France 2014: Poitiers & Paris
Experience the Medieval City of Poitiers and Paris, the City of Light
From May 5 to May 24, 2014
UNB's France 2014 Travel Study is designed to give students an opportunity to live in France and to appreciate, study and explore the layers of literature, history, art, economy, politics, and society of Poitiers and Paris.
Classes will be held in French universities, political and cultural institutions, museums, churches, cafés, public gardens and in other parts of these cities. You may choose to audit the courses or take them for credit.
With this program, you visit not one but two magnificent cities (one week in Poitiers, two weeks in Paris), as well as explore the French countryside during several day-long excursions.
Poitiers, an historic city
On its rocky promontory between two rivers, Poitiers displays 2000 years of history. This glorious past is still visible everywhere, cleverly combined with the contemporary city.
Poitiers is a city of art and of history. Its cobbled streets lead to a series of Romanesque and gothic churches dating from the Middle Ages.
From this area, the first French settlers left for Acadia. It also served as a refuge for the deportees of 1755. It is therefore a city where we have “cousins” who know Canada and who are eagerly waiting to show the beauty of the city to “visiting relatives”.
Poitiers will also offer us the opportunity to experience first hand the local economy and politics of the Poitou-Charentes region. Since the 1960s it has experienced major economic changes, including the creation of the nearby Futuroscope theme park, featuring cutting edge audiovisual technology. Far from being a city fixed in stone, Poitiers seduces by its youth and dynamic culture with restaurants, bars and discotheques.
Poitiers will also serve as a base for day-long excursions in the French countryside with visits to castles, abbeys, and seaports.
Paris, the City of Light
Paris, known as the City of Light, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and the world’s most popular city destination. Many people fall in love with Paris and why not? The treasures of Paris are legendary and inexhaustible.
Paris is more than the political capital of France. Since the formation of the country, and most certainly since the age of Louis XIV, it has functioned as the hub of the national wheel. Seat of the national government with links to international trade and investment, Paris is a model for a modern and dynamic city in the new global economy of the 21st Century.
In the arts, Paris has set the standard for the whole of Europe. Its long history has made it a place of incredible artistic creation and a place of dreams for over 2000 years. At the end of the 19th century and into the 20th, it witnessed the birth of modern art in its cafés, studios, and ateliers. Paris remains a leading centre of cultural creativity, which still resonates through the cafés and streets. Paris probably has more familiar landmarks than any other city in the world, and its museums contain countless masterpieces.
Paris has the reputation of being the most romantic of all cities. The restaurants are superb, the gardens are beautifully manicured and the boutiques and stores display the finest in fashion, food and design. It is a must for anyone wishing to experience the best of both contemporary and age old European culture.
