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Ryan Kemp travels to Paris, Dubai during Academy summer program
July 21, 2008
Senior defensive lineman Ryan Kemp was selected to travel with fellow cadets Amanda Beck, Sean Callahan, Kenneth Montague and Anne Marie Wathen on the 2008 Olmsted Trip to Paris, Dubai and Reims. The trip was part of the Academy's summer programs. Below is the group's memories from the trip along with photos. Day 1 - 5/31/08 Today we got the chance to explore a little of Paris on the Champs Elysée. We went to the oldest bakery in Paris called Laduree before heading to see the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. Both monuments seemed to be larger than life, and it was neat to see "living history" because it's something we don't have much of back in the U.S. Day 2 - 6/1/08 This morning we got to visit the Louvre. All the museums in Paris are free on the 1st Sunday of the month, so it was packed, and the Mona Lisa was probably the least impressive piece in the entire museum! The Louvre itself and its courtyards were amazing, and it's really interesting to see how it's evolved from a king's castle to now a modern-day museum. Day 3 - 6/2/08 Still more sight-seeing to be done today. We had lunch at a little café down the street from Notre Dame. The cathedral was beautiful, but there are no church services on Monday. We were able to walk around and see all the detail in the architecture. It's really amazing how well it's been preserved over all the years. Day 4 - 6/3/08 Today was an adventure as we navigated our way through the RER to get to the Chateau of Versailles. We spent most of the afternoon touring the castle and seeing all the different parts of the house. The most amazing, and biggest room, was the hall of mirrors, which has 17 mirrors facing adjacent to 17 windows overlooking the gardens. After going through the palace, we got to walk around the gardens. They seemed to go on for days.
Day 5 - 6/4/08 Today was a travelling day from Paris to Dubai. Day 6 - 6/5/08 Today was pretty uneventful since we didn't get to our hotel until almost three o'clock in the morning. We were able to see a little of the city and Jumeirah Beach Park. The weather is a little stifling, as it was 120 degrees outside and humid! Day 7 - 6/6/08 Friday's are the Muslim holiday, much like Sunday in the U.S. so many things were closed. We were able to explore a little of the cultural food at dinner when we ate in a traditional Indian restaurant. Meals, in both France and Dubai, seem like more of an event than in the United States. They can last for hours depending on the party. Day 8 - 6/7/08 This morning we were able to go to the Dubai Museum to learn about the full history of the kingdom. The Emirates are still very young comparatively. The museum was originally a fort, which they've now converted. They have converted a lot of the forts in the Emirates into museums for that specific region. Each has a different history depending on the type of trading they could do in the local area. Day 9 - 6/8/08 Today was our mountain safari day. We took a tour through the Omani mountains and got to see some of the local farms. They really resemble an oasis because the land is so barren. Some of the farms have had to close because the price of diesel is going up, and that is what they use to pump water out of the ground. Another thing that seemed strange was all the goats and camels running around. Our tour guide said they all belong to people, but they let them out during the day to wander around the dessert. Day 10 - 6/9/08 This evening we got to go on a dinner cruise down the creek on a traditional Arab boat. The food was interesting because they eat a lot of different types of salads. The Arabic pastries are also very sweet. They use a lot of honey and different types of nuts in their desserts. The creek was beautiful at night because all the boats are lit, and you can see all the people working the markets. Day 11 - 6/10/08 This afternoon we took a city tour of Dubai where we saw the Jumeirah Mosque, the oldest homes in Dubai, the harbor, the sheikh's old residence and finally the gold and spice souks. We learned a lot throughout the tour too. The UAE is the third largest consumer of water behind the U.S. and Canada, but they are about the size of Rhode Island! Day 12 - 6/11/08 Again another travel day from Dubai to Paris and then on to Reims Day 13 - 6/12/08 After getting settled today, we were able to go downtown to see the Reims cathedral. It is one of the sisters of Notre Dame and known for its smiling angel. The Reims Notre Dame is where all the kings of France were crowned. Day 14 - 6/13/08 Today we got the chance to tour the Moet et Chandon estate. They have 18 miles of champagne cellars underground. We learned about the whole process involved in making champagne and the differences between vintage and regular bottles. Napoleon came to their estate before every battle to plan out his attacks, except for Waterloo. There is a huge barrel, almost 800 gallons, down in the cellars that he filled with port and gave to Moet et Chandon as a gift. Day 15 - 6/14/08 This morning we got the chance to visit the castle of Sedan. It was both a castle and fort and was added on to over several generations. It is said to be the largest in Europe. The fort was so formidable it was never actually attacked, but Sedan has a devastating past from the Franco-German war through WWII. Day 16 - 6/15/08 The commemoration for the cave system used during WWI was today in a town near Laon (more below). The caves were used by the 101st and 102nd infantry battalions for six weeks while defending against the Germans. The mayor revealed a memorial in honor of the men that fought there, and we were able to tour the caves to see where the American soldiers had lived. We were the first Americans to step foot in the caves since the war in 1918. Day 17 - 6/16/08 Today we got the opportunity to visit Base 112 in Reims. The French fly the Mirage F-1 here along with some smaller cargo airplanes. We toured the tower, the radar room, the intelligence offices, the hangers and then the flight simulator. Our guide was able to practice her English while we flew in the simulator. She said it is very important to have good English because it is the language of aviation today. Day 18/19 - 6/17-18/08 The last two days of our trip were left open so that we could have time to explore things we had not gotten the chance to, or go back and retrace some things we wanted more time with. We were able to go to Paris again, Dijon France and also see the traditional races in Reims. The horse races are very prestigious event in Reims every year. It is amazing the difference in the French and U.S. cultures especially with meals, sports, entertainment and health. Cooking/Eating: One of the most common meals in France is crepes. They can be served as both a main course or in dessert form. We had the chance to have dessert crepes at a café called Crepes a Gogo, which means "all you can eat." Crepes are very easy to make as long as you have a quick hand. They are similar to a very large, very thin pancake, but it is easy to burn or tear them when you are making them. The ingredients are simple: eggs, flour, water, milk, salt and butter. You can put whatever toppings you want on top such as ham, cheese and egg to make a "crepe complet" or for dessert add whipped cream, strawberries and chocolate. Transportation In Paris many people take the metro either for work, school or just travelling in general. It's very quick, convenient and cheap, especially if buying a packet of tickets. The French are far ahead of us in the area of mass public transportation. We were able to take the metro several times, and were very familiar and confident in our ability to navigate by the time we left. A Memorable Event Dedication of the quarry in Braye en Laonnois While in Reims, France; we travelled to the little village of Braye en Laonnois for the dedication of an underground quarry that was a bunker during World War I. During WWI, American, French, German, and Australian troops occupied this quarry. The commemoration of this quarry was very important to the town of Braye en Laonnois because American troops liberated the town during WWI. When we arrived in our service dress, we were warmly welcomed and ushered into an old, restored troop transporter from the WWI era. When we arrived at the quarry, about 20 men were dressed in French and American uniforms from WWI. These uniforms were real, restored soldier uniforms from the war. The mayor of Braye en Laonnois gave a speech in French about the quarry and the bonds that exist between the French and Americans due to American soldier's involvement in the town during WWI. Next, the American flag covering the commemoration plaque was lifted and the plaque was revealed. We folded the flag, and then were informed that our five names as well as Dr. Edwards' were inscribed on a block of chalk to be sealed into the quarry. We are all now officially the godparents of the quarry-the townspeople said they would never forget us. After picture taking we hopped back into the troop transporters and returned to the village for a cookout. The whole village came out to drink champagne, and then those who were invited to the barbeque (including us) stayed. We spent the next two hours eating and using our limited French to converse with the townspeople who spoke no English. It was by far the best experience of the entire trip. A trio of musicians struck up some music and a couple of us were asked to dance by a few of the people in the town. We were like celebrities to the people of the town! They kept taking pictures of us in our normal clothes just as we kept taking pictures of them in their old uniforms. After the terrific barbeque, we set off back to the quarry in the trucks-this time to actually go inside and see the hundreds of inscriptions in the chalk-like walls of the quarry. Our guide took all of the Americans to the area where the American soldiers had lived and made their marks. It was amazing to see all the carvings of pictures, names, Bible verses, phrases, etc. Many objects were still left over from 90 years ago-including boots, helmets, drinking glasses, etc. It was amazing to walk around for two hours and know that we had not even skimmed the surface of all the inscriptions and artifacts in the quarry. The hospitality of the townspeople as well as the amazing sights which lay underground made this day one of the most unforgettable of the entire trip. While many people say the French hate Americans, this was not the case at all in the town of Braye en Laonnois. The friendship which developed between the French and Americans in the trenches and quarries of World War I lives on today in the villages of France, where the people welcome Americans with open arms. Dr. Edwards, Anne Marie, Ryan, Sean, Kenny, Amanda, and Col. Wells behind the commemoration plaque for the quarry. Just a few of the hundreds of American inscriptions on the walls of the quarry. A solemn moment for those from the town of Braye en Laonnois who fell during WWI. Market/Shopping In Dubai, there are many outdoor market places called souks. The city of Dubai has almost every kind of souk one can think of; gold, spice, fish, perfume, carpet, and several more. As we travelled through the souks in the near one 100 percent humidity and 118 degree heat, vendors from every store beckoned us and latched onto us if we even so much as looked in the direction of their store. Perhaps because the vendors knew we were tourists and probably wanted to buy souvenirs, they would follow us down the alleys as we continued walking. They are very pushy and would not leave us alone unless we said "no" about 10 times. The spice souk was a long alley with cloths hung above to provide shade. The alley is lined with tiny shops owned by vendors. The smell was almost overpowering as we walked through the alley. Boxes and boxes of exotic spices lined the alley and the walls of the shops. Vendors and shoppers haggled over prices of spices and miscellaneous other products sold by the spice vendors. A few streets down from the spice souk was the gold souk. The gold souk was yet another alley, however there were not products sitting outside of the individual shops. Almost all of the little stores had glass fronts with enormous amounts of gold hanging in them. Our guide told us how much the price of gold was per ounce in Dubai, but that the prices were very high and if we wanted to bargain, then we should first offer about half of the given price. Although halving the price sounds like a pretty good deal, basically everything we saw in the gold souk was way out of our price range! However, it was fun to see all the intricate and exotic gold jewelry and to watch other customers haggle for a better price. |
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 Ryan Kemp in front of the Eiffel Tower |
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