Adventure - Art - Culture - Juniors Abroad at George Fox

England-France

Faculty: Lauri Smith, Paul Shelton
Class Meeting Night: Tuesday

STUDENT COST: $2250

We start our European adventures with three days in London. We will visit the Tower of London, the British Museum, the National Gallery and Shakespeare’s Globe theater. We will see famous sites such as Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace. Students will have the option of seeing plays and musicals each night in West End. Next, we are off to the City of York. Surrounded by its medieval walls and with its narrow medieval streets, it is easy to feel transported to an earlier age. At the center of the town sits York Minster, one of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in England. While in York, we will also bike and explore the Yorkshire countryside on our way to Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, an estate with the ruins of a medieval monastery and a lovely seventeenth-century mansion.

Next we head south to Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon. Along with time to visit the Shakespeare sites, we will also travel to Warwick Castle, the best-preserved medieval castle in England.

Finally, it is off to Bath, a Roman city and heartland of Jane Austin country. Explore the Roman bath complex, see the medieval abbey church, visit the Jane Austin Museum and the fashion museum, stroll by Regency homes and have high tea. On our last morning in England, we will visit Stonehenge, before catching the Eurostar to France.

Entering France our first destination is the delightful town of Reims in the Champagne district. While there, we will go to the Musée de la Reddition where Eisenhower established his headquarters in France during WWII and accepted the German surrender.

From Reims, we are off further east to the well-preserved town of Colmar in the Alsace region of France. With its German flavor and known as “Little Venice” because of its canals, we will venture to the old Dominican monastery. A visit to the home of the creator of the statue of liberty is on the agenda, as well as a hike and walk in the Gazon du Faing with its amazing views of the Alsace region.

Moving on to the Burgundy region of France, we stay at the ramparted town of Beaune, and explore the Hotel-Dieu, one of the oldest hospitals that began in 1443. From Beaune we will be taking a day trip to Autun, a town that was founded by Augustus in the late 1^st century B.C. where we will explore its ancient Roman theater and the magical Cathédral St. Lazare.

As we travel on to Amboise in the luxurious Loire valley, we will visit Chateau de Chenonceau, a famous pleasure palace owned by a series of aristocratic women. In Amboise we’ll visit the house where Leonard Da Vinci died in and see working models of his sketches. Off to Paris we’ll visit the Chateau de Chambord and on the way and explore the Latin Quarter and Notre Dame by night. We end our adventure in this glittering European city for three nights exploring the Louvre, Muse’ de Orsay, Eiffel tower, Arc de’ Triumph, and enjoying French café’s.

Preliminary Itinerary

Day 1	Leave PDX – travel to London
Day 2	London British Museum and the Tower of London.
Day 3	London National Gallery, Tate Modern, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey; Option to see a musical or play.
Day 4	London Visit and tour to Globe Theater, Wallace Collection or Courtauld Gallery. Other options include the Imperial War Museum, Buckingham Palace, Changing of the Guard; Option to see a musical or play
Day 5	York York Minster, walk the medieval walls, explore this medieval city
Day 6	York Day trip north to Fountains Abbey, bicycle through the countryside and see the Studley Royal Water Gardens, perhaps a castle or two and/or the York Bird of Prey Centre
Day 7	Stratford upon Avon River Avon Trail, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Shakespeare House and Gardens & perhaps Mary Arden’s Farm
Day 8	Stratford upon Avon Ann Hathaways’ Cottage and Gardens, Warwick Castle
Day 9	Bath Roman Baths, Beautiful Bath Abbey, Jane Austin Museum and Fashion Museum
Day 10	Bath Perhaps a day trip into Wales, or explore the Holburne Museum, #1 Royal Crencent and the Circus, Pulteney Bridge, Royal Victoria Park, and Prior Park Landscape Gardens.
Day 11	Bath Travel to Wales for the day!
Day 12	Reims Big travel day! Eurostar from London under the English Channel to Reims France! On the way see Stonehenge early in the morning. Enjoy a French café by night in Reims’s art deco square, Palace Drouet d’Erion.
Day 13	Reims Explore the wonderful town of Reims and it’s amazing cathedral!: Notre-Dame de Reims, also explore Museee de la Reddition, Palace of Tau, and if we have time and energy, the Musée des Beaux Arts.
Day 14	Colmar Walk around historical Colmar (Pfister house, 'Maison des Têtes). Explore: Unterlinden museum (Isenheim Altarpiece!).
Day 15	Colmar Visit the Barholdi Museum where we see models of the statue of Liberty, and learn all about it’s creator in his home town. Hike and walk in the Gazon du Faing with it’s amazing views of the Alsace region.
Day 16	Beaune Musee de l’Hotel-Dieu (one of the oldest and first hospitals in France), Dalineum, and Cirque du Bout du Monde
Day 17	Beaune Day trip to Autun. Explore Autun’s famous Cathedral, museum and Roman Ruins- Whoo hooo!
Day 18	Paris Visit to Le Chateau de Clos Luce where Leonardo da Vinci died in the morning, travel to Chateau de Chambord then on to Paris! Explore the Latin Quarter, Late night Notre Dame
Day 19	Paris Louvre, perhaps visit to the arts district of Montmartre and the Eiffel Tower in the evening.
Day 20	Paris Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysées, Muse’ de Orsay,Group admission ticket to a museum (e.g. Musée d’Orsay – or Rodin) Pere Lachaise cemetery
Day 21	Fly home from CDG in Paris to Portland