Join us from June 17 to July 1, 2023, on an enlightening and engaging adventure in beautiful France! Like our other legendary overseas trips, this journey combines learning, exploration, recreation, and camaraderie.
Delve into the ideas, thinkers, and their lives that shaped the Enlightenment and the events leading up to the French Revolution – the first totalitarian takeover in history.
The Enlightenment, or Age of Reason, witnessed the full blossoming of earthly observation and thinking initiated in the Renaissance. French thinkers were central to the Enlightenment, driving the scientific developments of LaPlace, Lavoisier, Condorcet, Laënnec, Cuvier, and Lamarck. It also led to the cataclysmic French Revolution, inspired by Rousseau’s writings and influenced by Montesquieu and Locke.
From our hotel in the Montparnasse neighborhood, explore the history and sights of the Enlightenment and French Revolution in Paris. Discover what led to Napoleon’s rise to power.
We’ll visit where the thinkers we’re studying lived and worked, and see key event locations of the Revolution, such as the Place de La Concorde. Experience the aristocracy’s wealth in the monumental chateaux of the Loire Valley while enjoying a vineyard lunch and wine tasting.
Travel to the forests of the Vendeé, central to the Royalist counter-Revolution in Brittany, depicted in Victor Hugo’s riveting novel of the Revolution, Ninety-Three. Relax on Brittany’s scenic beaches.
Visit the stunning island town of Mont St. Michel in Normandy, as well as the charming towns of Saint Malo and Bayeux. While there, we will also visit Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery in Normandy.
On the way back to Paris, marvel at the iconic Chartres Cathedral. Depart from France on Sunday, July 2.
With an incomparable heritage of historic sites, museums, iconic monuments, bridges, cemeteries, gardens and offbeat spots, Paris is a dream destination for visitors in search of places to discover.
The Loire Valley is an outstanding cultural landscape of great beauty, containing historic towns and villages, great architectural monuments (the châteaux), and cultivated lands formed by many centuries of interaction between their population and the physical environment, primarily the river Loire itself.
Situated on the Lumière coast (Coast of Light), the seaside resort of Les Sables-d’Olonne is a renowned destination presenting numerous attractions: a bustling seafront promenade lined with shops and cafés, a beautiful 3-kilometre long sandy beach that is very popular with summer tourists, a large marina, numerous events and sports activities, a casino and a thalassotherapy centre. Every four years, the seaside resort of Les Sables-d’Olonne hosts the departure of the Vendée Globe, the famous single-handed, round-the-world yacht race sailed non-stop and without assistance.
Discover this breathtaking tidal island with its iconic abbey and historic church, one of the most remarkable sites in France and a World Heritage site.
Thanks to its unique geographical position and wealth of resources the Duchy of Normandy has been central to the history of England and France. The possession of this coveted land in which a fifth of the resources of the entire French territory were locked in its soil has produced a bloody history and a string of outstanding personalities: Rollo, William the Conqueror, Richard the Lionheart, Joan of Arc, and others
Normandy is renowned as a center of Impressionism and for its charming towns and fine cuisine. It’s also remembered for major military efforts, from the Norman Conquest to the D-Day invasion of World War II. We’ll spend time at inspiring D-Day sites and the stunning island of Mont St. Michel.
From $4,950 double occupancy or $6,950 for single occupancy for 15 nights, and the entire program
A course of study of remarkable and world-affecting French thinkers, in the locations where they lived and worked, created and facilitated by Marsha Familaro Enright of Reliance College. You will come away with a great appreciation for the history and events surrounding the Enlightenment and French Revolution, while enjoying remarkable scenery, food, recreation, art, and architecture among a lively and inquisitive group of fellow travelers.
15 nights at 3* hotels in Paris, Amboise in the Loire Valley, La Sable L’Olonne in Vendeé, Mont St-Michel, and Honfleur, in Normandy with WIFI and A/C, breakfast included at some
Expert instruction and guidance in seminars in each location on Enlightenment and Revolution thinkers
Individual transportation from and to the airport
Private bus throughout the trip
Entrance to the Louvre and Chenonceau Chateau
Vineyard tour, lunch, and tasting in the Loire Valley
Guides in Paris, at the Louvre, Loire Valley, Montresor, and Normandy – and we get the best, most knowledgeable guides!
For great background knowledge to prepare you for the trip, please read (or listen to) the following books by the outstanding historians, Will and Ariel Durant:
Our mission is to impart an education that will prepare young people to be principled, creative individuals of independent judgment, capable of succeeding and leading in tomorrow’s dynamic world civilization.
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We’ll keep you updated on all our program opportunities.