During the SMU-in-Paris semester program there are two study tours. Our first was to Normandy and it was really great, but really intense. It was like a 48 hour non stop class. Our second study trip was a few weeks ago and it was to the South of France. It was like a 5 day vacation. It was awesome. We visited Marseilles, Nice, Cannes, Antibes and St. Tropez. It was unreal. When I was in Monterey this past summer, I thought it was the most beautiful place in the world. I had never seen such natural beauty. The water of the Pacific was so blue, the air was so cool and crisp and the contrast between the mountains and the ocean was stunning. However, Monterey was nothing compared to the South of France. The South of France, particularly Nice, was like Monterey times 1,000. Many expatriate writers from America were in the South of France during the 1920s, including Fitzgerald and Hemingway, creating what is known as the Lost Generation between World War I and World War II. We were able to visit some of the places that these people frequented. I have never seen anything like the Mediterranean Sea. When I was in Nice, a friend and I went to the beach. As I looked out over the Mediterranean, I realized that thousands of people have had the same view. The same waves wash upon the shores of France, Italy, Greece, Israel and even Lebanon. All of these different people have this Sea in common. It was a surreal feeling. Thursday, November 1, 2007
South of France
During the SMU-in-Paris semester program there are two study tours. Our first was to Normandy and it was really great, but really intense. It was like a 48 hour non stop class. Our second study trip was a few weeks ago and it was to the South of France. It was like a 5 day vacation. It was awesome. We visited Marseilles, Nice, Cannes, Antibes and St. Tropez. It was unreal. When I was in Monterey this past summer, I thought it was the most beautiful place in the world. I had never seen such natural beauty. The water of the Pacific was so blue, the air was so cool and crisp and the contrast between the mountains and the ocean was stunning. However, Monterey was nothing compared to the South of France. The South of France, particularly Nice, was like Monterey times 1,000. Many expatriate writers from America were in the South of France during the 1920s, including Fitzgerald and Hemingway, creating what is known as the Lost Generation between World War I and World War II. We were able to visit some of the places that these people frequented. I have never seen anything like the Mediterranean Sea. When I was in Nice, a friend and I went to the beach. As I looked out over the Mediterranean, I realized that thousands of people have had the same view. The same waves wash upon the shores of France, Italy, Greece, Israel and even Lebanon. All of these different people have this Sea in common. It was a surreal feeling. 