A trip to Paris led by a recently retired Lawrence French professor and a Lawrence alumna steeped in Parisian culture highlighted Lawrence-sponsored travel in 2024.
Eilene Hoft-March, French professor emeritus, and Charlotte King, class of 2009 and current co-owner of the Parisian travel agency Bacchus & Clio, served as hosts for the late-September Paris trip, dubbed Parisian Odyssey. Eilene’s passion for French literature and history paired with Charlotte’s intimate knowledge of French culture and cuisine were an ideal match as the group explored the City of Light.
Lawrence has been leading educational travel experiences to all parts of the world for lifelong learners. In the past 15 months, there have been excursions to Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand, not to mention opportunities to explore several cities while cruising on the Danube River. I was kicking myself that I hadn’t signed up for the Parisian Odyssey. Lucky for me, I happened to meet up with Eilene at a Björklunden clean-up day in December and was able to do the following impromptu interview about the Paris experience:
Sue Pappas (SP): How many people traveled with you? Had they been to Paris before? How well did they speak French?
Eilene Hoft-March (EH-M): We were 26 people in all, seasoned travelers by any measure and most with previous experience in Paris. Some had a few years of French that still served them well; others made good efforts to communicate in the language. They were game for each new experience that Charlotte cued up for us. It was a privilege to travel in such enjoyable company.
Observing Cordon Bleu chef prepare meal for group
SP: Describe the area where you stayed. Was it convenient to many of the sites you were seeing?
EH-M: We were in a 4-star hotel tucked away off the Boulevard des Italiens, a vigorous stone’s throw away from the Opéra Garnier (of Phantom fame!). The beautiful Palais Royal gardens were less than 15 minutes’ walk as were the Tuileries gardens. Twenty minutes of brisk walking got you to the Seine and some of its most iconic views.
SP: How did you get to other sites located further away? Was the Metro easy to use?
EH-M: We used the Metro for a lot of our city travel. The marvel is that we managed not to lose anyone for too long!
SP: After all the summer tourism in Paris, were the Parisians still throwing out the welcome mat?
EH-M: I’ve run into my share of cranky Parisians (and New Yorkers and Appletonians…), but I must say, people were kind and welcoming to our group. Most notable were the young people who offered seats in the metro or answered questions with courtesy and enthusiasm. And central Paris was as clean as ever I’ve seen it. Understandably, great efforts had been undertaken to make the city shine for the Olympics and the ParaOlympics.
SP: Were you very disappointed that your trip was a few weeks too early to see the incredible reopening of Notre Dame?
EH-M: Yes. On the other hand, Charlotte got us tickets to a virtual tour of Notre Dame, which had us walking through the 12th century building site, rising up into the bell towers, and peering over the city through the ages. (Charlotte also caught us on video with our virtual reality goggles, sidling up to invisible sites, crouching and bobbing and shuffling around the “cathedral.”)
A special shout-out to Matt Baumler for his enthusiastic presence and careful shepherding, to Charlotte King for her fun presentations and her excellent choice of unusual activities and exquisite dining, and to her colleague, Franck Ramage, who guided us through many a bottle of wine and champagne.
Miriam & John Jenkins on Champagne Cruise on the Seine
Future Travel Opportunities
To learn more about upcoming trips including
Sicily & Its Islands (Aug. 31-Sept. 12, 2025) and
The Northern Lights of Finland (March 19-30, 2026)
visit the LU Events & Travel homepage.
