Alençon en Famille, La Normandie et Paris!

Smith and Belton High Schools´ Customized Tour To France

16days / 14nights, 9 – 24 June 2008            

Belton and Smith share several connections and have joined forces before to travel to and host students from France. The principal in Belton was once an assistant principal at Smith, and Mme Moore, French teacher at Smith is the sister of the cosponsor, Cindy Long, in Belton. Mme Long has created a vibrant and growing French department at Belton HS.

Students traveling to another country are ambassadors of our own.

Click here for student expectations during the trip.

Prométour is a highly regarded first tier tour company with an outstanding reputation.

Charlene Turk is the consultant who worked very hard with us to create this tour. She would be happy to answer questions  charlene@prometour.com

This is a link to a list of hotels that Prométour has used in the past in the areas we will be visiting.                             

(or email me hardyd@gmail.com  to pass them on!)

DAY 1:

DEPART (Mon. 9 June)

• Fly through the night from Dallas to Paris.

• Welcome to Paris – your bilingual Prométour Director will meet you at the airport.

• Transfer by private motor coach to Alençon for your exchange program (details to be confirmed by group leader).

DAY 2 - 9:

ALENÇON (Tues. 10 – 17 June) (Click to see images of the city and area.)

The school's videoconference page! (Scroll down to see pictures from previous years!) Students who take part in the trip are strongly encouraged to participate in the video conferences with the students in France. Practice your French by emailing and chatting online with your new friends! The DMN, French newspapers and even French TV have covered our correspondances! Yesterday M. Doussaint wrote to say another magazine covered a conference we had in January.

Cyril Doussaint is the English teacher in Alençon. He is happy to answer questions about the proposed stay (or email me and I will ask him!) cyrille.doussaint@ac-caen.fr He is arranging for his advanced English class to host our students.

 "The group I will take to Texas this year is very nice. They're very
hardworking and motivated students, very eager to have an American
correspondent and to discover Texas."

.

When the visit/home stay in Alençon comes to an end,

the next part of the adventure begins!

DAY 10:

MT. ST. MICHEL – ST. MALO (Wed. 18 June)

• This morning after breakfast say farewell to your French families, meet your Prométour Director and depart by private motor coach for Mont-Saint-Michel.

• Discover the 1000 year-old Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, the eighth wonder of the World!

• Walk to the top and discover the Abbey, from here you will have some spectacular views over the countryside.

• Continue onto St. Malo, check into your hotel and take the afternoon at leisure to explore in small groups.

• Return to St. Malo for overnight accommodation.

DAY 11:

ARROMANCHES – CAEN (Thurs. 19 June)

• After breakfast, we head off to the American Cemetery at Colleville sur Mer. Here, you will see over 9,000 white crosses that are perfectly aligned and overlook the beaches where the American Allies landed.

• Continue onto Arromanches. This quiet sandy beach was the gateway of World War II. You are in the heart of the landing Beaches, between Omaha Utah beaches on the west and Gold Juno Sword Beaches on the East.

• Visit the D Day Landing Museum an exceptional museum detailing the history behind this area.

• Drive to Caen for your evening meal and overnight accommodation.

DAY 12:

ROUEN – VERSAILLES – PARIS (Fri. 20 June)

• After breakfast, depart for Rouen, the capital of Lower Normandy and a wealth of artistic delights!

• Walk through the narrow streets of the Old Town. They are lined with more than 800 timber-framed houses, all picturesque examples of medieval buildings. Stop at the Place du Marche where Jeanne d’Arc was killed.

• Visit Cathedral Notre Dame – a wonderful example of French Gothic architecture.

• Continue onto the chateau of Versailles.

• Take a guided tour through the State Apartments of the King and Queen, the King's Chamber and the Hall of Mirrors.

• Drive to Paris for your evening meal and overnight accommodation.

DAY 13:

PARIS (Sat. 21 June)

• This morning after breakfast, head to the Notre Dame Cathedral – walk through the cathedral, then climb up to the towers. From the South tower you'll get a close-up look at the gargoyles, the flying buttresses, and Ile de la Cite.

• Continue onto the stunning gem of 13th century Gothic architecture, the Sainte-Chapelle. In the Upper Chapel, sit down briefly to gaze at the ethereal blue and red stained glass windows. Go down to the Lower Chapel, originally a shrine to display holy relics.

• Stop in at Berthillon for the best ice cream in France – choose from over 70 flavors (not included)!

• Stop in at a charcuterie and a boulangerie to pick up some supplies and head to the Luxembourg Gardens (Jardin du Luxembourg) – the largest green space on the Left Bank and enjoy some free time for a picnic lunch.

• This afternoon, visit Le Louvre, one of the world's great museums, covering the finest European painting, sculpture and objets d'art from the Middle Ages to Impressionism, plus an unrivalled collection of antiquities from Egypt, the Middle East, Greece and Rome.

• Later, head up to the highest point in Paris, Montmartre (know locally as La Butte) which stands at 130 m.

• Climb the steps to reach the Sacré-Cœur, Montmartre's hilltop church and most famous landmark.

• Enjoy an evening meal in the area with your group.

DAY 14:

PARIS (Sun. 22 June)

• This morning after breakfast, let’s go climb up the Arc de Triomphe for a stunning view of Paris. It’s 284 steps, from the top, there’s an especially good view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

• Stroll down the down the Champs Elysees before heading off to Place Denfert-Rochereau, the entrance to the Catacombs. Be sure to bring a flashlight as you visit the resting-place of several million skeletons, which form a macabre decoration of the Hellish Wall.

• Free time for lunch in the Jardins des Tuileries.

• This afternoon visit the Musee d'Orsay – step into 19th century Paris, literally – the building was once a cavernous railway station. The collections are also 19th century French – big monumental paintings, and a whole slew of Impressionists.

• Later, ride a bateau mouche on the River Seine at sunset for a great view of the city all lit up.

• Evening meal with your group in a local restaurant.

DAY 15:

PARIS (Mon. 23 June)

• Today, explore Paris on your own and make the most of your last day here. This is a unique opportunity for a tour group. Ah Paris...

DAY 16:

DEPART (Tues. 24 June)

• After breakfast, transfer to the airport and return to Dallas.

Alençon en Famille, La Normandie et Paris!!

Smith and Belton High Schools Customized Tour To France

16 days / 14 nights, 9 – 24 June 2008

Group Size

Price

20+ Participants 

$2,700.00

17 – 19 Participants 

$2,770.00

15 – 16 Participants 

$2,835.00

13 – 14 Participants 

$2,915.00

10 – 12 Participants 

$3,100.00

PRICE INCLUDES

• Roundtrip airfare from Dallas to Paris

• Airline taxes and fuel surcharges at $200 per person

• This is a privately operated tour – you will not be combined with another school

• A young bilingual French Prometour Director with the group 24 hours a day (except in Alençon)

• All transfers and transportation by luxury private motor coach and or metro

• 6 nights multiple occupancy in a quality minimum 2-3 star centrally located hotels

• 6 hotel breakfasts and 5 evening meals, in selected restaurants, with a variety of menus including vegetarian

• Sightseeing with professional, bilingual local guides as per itinerary

• All cultural and aforementioned visits

• One complimentary trip for every eight (8) full paying participants

• Emergency Medical and Cancellation insurance

• Tour must have a minimum of ten (10) participants to be operated in its present format

• Prices are valid until 28 September 2007, past this date they are subject to change

PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:

• Airline taxes and fuel surcharges that exceed $200 per person

• Tips for the Prométour Director (3 Euros per day) / Prométour driver (1 Euro per day)

• Lunches throughout your stay in France

• Adult supplement (double occupancy) $150.00 per person

• Adult supplement (single occupancy) $300.00 per person

Payment Schedule

Amount

Friday 28 September 2007

$300.00 Registration

Friday 25 January 2008

$1000.00

Friday 14 March 2008

Full Payment Due

Prométour Educational Tours

Prométour Inc., 339 rue St. Paul Est, Montréal, Qc, H2Y 1H3, CANADA

Prométour Europe, 14 quai de la Loire , 75019, Paris - FRANCE

Trinidad Grund, 12 - 1ºB Izda; 29001 Málaga, SPAIN