Marie Lechantre, a French instructor in the CEA global study abroad program, recently accompanied her students on a Soundwalk tour of Saint Germain des Prés in Paris.  We have put together a collection of their comments and thank both Marie and her class for their interest in Soundwalk!

“Je pense que le Soundwalk est une idée parfaite pour les étudiants qui étudient dans un autre pays, comme nous le faisons maintenant, et c’est parfait pour avoir des informations sur un quartier spécifique.” -Andrew Gaydos, 21, Georgia

“Often times it is easy to get bored in a class. Students get into a rut and have a hard time breaking the cycle of constant lectures and homework. It was incredibly refreshing to step outside of the norm and do something that not only helped me learn more about Paris but experience it first hand. I’m glad that I was provided the opportunity to take part in something that I otherwise would have been unaware of. It helped give me a new perspective on Parisian life and just how much history is present in every little part, the known and especially the unknown.” -Cassie Weinman

“Le concept est toujours original! Il y a beaucoup, beaucoup d’histoires sur beaucoup d’endroits dans la ville de Paris, et le Soundwalk est bien documenté. Maintenant, je veux essayer le Soundwalk dans ma ville, New York, quand j’y retournerai, parce que je suis sûre qu’il y a beaucoup de choses que je ne sais pas.” -Amanda Fox, 20, New York

“I think it’s a great learning tool, especially for students who hate being in a classroom every day. There is a lot of history that can be learned. I also enjoyed how there was a complete narrative, with real characters. It wasn’t just historical facts about Paris being pounded into our minds, but rather it was a well thought out, scripted narrative which was then accompanied by a lot of important history. It makes it much more interesting and it’s easier to keep one’s attention when such aspects are applied.” -Christopher DeMichel, 21, Ohio

“J’espère utiliser Soundwalk pour plus de villes. Je suis très contente de mon expérience de Soundwalk, c’est une bonne chose à faire pour apprendre une autre langue et une autre culture en même temps. Si je n’avais pas écouté le Soundwalk, je ne saurais pas tout ce que je sais maintenant.” -Sara Sciabbarrasi, 20, New Jersey

“I enjoyed the Soundwalk because it was a good way to get out of the classroom and learn some history about a very interesting part of Paris. The narration was good because it was more of a story rather than a woman just saying facts that would probably be forgotten.” -Courtney Lind, 21, Oregon

Click here to read all of the students’ comments.

If you are an educator and are interested in incorporating Soundwalk audio tours into your teaching please contact us at info@soundwalk.com

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“The brisk November wind was threatening to break through my jacket as I stepped out of the metro.  Turning left, I located Rue de la Banque–the starting place for my Palais Royal Soundwalk.  With freezing fingers, I plugged in my headphones and pressed play, immediately hearing the honey-like voice of Helene Fillieres infiltrate my mind.  As the tour began and I set off towards the Palais Royal, the dropping temperature around me seemed less and less significant.  Before I knew it, I was in another world, surrendering myself to the story unfolding around me.  My stride naturally fell in place with hers and I could have sworn the sound of footsteps on gravel that filled my ears was caused by me rather than a brilliant sound effect.  The tour took me into stores and cafés that I would have otherwise missed had I been merely strolling on my own.  A tiny bookstore here (my favorite was Librairie Jousseaume), a hidden café there–each one with its own story, just waiting to be told.

My favorite, and most memorable part of the Soundwalk, however, was its ability to involve so many of ones’ senses at once:  taste, sight, sound, smell…something you’d never find on your average audio tour.  When I stepped into Salon Shiseido-Serge Lutens, a stunningly beautiful perfume store, I was instructed to smell a specific scent that, of course, had a story of its own to tell.  Then, at the end of the Soundwalk, I slipped into a café and drank hot chocolate in a café alongside Miss Fillieres, the warm, rich aroma providing the perfect ending to such an intriguing hour.

Somewhere in the midst of the tour, I remembered that I had walked the same passageways on a fieldtrip for class but this time, it all seemed completely different.  Doorways and windows I had simply strolled by the last time suddenly became consequential as I learned of the history they held behind their seemingly insignificant exteriors.  Ten times more exciting than a movie and infinitely more enjoyable than an average audio guide, yesterday’s Soundwalk was a unique and surreal experience that I feel lucky to have had.” -Esther (Paris)

For more about the Paris Palais Royal Soundwalk here.

Esther is a senior at Boston University spending the semester in Paris.

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