Brenn in France - Marseilles

Week 4 - Marseilles

Today we visited the city of Marseilles, the second largest city in France.  I find it somehow fitting for our final excursion to be to the purportedly oldest city in France.  After a brief walk from the train station, we reached the old port of Marseilles, and unfortunately the boat tours were already done for the day.  As an alternative, we took the little tourist train thingamabob up to the Notre Dame de la Garde, a beautiful church with an unmatched panoramic view of the city.

Week 4 - Farewell

Today is the beginning of the end of my fantastic journey to France.  Classes are now over, our grades are final, and I take a train ride this evening to Paris and fly out tomorrow.  I place the experiences I have gained during this trip beyond measure, and hope to one day return.  The time spent here rapidly came to an end, much too quickly.  At times I feel as though this was all some imagined fantasy and that I will look back upon it as though it was just a dream.  Whatever the case may be for how I look back upon this experience in the future, I know that I will forever be grateful to the opportunity that presented itself and the assistance and encouragement I received that made this possible.  I give my deepest thanks to Dr. Toubiana and the School for Humanities and Social Sciences.

Brenn in France - Cassis & Nimes

Week 4 - Cassis

Our excursion for today took us to the city of Cassis.  The bus ride down from the train station teased us with glimpses of the landscape and the ocean.  When we reached the bottom, Dr. Toubiana treated us to lunch since we had not had time to get any and make it to the train on time.  The majority of us tried a sandwich made with merguez, a sausage with North African origins, and were rewarded by its rich and distinct flavor.  We then boarded a boat to take us to various inlets around the area.  The beauty of the cliffs and the clear blue sea merging together is unfortunately beyond my capability to describe in words or to capture on camera.  All of the students embraced the brief voyage and we seated ourselves at the prow of the ship to better enjoy the trip and the view.  Of course, our position did cause some ocean spray to splash amongst us, and eventually cause our good professor to decide it might be more comfortable on the inside of the craft. Upon docking at the port, we then were treated once again, this time to some exquisite ice cream.  From there, we parted ways to meet later at the nearby beach.  Some of the other students decided to go into the water, whereas I declined the opportunity, even though I did come prepared for such an option.  They were later to describe the water as being quite refreshing, and by that they meant very cold.

Week 4 - Nimes

Today’s excursion was to the city of Nimes, home to the most well preserved Roman arena, which has a very interesting history with its evolved uses throughout the years.  From the top of the arena, we were able to get a very good view of the city.  We also visited the Maison Carrée, an extremely well preserved Roman temple.

Brenn in France - Week 3

Week 3 - Day 1
Today, we went on an excursion to Aigues Mortes, a walled city dating from medieval times that was a departure point for King Louis IX for two crusades. The part of the city enclosed by a wall was very interesting, and I unfortunately did not manage my time well, so I was not able to take many pictures.  Even though my exploration of the city was limited, I had a great time there with the other students and Dr. Toubiana.  Since we did not have much time between getting out of class and getting on the train, Dr. Toubiana treated us to lunch.  The lunch was very delicious and cost efficient, as each of us ate half a baguette from a boulangerie with some slices of sausage from a boucherie.  He also insisted that we had to try some French pastries, so most of us had a slice of Gâteau Basque.  Somehow, a chain reaction occurred after one person bought a hat, and ended with five people buying hats, including the professor and myself.  I feel like mine is going to make a good souvenir for the trip.

Week 3 - Day 2

Today was an absolutely amazing day.  Well, the day portion was about average for here, which is still a very good day with beautiful weather.  The reason today was so amazing is because it is the day of the Fête de la Musique, which is basically a country wide party involving lots of musicians playing everywhere.  I do not think that I have ever danced so much in my life and it’s the most unrestrained I have been in a very long time.  I had originally gone out without my camera, but after a couple of hours I decided that there was no way I could not capture some of the moments from the night.  The only problem that occurred as a result of bringing my camera with me was that there were so many people who kept asking me to take their pictures, which I did.  Tonight was one of the best nights of my life in which I was able to party with friends and make new ones, and it has given me the knowledge of when would be the best time to return to France for a great time.

Brenn in France - Week 2

Week 2 - Day 3

Today, the festival of bands was in our neighborhood. The festival was attended by many people and featured performances from many bands, with many from outside of Montpellier.  When I came home for dinner, around 2100, I decided to stay in for the rest of the night.  I was rewarded with my patience when the dessert was brought out, and one of the items was a large dish of tiramisu.  Nathalie, our host mother, remembered that I had said I loved tiramisu, and so she had made some for that reason.  She is a wonderful person, and cook (the tiramisu was heavenly).  I do not think that I could have been housed with a better host family.

Week 2 - Day 4

Today my roommate and I were taken to Arles, France by Frederic, our host father.  He was visiting he parents there and asked us if we would like to see the city, of which we immediately agreed.  The city is not very large, but it houses a great deal of history, visibly stretching back to Rome. The small arena and amphitheater there were very interesting, and the many church steeples at times reminded me of Charleston.

Week 2 - Day 7

           Dr. Toubiana took the Citadel students to the Pont du Gard, an engineering marvel built by the Romans to supply the city of Nimes with a more than ample amount of water.  Unfortunately for us, the weather was not the best, but we were able to avoid any rain during the trip, as well as the sun.  The aqueduct is an amazing feat of design and beautiful in its simplicity.  The only real problem we had on this excursion was that the bus(es) apparently went on strike, and we had to take a two taxis back to the train station.

Brenn in France - Avignon & Carcassone

Brenn and the rest of the students took an excursion with Dr. Toubiana to Avignon, east of Montpellier. Brenn said "the brief time we were there was excellent as the scenery was filled with history and beauty."

Palais de Pape in Avignon

Sites from Avignon

From Brenn:

"Students from The Citadel finished their classes one hour earlier than normal. We were leaving early in order to go to Carcassonne, which is a good distance from Montpellier. The awe-inspiring scene that unfolded before me, when I first laid eyes on the medieval city of Carcassonne, transported me to another era.  The majesty of the walls and towers gave an impression of grandeur and endurance.  This city has existed since Roman times, and you can at times feel its ancient pulse.  Though we were able to spend a fair amount of time in the city, it was not nearly enough for me.  I frantically went from wall to wall and tower to tower, within and outside the walls, in a vain attempt to capture the essence and emotion stored in the beauty of this place.  In the end, I took many photos, yet it still seems like it was not enough."

Medieval city of Carcassone

Ancient architecture in Carcassone

Brenn in Carcassone

Brenn in France - Montpellier

Brenn traveled from Paris to Montpellier in southern France to meet his host family that he would be staying with and to start his classes. Brenn had a chance to hang out with his host family and his roommate, also from The Citadel, Paul Poulin. In between classes, Brenn was able to explore parts of Montpellier, as seen below.

Sites in Montpellier

Church in Montpellier

Brenn (left) with roommate Paul (right) at host family home in Montpellier

Brenn (left) with rommate Paul (right) and part of his host family, Clotilde (center)

Statue in Montpellier

Brenn in France - Paris

Brenn was able to see many of the historic and beautiful sites of Paris. He is also a wonderful photographer and was able to capture these photos of the city below.

Ecole Militaire in Paris

Tour de Effiel in Paris

Ecole Militaire via Tour de Effiel

Brenn in front of the Arc de Triumphe

Notre Dame in Paris

Meet our Students Abroad

The following four students were the recipients of the 2013 School of Humanities & Social Sciences International Study Award. Each was helped financially to be able to experience a once in a lifetime trip abroad. We will share parts of all of their trips here. We encourage you to follow along. 

Brenn Ritchie
Major in Political Science
Concentration in International Military Affairs
4.0 GPA
Veteran student
Previously deployed to Japan, Thailand, the Phillippines, East Timor and Australia
Aspires to be commissioned as an officer in the United State Marine Corps
Study Abroad Program in FRANCE

Jennifer Burch
Sophomore
Double Major in Political Science and Criminal Justice
3.82 GPA
Citadel Honors Program; Model Arab League team
Plans to pursue a Masters Degree in International Affairs
Aspires to be a Foreign Service Officer with the United States Department of State
Study Abroad Program in ECUADOR

     Nolan Moore
Junior
Major in History

        3.448 GPA

        Regimental Band and Pipes; Army Contract; squad sergeant; work study student

        Aspires to be an Army officer, specializing in humanitarian projects

        Study Abroad Program in SRI LANKA

     Benjamin Gordon
Junior
Major in Psychology

        3.565 GPA

        Aspires to work with Psychological Operations in Military Intelligence

        Study Abroad Program in ECUADOR