CIELO
After five years of dreaming about going to France, it finally happened on March 16, 2024. I remember being in 8th grade and walking into Mr. Costa's class, scared that learning French was going to be boring and hard due my not-so-great experience of learning English.
This was later proven wrong when I got know Mr. Costa. I continued to make an effort in French class—not solely because of going to France with my peers, but because I genuinely fell in love with learning the language and seeing myself improving little by little.
Many girls on their 15th birthday wish for a Quinceañera party, but I begged my parents to allow me to go to France instead of having a Quinceañera. After much pleading on my part and the many efforts of both of my parents for making it happen due to the cost, I was able to go.
Now I know my peers probably faced similar challenges as I did to go and for that I appreciate their hard work and dedication to them and to their families for making it happen. I would like to thank those that came with me on this trip: Mr. Costa, McKev, Marco, Thomas, Cathy, Ireana, Vanessa, Quinn, and Nico. They all made my trip to France all the more enjoyable. Thank you, Mr. Costa, for giving us the opportunity to explore more of what this world has to offer. Now I welcome you all to look at how we spent our week in France. Merci!
VANESSA
March 18, 2024: Bus tour – Eiffel Tower climb – 1st Arrondissement Mall
Our first official day in France was packed with adventure.
We began our day by touring Paris in a tour bus, sightseeing multiple stunning landmarks of the city with our tour guide.
We saw (sadly only by drive by) the Arc de Triomphe, the famous monument for those who sacrificed themselves for France in both the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. Though we only saw it from the tour bus, it had some of the most incredible architecture planted all along its walls and ceiling!
Unfortunately for our small group, there was a minor mishap with random police stop that caused mild panic on our tour bus. However, to our humorous surprise, there is apparently a law in France that prevents bus drivers from surpassing their hours in driving, and policemen tend to stop them on occasion to ensure that drivers are not being overworked.
Thankfully it was not anything serious and was a perfect start to the rest of our trip. After our bus tour, our driver dropped us off near the Eiffel Tower, where we explored the nearby restaurants while trying to keep all our belongings away from pickpockets, something Paris is very famous for. (In fact, they may be more notorious than the tower itself!)
Once we met with our official tour guide, Sylvana, she provided our group with tickets for the Eiffel Tower, giving us the amazing opportunity to go up the tower. If you make the regrettable decision of taking the stairs, the first and second floors are both a beautiful view and a relaxing spot to rest.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3383c9aa-aef2-4778-9077-7381de4e1489_704x528.jpeg)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82cfc1da-0c40-46ab-b84c-7627c05e5530_694x521.jpeg)
March 19, 2024: Chartres – Chateau de Chambord – Tours
After sleeping in as long as possible, we embarked on a 5 hour bus trip for the next stop on our list: the city of Tours!
Our introductory stop of the day included a visit to Our Lady of Chartres Cathedral, one of France’s most publicly known spots due to countless shops surrounding the beautiful church. The downtown area surrounding the cathedral made it impossible to navigate without eventually pondering if you will need a map to find the meeting spot again (or at least according to Cielo, the rest of us made it to the meeting spot just fine :D).
Luckily, we all eventually found our way out of the maze of trendy stores, so our trip continued to Château De Chambord, a beautiful castle located elsewhere in the Loire Valley. This castle was constructed by the king of France, Francis I, on September 6, 1519, to use as a hunting lodge. Chambord is the largest château (translation: castle) in the Loire Valley and is most famously known for its distinctive French Renaissance style architecture.
Finally, we reached our last destination of the day: Place de Chateauneuf, where our hotel was located (along with a very distinguished, flan-serving restaurant where lactose intolerant people are under strong surveillance). This is also the home to The Old Town of Tours, a small chunk of the town where multiple buildings are maintained in their medieval form—and also extremely flammable. This is because of the wood used for the buildings’ total structure, so even a minor fire can cause immense damage to the town.
In no way does this remove the fact that the town is gorgeous and has the most welcoming atmosphere, but maybe it could use some more sprinklers on standby.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6230e678-cbbf-4d1a-8001-70b158e59972_645x860.jpeg)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3df8290c-cfd5-4e5c-b8c3-4f53c28bb1f3_824x618.jpeg)
NICO
March 20, 2024: Chateau de Chenonceau – Chateau d’Azay-le-Rideau — Mushroom Caves
Rooming with Vanessa and Quinn always called for a late start to the day (partially my fault too but shh) so we got to breakfast late (those chocolate croissants will live rent free in my head forever <3).
We got on the bus, and as usual, our amazing tour guide Sylvana woke us up with some music before we got to our first destination, Chateau de Chenonceau, with a very drama filled history indeed.
Exploring the castle, we were face to face with hundred-year-old tapestries that covered the walls (which made Quinn cringe due to their horrible preservation) as we admired their intricacies. There was a kitchen, bedrooms, and hallways of art galleries pertaining to the castle. Away from the main area, there was an apothecary, a wine cellar, a pond with ducks and swans, a stable, and a place where many carriages were stored. There was a forest with some walking trails, stray logs everywhere, and some mushrooms on trees 😮
On the way to our next destination, me and Vanessa lived out our y/n fantasies by singing some karaoke at the front of the bus, singing along to Hispanic classics like La Bamba and Como La Flor.
We got as much of a standing ovation as one can get on a moving bus, got sent flying to the back as we went to our seats, and then continued to our next castle: Chateau d’Azay-le-Rideau.
I wandered the countless rooms along with Cielo, Cathy, and Quinn (the first two joining us because we always found the cool things when exploring), where there were many bedrooms and sitting rooms. We found some streams, walking trails and we stopped to investigate a buzzing noise where I saved a bee from being stuck in a flower!!!.
Our last stop of the day for dinner was a mushroom cave, where the owner’s fluffy black dog followed us around. We got an amazing and thorough tour by one of the very kind workers, who told us all about the mushrooms they grew there, the history of the cave, and their processes for growing them.
After geeking out for about half an hour, we went back to the front of the cave to have dinner, where we were served mushrooms grown in the very areas we had just toured. A few of us tried escargot for the first time (not too good in my opinion), had some cheese and mushroom bread, white beans (which I was bullied for eating them on their own), more bread with brie cheese (Quinn freaked about this), and an apple tart for dessert.
With our stomachs full of (deemed by us) suspicious mushrooms because of how crazy we must have seemed laughing about literally anything throughout the whole dinner, we left the cave and went back to our hotel.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F70cd685d-4c1a-4f2a-9c31-b4dc968cde51_511x387.png)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F79e83f20-999c-4d49-a3e4-0556005c8126_463x314.png)
March 21, 2024: Saint-Denis-d'Orques (gas station stop) — Saint-Malo – Dinner
Next day didn’t start off quite as eventful, as we woke up early to drive for around 5 hours to our destination in Saint Malo.
We did stop at a gas station for about half an hour for our bus driver to both have a break and refuel the bus, where we sat near some beautiful cherry blossom trees and met some friendly little birds.
We arrived soon to a cloudy and misty St. Malo, a city surrounded by tall walls, overlooking the sea and also the city. We wandered for a bit, trying to find a place to eat, when we settled on a galettes (savory crepes) restaurant. I split up from our group for a while after getting a crepe (it was Nutella and delicious) and explored the Cathedral Saint Vincent.
Cathedrals in France are insane for the record. I regrouped with Quinn, walked along the walls of the city, and ended up on the beach, where we walked to a rocky area to find tide pools. We found quite a few, I slipped on some rock covered algae as we were traversing through the uneven terrain and collected some shells along the way.
We passed by some statues of famous explorers, marveled at the old buildings, and nearly froze from the cold. It was all okay though, because we went back to the same crepe spot from earlier and got some more pastries.
We had to walk to our dinner spot, but it was worth it for the fun we had.
First, Cielo (our president babushka because of her fabulous head scarf) and McKev (resident drama teacher and novice but amazing French speaker) danced along the city streets as we walked.
We also found some graffiti that repeated “RIP THOMAS” multiple times throughout our walk, which we laughed for a while about as Costa’s (FOHI French teacher extraordinaire) son is named Thomas.
We arrived at the restaurant—where I was bullied for eating bread with a fork—and our lactose intolerant friend Ireana had very dry chicken due to her plate having no sauce. As compensation, she was given a tomato salad, which was not only sad because it didn’t look appealing, but also because she doesn’t like tomatoes.
After joking about that the whole dinner, we finished up, loading back into the bus and heading to a new hotel. Me and my roommates got a small room, while our enemies on the other side, Cielo, Cathy, and Ireana, got a bigger room. Vanessa did accidentally explode a Coca Cola can on our beds, but all was forgiven. . . maybe.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8dd7d0d6-b499-4219-b3c4-10399777396a_355x266.png)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2904a36d-f6f2-4e95-b2c5-b4dc5f29b47d_436x580.jpeg)
CIELO
March 22, 2024: Mont Saint Michel —Normandy
After our stay at St. Malo where we saw the Church of St. Vincent and I (Cielo) had the pleasure of dancing with McKev. We later made our move to Normandy which is famous for the D-Day landing during World War II, where the allied forces landed on its beaches to liberate France from German occupation. During most of our stay in France the sun was out, but when we traveled to Normandy the somber atmosphere heightened going into the cemetery where many brave soldiers were laid to rest. Entering the cemetery the wind picked up and it started to pour. I felt incredibly cold and miserable. We later made a stop at Omaha Beach where we learned the difficulties the Allied forces had to face. It is estimated that around 2,000 to 3,000 American soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing during the first day of the invasion. Walking on the beach made me cold and my shoes soggy, but it led to me reflect on how much I was complaining when these soldiers who were probably on their first mission were scared and coming out of a boat that they had been there for days to give their lives for our future. They had no place to hide or protect themselves, but they still moved forward for our future.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fefd7c130-13a1-4d6e-a969-cce343e2fb2b_237x315.png)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F749d6bdd-7015-45d1-a877-d3debe785e80_307x408.png)
NICO
March 23, 2024- Rounen - Paris ferry
We concluded our trip just as we started it: running through Paris, desperately trying not to get lost on the metro. Our lovely morning began in a subsection of Normandy called Rouen, a historical city where the Saint and Martyr Joan of Arc was tried and burned. Despite the heated history, the visit was quite cold, with 5-minute hail showers and gale force winds happening the moment one put their guard or umbrella down. It was here that we finally tried French McDonalds, which, despite our teacher’s claims, was just a slightly blander version of American McDonalds with a more confusing menu. The microplastics add flavor, none of which were to be found in France :(. Later, our very own Vanessa Santoyo got a piercing in France! . . . at Claire’s, but luckily, she is all good for now. Due to some scheduling conflicts, we had to take shelter from the persistent rain in the Eglise Saint-Severin, where we stayed until our dinner plans were made for a fondue restaurant. There, we had some cheese fondue with bread and potatoes, and for dessert, the ever-infamous Creme Brulee. (There was the mishap with Nico being rizzed up by one of the waiters for us to get some more water; he was hilarious.)
After dinner, we went on a breathtaking but freezing cold ferry ride along the Sien River. At some point, the temperature was 42 degrees Fahrenheit, and that was not even accounting for the persistent gusts of winds, making us freeze as we took the aesthetic photos. We were lucky enough for it to be timed perfectly at 10 pm when we were close to docking, allowing us to see the sparkling of the Effeil Tower that happens every hour for about 5 minutes at night. The whole ferry was filled with squeals of amazement and hundreds of pictures being taken by us very predictable tourists. As the sparkling faded, we waited for the ferry to dock (all of us getting off and huddling around like penguins to keep warm). We made the long trek back to our hotel, but not before being thrown into the Paris subway one last time. Though we were all exhausted after this particularly long, rain/hail filed, and freezing cold day, it felt like the trip went full circle, starting and ending with us on the subway (with the help of our tour guide Sylvana, we had mastered the art of public transportation in France :) Our last night in France was spent in our hotel rooms, and we all slept through the last few hours we had in Europe.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa628af7a-02c7-427d-b10e-8798619ee8f7_579x435.jpeg)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1446505f-78fb-4e4d-9f34-73da834a95e4_330x439.png)
VANESSA
March 24, 2024: Airport
Although our trip was eventful full of adventure, we ultimately had to fly back home. This was the first real day we were able to sleep past 8:00 in the morning, which we were all excited about after a week of long days and short nights. We had our flight home the same day in the afternoon, giving us plenty of prep time for our ventures back to California. Thankfully for us, the airport journey back to the U.S. was enhanced from our previous experience going into France (for majority of our group members anyway). Unfortunately for one of us, Vanessa, had to experience their first ever surprise security check at the airport, our last lovely farewell.
Fortunately, we all got on the flight and made it safely to our seats, awaiting a lengthy flight back. Even though our seats this time around were much more comfortable, and even had a wider selection of trending films, majority of us did not get a single wink of sleep because of our constant distress of having our picture taken as if we were dying from the plague (the latest TikTok trend). This was due to our group jokingly taking photos of those who would sleep in public transport, leaving not a single soul safe to sleep. The flight was soon over, allowing all of us to reunite with our families and comfortable beds, finally being able to rest without any anxiety about a picture being taken.
We rested knowing that through our FOHI French Club we had the privilege of experiencing France which most people may not get the opportunity for. Every single one of us are extremely grateful and proud to be able to share our adventures in France with all our peers and faculty. Our only advice to those soon to visit France is to stay clear of any scammers calling you ‘pequeñita’- it may not be as safe as it seems-, to keep the sleeping picture plague away, and to be prepared for numerous leg cramps from the 10,000+ steps you will be getting.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffde36bc4-f07f-4837-97e2-468cec5eca48_437x581.jpeg)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae1756fa-86d3-46bc-a1cb-1383a0f81894_404x539.jpeg)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7902944-3cc4-499b-b622-a0d525e1070f_410x545.jpeg)
About the Contributors
Cielo Aguirre
Cielo Aguirre, Staff Writer
Cielo Aguirre is the president of The Steeler Chronicle. She is either found in the library with her nose stuck between a romance novel or running away from her problems if she isn’t injured. If found, please help her find her way.
Quinn Smith
Quinn Smith, Staff Editor
Quinn Smith (12th grade) is the chief editor of the Steeler Chronicle who loves giving/receiving constructive feedback and sometimes has really big opinions on things. When he’s not pushing his thoughts onto others in some way or another, he’s generally dragging himself (and his dearest cat) through homework, numerous crafting projects, and life itself.
Vanessa Santoyo
Vanessa Santoyo, Staff Writer
Vanessa Santoyo is a long-term student at Fontana High School, working on making perfect attendance while miserably failing. Even while slowly going insane, you can always count on her to make a situation more awkward than it needs to be. Although her friends love her dearly, no matter how nice, she will always cause some friendly conflict between you both. She loves to rant when she is comfortable, so be prepared to get your eardrums ruptured and your eyes to grow sore.
Nico Carillo
Nico Carillo, Staff Writer
Nico likes to read, watch anime/shows, listen to music, and paint on their free time. They also like exploring their clothing style, spending time with stray cats, and collecting a heinous number of buttons. They don’t really know what write about for the newspaper, but they’re figuring it out :)