John Klamut, FAME Spring 2023
My final vacation during my study aboard experience was after the FAME program ended, and with my family! Flying into CDG on June 2nd, I packed my bags from America. It would be another two weeks though until I got back. So, I hopped in the van my father rented, and we started our first family European vacation!
The first stop was Giverny. Quite literally everywhere you turned was picturesque. The former house of Claude Monet, lots of famous paintings were a direct result of these gardens including Poppies, The Water Lily Pond, and Water Lilies.
Me and my family then traveled to the Loire Valley. The land of Chateaux, we visited Amboise, Chambord, Chenonceau, and Villandry. All of these chateaux were uniquely different; however, they all shared the similarity of being big, historical, and awe-inspiring castles.
The next stop was Mont Saint Michel, the only piece of French land that wasn’t conquered, it is obvious to see why. At the top of this island/mountain, in the middle of the bay, sits Mont Saint Michel Abby. A stunning view walking into the island, the view was even better from the top of the Abby. But the views weren’t the only attraction, we had a magnificent dinner of local lamb and Normandie chesses. I would highly recommend trying to stay the night on the island. Watching the tides come in and out was relaxing and memorizing. Additionally, it was a quiet and peaceful evening as everyone left the island. Not to mention the sunset left me speechless.
Although I would have loved to stay at Mont Saint Michel, we continued our trip. Our next stop was Normandy and the D-Day beaches. A significant historical event in world history, allied troops stormed the beaches and freed France from the Nazis Regime. However, it wasn’t without cost. On June 6th (D-Day), my family and I went to visit the American Cemetery. It was an emotional day as we heard WW2 vets talk about their experience in the war. Additionally, we saw President Macron with the last surviving WW2 French Resistance solider.
After Normandy, we headed east to Belgium, more specifically the town of Bruges. This Belgium city is a city of canals, beverages, and chocolate. From our hotel window, we saw the Belfry of Bruges. At the top of the clock tower, we saw the entire city and the extensive canal system. We also got to hear the bells, maybe a little too well….
After Belgium, we took the van to the Rhine Valley in Germany. We stopped for three days to visit some relatives, and had dinner in the city of Cologne. Additionally, it wouldn’t be a trip to the Rhine Valley without visiting some castles. Unlike the Chateaux of France, Rheinfels Castle and Burg Eltz were both mediaeval castles that made me feel like a 12th century king.
Our final stop was my hometown of Paris. The bread, cheese, wine, and museums, it makes sense why Paris is the second most visited city in the world! I had already seen everything, as I lived there for 4 months, but it was fun touring around with my family! We saw all the big sites: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Musee d’Orsay, the catacombs, Versailles, and more. Of course, we also had some traditional French cuisine such as snails.
After Paris, we made our way across the Atlantic Ocean and eventually back to Pittsburgh! I had such an amazing time studying abroad through the FAME program. Not only was I able to have two, two-week breaks in the middle of my semester, but I was also able to go on an additional vacation at the end of the semester thanks to my family. I would recommend any college student to study aboard. Trust me, it’s an experience you will never forget!
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