Category: Summer 2026

by Kate Luckey

After a week in Aix en Provence we took a day trip to Avignon,France. On our way to Avignon we stopped at the Pont du Garde. The pont du gard is an old roman aqueduct.It was constructed to carry fresh water from a spring to the Roman City of Nimes. I learned that the Romans needed the water supply for public baths,fountains,homes and sewers. The aqueduct was named after the river the Gardon River and Pont is French for bridge, meaning that the name translates to bridge over the gard. We all took advantage of the beautiful sights by stopping for several pictures along the way. After walking by the Pont du Gard we made our way down to the the little beach where we got a group picture and saw swimmers.

After visiting Pont Du Gard we got back on the bus to travel to Avignon. Avignon is a historic city on the Rhone river. It was one of the most important religious and political centers during the Middle ages. The Romans developed it into a major town because of its location on major trade routes and they protected the city by building walls around it,which you still see today. Avignon is most famous for being home to Popes which is evident by the Palais des Papes(“Palace of the Popes”). We were able to tour the Palace
and it was incredible to see the architecture and to get a glimpse of the way of life back then.

My favorite part of touring the Palace was being able to see the view from the top. We were able to see most of the city from the top and it was amazing to experience all together as a group. The gardens in the back of the palace were beautiful and much larger than I expected. After touring the Palace we had about an hour to explore the city. We found little market stands similar to the markets in Aix en Provence. I was able to get a beautiful painting from a local artist of the Pont du Garde. After spending the day visiting Avignon we got back on the bus and had to go straight to sleep because the next day we headed to Paris for our free weekend.

Although we were only in Paris for two days we checked off many of the sights. On our first day we arrived after taking the three hour train around 12 and then made our way to the city from our Airbnb. Of course the first thing we did was head to the eiffel tour where we took many pictures. After that we had lunch on the Seine River. We finished the night off by walking around the city and getting french food. The next day we started bright and early and headed to Notre Dam. The line to get in was so extremely long so we stuck to just getting pictures outside. We then got breakfast at a famous cafe and went to some shops around the restaurant. The two main events of the day were going to the Musee d’Orsay where we saw famous paintings from Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Monet. The second main event was the Seine River cruise where we got to see the city from the water and see the eiffel tower sparkle.

by Morgan Weaver

Bonjour! We made it to France finally! After a couple of flight delays and a full day of traveling, we
all made it to Aix-en-Provence. Our first few days in France have been full of new friendships,
exploring the city, trying new foods, and having our first two days of class. During our short time
here so far we have all begun to explore the city of Aix-en-Provence and find new yummy
patisseries, cafes, and restaurants. One local coffee shop I really enjoyed was, “Brûlerie richelme.”
A group of about ten of us discovered the local cafe just strolling through the town and the coffee
was amazing, the cafe even grinds their own beans fresh in the shop!

A lot of the first few days of being abroad looked like exploring the city together. Our group is so lucky to have so many kind people because we are all able to split up into different groups each time we do something! It is great because everyone gets to do something they are interested in, while also getting to know each other. There are also many beautiful fountains in the city of Aix-en-Provence, the one that stands out the most is the one in the center of the city, making it easy to orient ourselves whenever navigating the town.

After a few days to get settled in, we had our first day of class on Monday! We were very eager to get to know our campus and explore more of the city on a guided tour. The first day of class was very light on material and more of an orientation and introduction to what we will be studying over the next few weeks. After our first day, many of us went out to dinner together and did some shopping together.

Today, we had our second day of class and really began to dig into the material. We began class by hearing from both Professor Owen and Professor Novakovic as they taught us an overview of the United States healthcare system. We heard both pros and cons to our healthcare system in place and I learned that the United States has a very unique system in place. After learning about the US system, we took a break for lunch and to explore the markets. Aix-en-Provence is known for their markets where you can find anything from clothes to fresh produce. We all enjoyed getting to explore these markets while also getting some fresh air!

After our break, we went back to the university and got to hear from a couple guest speakers. The first speaker was Emmanuelle Hartmann and she talked to us about women’ s health in France. We got the opportunity to hear about major milestones in France’s healthcare as well as some of the contemporary topics that are relevant to Aix-en-Provence specifically regarding women’s health. We then heard from Nitin and Benjamin, they explained the differences in France’s healthcare versus the United States. We discussed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in France’s healthcare to conclude the class. Overall, we are having a great time exploring France while also learning so much about healthcare systems!