marais quarter. Each student will have their own bed (including sheets, pillow, and a blanket) with a shower in the room. Toilets are close on the same floor. The 4 boys will be in one room, and the 3 girls in another. We will enjoy breakfasts and dinners here. Internet access is available (for a fee), as well as telephones (you will need a phone card), TV and a lounge.
Since our hostel is located very close to Notre Dame, our first afternoon will be spent visiting the spot where Paris was born...Ile de la Cité and the Notre Dame cathedral. This “Point Zero” is the center of France, the point from which all distances are measured. Notre Dame has witnessed some of the greatest moments of the capital’s history. It is also a masterpiece of French art. We will explore both the exterior and the interior and those with energy can climb the 400 steps to the top for a great view of the city.
On this same island is the Deportation Memorial, and incredibly well done memorial to the 200,000 French victims of the Nazi concentration camps. Then, dinner and relaxing in our new home. We will most likely want to go early to bed to catch up on our sleep to prevent a bad case of jet lag!

June 16 Sat Bonjour, Paris!
After having a French breakfast at “home”, we will head to the Orsay Museum, which houses French art of the 1800’s (Impressionism). Our reservations are for 10 AM, but we will leave earlier in order to walk there along the river. This is the best general collection of Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Gauguin, and Rodin found anywhere. After spending the morning in this renovated train station, we will gather lunch items, and cross the footbridge for a picnic in the Tuileries Garden.
The afternoon will be spent walking from the Tuileries Garden down the Famous Champs-Elysées boulevard to the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc commemorates Napoleon’s victories and the fate of the Unknown Soldier, whose tomb lies beneath.
After dinner, we will amble through the Latin Quarter, Europe’s leading university district in the Middle Ages, and home since the 13th century to the prestigious Sorbonne University. We will end our evening with a night boat ride on the Seine, relaxing as the lights of Paris slowly turn on.


June 17 Sun Paris
Our usual breakfast routine and then our day begins. This morning is dedicated to visiting the Louvre, Europe’s oldest museum. Our reservations are for 9:15 AM. Touring the Louvre can be overwhelming, so we will be selective in which part we explore. However you will be able to return to view more if you choose during your free time.
After the Louvre, we will go to the Pompidou Center, a modern art and cultural museum. If we have run out of energy for another museum, we can enjoy this futuristic building from the plaza where acrobats, jugglers, and musicians create a festive feel all day long. The whimsical Stravinsky Fountain is nearby (which was designed by an artist with Eugene ties!).
The afternoon will be spent ambling in the Marais neighborhood. When all of Paris is closed, Sunday is
the day the Marais comes alive. This area has more pre-revolutionary lanes and buildings than anywhere else in Paris. It looks the way much of the city looked in the 1800’s. So, we will walk in the ambiance that inspired the art we enjoyed yesterday at the Musée d’Orsay! You will have free time this afternoon.
We will need to pack tonight and be ready to leave Paris by train early tomorrow morning. Buy any food items for the train tonight. Be able to carry everything you have easily. We will be transferring several times on the train and will have to walk UPHILL to our hostel in Chamonix.

June 18-20 Mon-Wed Depart Paris, arrive Chamonix
Auberge de Jeunesse, 127 montée Jacques Balmat, Les Pélérins
(tél) 04 50 53 14 52
Depart Paris by TGV (rapid) train to the French Alps. This will take most of the day, so you should have snacks and lunch with you on the train. We will be staying at the base of the Bossons Glacier located on Mt.Blanc. Breakfasts and dinners are served family-style in the alpine tradition.
Located at the foot of Mt.Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe, Chamonix hosted the first modern Olympics in 1924. It is a friendly town with authentic chalets and quaint pedestrian streets. Whether we hike or not, we can take the gondola up to Aiguille du Midi for mountains views and even a gondola ride over to Italy! The Italy option is spectacular, but NOT included. Budget $35. We can even see the Matterhorn in Switzerland! And if we get tired, we can take in the views from a café while writing postcards home.
There are many activities available here to keep us busy. Most of the students have said that this feels like a vacation from our vacation…meaning we can relax in a smaller town away from the big city, and get out to play! There is a summer luge …take a chairlift up and descend down a slippery, twisty, concrete slalom course on a wheeled sled. Anyone can manage the luge. It is set in a grassy park. Budget $10. There are many mountain hikes and river walks from which we can choose. Cost: Priceless!

June 21 Thurs Depart Chamonix very early morning. Arrive Paris late afternoon.
BVJ (Bureau des Voyages de la Jeunesse) Paris Quartier Latin
Again we will catch the TGV back to Paris We will do the métro in reverse, back to our hostel., or we may decide to walk and stretch our legs after the train ride.
Our “new” home on the other side of the river from our “old” home in Paris is in the university neighborhood. It has been remodeled this winter with showers in each room, and toilets down the hall. We will have breakfast here each morning.
We will arrive during the Fête de Musique in Paris. This means that music will be playing much of the night everywhere in Paris.

June 22, 23 Fri-Sat
The “Butte,” as it is locally known, meaning the mound, is the part of Paris most full of contrasts-anonymous boulevards run close to delightful village streets, steep stone steps lead to open terraces, and it is the home of the famous landmark, Sacre-Coeur. Though out the 19th century artists were drawn to the free-and-easy way of life as lived on the butte. Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Picasso, Renoir, Monet, Zola, and
many more painted and wrote here in Montmatre. We will start at Sacre-Coeur and then wander the hilltop village in search of the echoes of the Belle Époque.
These afternoons will be free time: possibilities include the Rodin Museum, the Picasso Museum, Napoleon’s Tomb and Army Museum, the Catacombs, the Costume Museum, the Museum of Paris, Sainte-Chapelle cathedral.
Some of you have reserved tickets for a performance of “Le Misanthrope” by Molière performed at the Comédie Française Saturday night. This will be an incredible event! Go to the Comedie Francaise website to see the theatre. This is in French. Reading the play in French or English is recommended.

June 24 Sun Versailles!
We will leave at 7:30Am to get to Versailles for the morning. After visiting the State Apartments (have you seen the film Marie Antoinette?) and the Hall of Mirrors, we will stroll in the gardens.

June 25 Mon
This is our last full day in Paris. Most of today will be planned by the students. What have we missed?…..
This evening after dinner, we will enjoy a walk in the Parc au Champs, with a view of the Eiffel Tower at sunset. Then, we will enjoy the evening view from the top.

June 26 Tues Leave Paris. We will take the metro back to the airport the same way we came.
(Lufthansa) LH 4215 Depart 11:25 AM Paris-Frankfurt
(United Airlines) AU 0901 Depart 2 PM Frankfurt-San Francisco
(United Airlines) UA 6434 Depart 6:14 PM San Francisco- Eugene
Eugene Arrive 7:36 PM
TOUR DE FRANCE 2007 (revised June 6, 2007)

June 14 Thurs Depart Eugene 10:40 AM. Meet at terminal ready to check in at 7:30 AM.
(United Express) UA 6404 Eugene to San Francisco
(United Airlines) UA 0900 San Francisco to Frankfurt (1:53 pm)
(Lufthansa) LH 4218 Frankfurt to Paris (12:10 pm)
Refer to my packing requirements as you pack your bag. The airlines are very strict. Please bring snacks or money for the flight. We will be fed on our flight to Frankfurt, but not on the flight to San Francisco. Dress comfortably for travel.

June 15 Fri Arrive Paris 1:20 PM
We will take public transportation from the Charles de Gaulle airport to our new “home” in the Marais. The fast, suburban line (RER) takes us directly to the city center. We have one metro transfer and a short walk to the International Center. It is essential that you have only one small bag to roll or carry on your back, and one other smaller bag or day pack. You must be able to maneuver within the metro carrying everything. I must approve the baggage you intend to use for this reason. NO EXCEPTIONS!
Hôtel de Jeunes Maubuisson (MIJE Paris)
12, rue des Barres
75004 Paris
(tél) 01 42 74 23 45
métro: Hôtel de Ville
Formerly aristocratic residences transformed into Youth Hostels, our new home is located in the Marais quarter. Each student will have their own bed (including sheets, pillow, and a blanket) with a shower in the room. Toilets are close on the same floor. The 4 boys will be in one room, and the 3 girls in another. We will enjoy breakfasts and dinners here. Internet access is available (for a fee), as well as telephones (you will need a phone card), TV and a lounge.
Since our hostel is located very close to Notre Dame, our first afternoon will be spent visiting the spot where Paris was born...Ile de la Cité and the Notre Dame cathedral. This “Point Zero” is the center of France, the point from which all distances are measured. Notre Dame has witnessed some of the greatest moments of the capital’s history. It is also a masterpiece of French art. We will explore both the exterior and the interior and those with energy can climb the 400 steps to the top for a great view of the city.
On this same island is the Deportation Memorial, and incredibly well done memorial to the 200,000 French victims of the Nazi concentration camps. Then, dinner and relaxing in our new home. We will most likely want to go early to bed to catch up on our sleep to prevent a bad case of jet lag!

June 16 Sat Bonjour, Paris!
After having a French breakfast at “home”, we will head to the Orsay Museum, which houses French art of the 1800’s (Impressionism). Our reservations are for 10 AM, but we will leave earlier in order to walk there along the river. This is the best general collection of Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Gauguin, and Rodin found anywhere. After spending the morning in this renovated train station, we will gather lunch items, and cross the footbridge for a picnic in the Tuileries Garden.
The afternoon will be spent walking from the Tuileries Garden down the Famous Champs-Elysées boulevard to the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc commemorates Napoleon’s victories and the fate of the Unknown Soldier, whose tomb lies beneath.
After dinner, we will amble through the Latin Quarter, Europe’s leading university district in the Middle Ages, and home since the 13th century to the prestigious Sorbonne University. We will end our evening with a night boat ride on the Seine, relaxing as the lights of Paris slowly turn on.


June 17 Sun Paris
Our usual breakfast routine and then our day begins. This morning is dedicated to visiting the Louvre, Europe’s oldest museum. Our reservations are for 9:15 AM. Touring the Louvre can be overwhelming, so we will be selective in which part we explore. However you will be able to return to view more if you choose during your free time.
After the Louvre, we will go to the Pompidou Center, a modern art and cultural museum. If we have run out of energy for another museum, we can enjoy this futuristic building from the plaza where acrobats, jugglers, and musicians create a festive feel all day long. The whimsical Stravinsky Fountain is nearby (which was designed by an artist with Eugene ties!).
The afternoon will be spent ambling in the Marais neighborhood. When all of Paris is closed, Sunday is
the day the Marais comes alive. This area has more pre-revolutionary lanes and buildings than anywhere else in Paris. It looks the way much of the city looked in the 1800’s. So, we will walk in the ambiance that inspired the art we enjoyed yesterday at the Musée d’Orsay! You will have free time this afternoon.
We will need to pack tonight and be ready to leave Paris by train early tomorrow morning. Buy any food items for the train tonight. Be able to carry everything you have easily. We will be transferring several times on the train and will have to walk UPHILL to our hostel in Chamonix.

June 18-20 Mon-Wed Depart Paris, arrive Chamonix
Auberge de Jeunesse, 127 montée Jacques Balmat, Les Pélérins
(tél) 04 50 53 14 52
Depart Paris by TGV (rapid) train to the French Alps. This will take most of the day, so you should have snacks and lunch with you on the train. We will be staying at the base of the Bossons Glacier located on Mt.Blanc. Breakfasts and dinners are served family-style in the alpine tradition.
Located at the foot of Mt.Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe, Chamonix hosted the first modern Olympics in 1924. It is a friendly town with authentic chalets and quaint pedestrian streets. Whether we hike or not, we can take the gondola up to Aiguille du Midi for mountains views and even a gondola ride over to Italy! The Italy option is spectacular, but NOT included. Budget $35. We can even see the Matterhorn in Switzerland! And if we get tired, we can take in the views from a café while writing postcards home.
There are many activities available here to keep us busy. Most of the students have said that this feels like a vacation from our vacation…meaning we can relax in a smaller town away from the big city, and get out to play! There is a summer luge …take a chairlift up and descend down a slippery, twisty, concrete slalom course on a wheeled sled. Anyone can manage the luge. It is set in a grassy park. Budget $10. There are many mountain hikes and river walks from which we can choose. Cost: Priceless!

June 21 Thurs Depart Chamonix very early morning. Arrive Paris late afternoon.
BVJ (Bureau des Voyages de la Jeunesse) Paris Quartier Latin
Again we will catch the TGV back to Paris We will do the métro in reverse, back to our hostel., or we may decide to walk and stretch our legs after the train ride.
Our “new” home on the other side of the river from our “old” home in Paris is in the university neighborhood. It has been remodeled this winter with showers in each room, and toilets down the hall. We will have breakfast here each morning.
We will arrive during the Fête de Musique in Paris. This means that music will be playing much of the night everywhere in Paris.

June 22, 23 Fri-Sat
The “Butte,” as it is locally known, meaning the mound, is the part of Paris most full of contrasts-anonymous boulevards run close to delightful village streets, steep stone steps lead to open terraces, and it is the home of the famous landmark, Sacre-Coeur. Though out the 19th century artists were drawn to the free-and-easy way of life as lived on the butte. Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Picasso, Renoir, Monet, Zola, and
many more painted and wrote here in Montmatre. We will start at Sacre-Coeur and then wander the hilltop village in search of the echoes of the Belle Époque.
These afternoons will be free time: possibilities include the Rodin Museum, the Picasso Museum, Napoleon’s Tomb and Army Museum, the Catacombs, the Costume Museum, the Museum of Paris, Sainte-Chapelle cathedral.
Some of you have reserved tickets for a performance of “Le Misanthrope” by Molière performed at the Comédie Française Saturday night. This will be an incredible event! Go to the Comedie Francaise website to see the theatre. This is in French. Reading the play in French or English is recommended.

June 24 Sun Versailles!
We will leave at 7:30Am to get to Versailles for the morning. After visiting the State Apartments (have you seen the film Marie Antoinette?) and the Hall of Mirrors, we will stroll in the gardens.

June 25 Mon
This is our last full day in Paris. Most of today will be planned by the students. What have we missed?…..
This evening after dinner, we will enjoy a walk in the Parc au Champs, with a view of the Eiffel Tower at sunset. Then, we will enjoy the evening view from the top.

June 26 Tues Leave Paris. We will take the metro back to the airport the same way we came.
(Lufthansa) LH 4215 Depart 11:25 AM Paris-Frankfurt
(United Airlines) AU 0901 Depart 2 PM Frankfurt-San Francisco
(United Airlines) UA 6434 Depart 6:14 PM San Francisco- Eugene
Eugene Arrive 7:36 PM

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Photos

Sophie and her Pop
The lovely Sophie prepares to head to the continent for a whirlwind tour.

Hannah graduates!
Hannah, on her prom night, ready to dance the night away. (Or at least the early evening.)