DAINFERN/BEAULIEU COLLEGE TOUR TO FRANCE ~ AUGUST 2006
5 August 2006 Bon voyage!
There was great excitement as everyone gathered at Johannesburg International this evening. The group will be spending two weeks at the language school in Antibes, where they will study French with students from all over the world. They will be staying with host families, thereby benefiting from a full immersion into the French culture and I have no doubt that they will return enormously enriched from the experience. This website is only as good as the news I receive, so whilst I rely primarily on the chaperones, I would like to encourage all parents to drop me a line whenever you hear from your children. Please rest assured that arrangements are firmly in place and all things being equal, your children will have the most wonderful experience. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns.
Written by: Jenny Peddle
6 August 2006 Tout va bien!
I received an sms early this morning to say that the group had arrived safely in Paris. Other than a fair amount of turbulence, the flight went well and all were in good spirits. Upon arrival in Nice, they were greeted by the management team from the language school and they introduced the children to their host families. Although obviously a little apprehensive, all seemed happy and positive. They have been encouraged to relax this afternoon and to recharge their batteries for the exciting few weeks which await them. Please note that I will be flying over to France tonight and will from tomorrow be on a new cell no – 09 33 6 18 55 78 25. I will be checking my emails daily and the website entries will continue. I will check that all your children are fine and it is my intention to join them on their excursion to Villefranche and Beaulieu-sur-Mer on Wednesday. If you have any emergencies within the next 24 hours, please contact my husband, Clive on 082 454 9746. A demain!
Written by: Jenny Peddle
7 August 2006 A glorious day in Antibes!
What a glorious summer's day to arrive on the Cote d' Azur and what a shame it seems to be spending it in a stuffy internet cafe! But with three groups touring at the moment, c' est la vie! Your children are all very happy in this idyllic situation and even the fear of ' le test' this morning couldn't dampen their spirits!After an informative orientation tour of Antibes, they were given some free time to explore the shops and the yacht-lined seafront with their friends. I will be visiting the group at the school tomorrow to make sure that all is 100% fine and will sort out any problems, should they arise. Your precious children are all in good hands and you can be assured that they are having the most wonderful experience.
Written by: Jenny Peddle
8 August 2006 All fine and off to Cannes
I went to the school this morning and met with your children and the teachers during tea-break. We chatted about their host families and their class placings and they were encouraged to be entirely honest with me, since changes are always possible. Other than three pupils who wished to move up a level, all seemed more than happy. There are 150 students at the school and your children are really enjoying mixing with all the other international students. After lunch they made their way to the station in Antibes and travelled by train to Cannes. They thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and the weather was perfect for the outing. The view from Le Suquet was magnificent and well worth the steep climb through the narrow streets!They were given free time at the end of the afternoon, which they all used to shop along 'La Croisette'!
Written by: Jenny Peddle
9 August 2006 Beautiful drive to Beaulieu-sur-Mer
Everyone enjoyed the lessons this morning and I joined them for lunch, which included a 'plat du jour', chips, salads, cold meats, a selection of fruits and cheeses + a variety of yogurts and desserts! At 1.30pm we boarded the luxury coach and had a thoroughly enjoyable journey to Villefranche and Beaulieu-sur-Mer. The Villa Ephrussi was magnificent and well worth the visit. We arrived back in Antibes at 6.45pm and, with the sun still high in the sky, there was talk of walking on the beachfront before returning to the host families.
Written by: Jenny Peddle
10 August 2006 What glorious weather!
What a glorious summer's day and after morning class, there was a unanimous decision to spend the afternoon sunbathing on one of the many beaches available in Antibes and Juan les Pins. With so many planned activites, it comes as a welcome change to have a free afternoon to relax with friends.
Written by: Jenny Peddle
11 August 2006 Wonderful excursion to Monaco
It's hard to believe that the students have completed a whole week of lessons and they have found them really stimulating and fun. After lunch, they all made their way to the station, where they boarded the train to Monaco. They thoroughly enjoyed this excursion and were delighted to bump into the students from Bishop Bavin and Woodlands International College!Their 'animateur' for the outing was Valentin, whom the children love!He is young, good -looking and energetic, but also responsible and informative. The palace and cathedral were "awesome" and the views were indescribably beautiful. On the return journey they witnessed a 'live' dispute between the train driver and one of the passengers on the platform, which apparently became quite aggressive. This led to a delay and they had to hot-foot it to catch another train home. These are all stories which add to the excitement of the day!
Written by: Jenny Peddle
12 August 2006 Fun in the sun at AquaSplash
The day started with a chilly breeze, but by the time the group arrived at AquaSplash, the sun had made its grand appearance! They all had a marvellous day swimming, relaxing and just having fun. The group has gelled so well and the teachers are delighted with everyone's behaviour. Bravo!
Written by: Jenny Peddle
13 August 2006 Les Iles de Lerins
Today the group enjoyed an excursion to Les Iles de Lerins, where the 'Man in the Iron Mask' was incarcerated. They were going to spend some time at Juan les Pins in the afternoon, but there was a unanimous decision to return directly to Antibes and relax on home turf! Please note that I will be flying home later tonight and am due to arrive back in SA tomorrow morning. Should you have any concerns in the meantime, Mme Cade may be contacted on 09 33 6 159 77 249. A demain--
Written by: Jenny Peddle
14 August 2006 Excursion to St Paul de Vence
Me voila en Afrique du Sud! The Centre International d'Antibes reports that the children have clearly grown in confidence to speak French and the educators are very pleased with their progress. The excursion today was to St Paul de Vence, which is a medieval town and an artist's haven. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed this visit and loved the quaint streets and beautiful views from this vantage point. Quite a few of the children have had sore throats whist some are coughing and headachy. The teachers are helping them over this as far as possible with T.L.C. and with tomorrow being a public holiday, a lazy morning will probably help them to recover. Your children all seem very happy with their host families and they are taking full advantage of this total immersion into the French culture.
Written by: Jenny Peddle
15 August 2006 Un jour ferie en France
Today was a public holiday in France and, with no formal classes scheduled for this morning, everyone seized the opportunity to sleep in! At 1.30pm they boarded their luxury coach and made their way to Grasse, where they all thoroughly enjoyed their visit to the Fragonard perfumery. After purchasing many gifts, they continued on to the spectacular perched hilltop village of Gourdon. In spite of the drizzle, everyone was very happy and relaxed and all thoroughly enjoyed the day.
Written by: Jenny Peddle
16 August 2006 Train to Nice - 'en panne'!
I regularly visit the school in Antibes and find that the train is the quickest and most effective way to communicate with towns along the Riviera. I find it unbelievable and so unfortunate that on all three occasions that our group has used the train, there has been an incident! On their return journey from Cannes, they witnessed a man hitting a woman, in Monaco there was an altercation between the train driver and a passenger on the platform and on the way to Nice the train broke down, which resulted in an hour's delay in arrival. What bad luck! In spite of the frustration, their animateur, Jean-Marie chatted away and kept their spirits up – he was apparently marvellous, teaching many of them La Marseillaise! When they eventually arrived in Nice, they headed straight for the Promenade des Anglais and whilst some decided to swim, the majority chose to shop! The teachers went for a pancake to recover from the long walk and they report that "all this walking is keeping us fit, but that's cool!" Everything went well on the return journey and they enjoyed a relaxing evening with their host families.
Written by: Jenny Peddle
17 August 2006 Update from teachers
I have just received an email from the teachers with additional information, so please note that I have updated the entries for the last few days. All seem to have been very happy with their classes, their teachers and with what they have learnt at the Centre International d'Antibes. Mme Cade and M Michel have been monitoring the situation and in their opinion, "all have made good progress and enjoyed the lessons at the same time". Today they had a free afternoon and many students decided to go to Cannes by train (very brave!) to do some 'serious' shopping! They had apparently spied some 'cool shops' when they first visited Cannes and they had subsequently organized more euros for their return visit! Drummond wanted to buy a suit and the rest of them wanted to watch him buy it!! Everyone was looking forward to the barbecue tonight and hopefully the rain would hold off. The time has passed so very quickly and it is hard to believe that they only have one more day left in this beautiful part of the world.
Written by: Jenny Peddle
18 August 2006 Happy news from Antibes
I received a lovely email from Mrs Janet Cade and copy it in its entirety: "Well, here we are at the end of our 'séjour' in Antibes. We have had a wonderful time and the youngsters have really enjoyed it. They have made good progress too on the language front and enjoyed their teachers. We have had a variety of comments about the families and particularly like these: 'I think our family is the best. We have so much fun and have become really part of the family'. 'Our mother is a chef and has a pizza restaurant downstairs, so she invited our friends to come to the pizza place to eat dinner -- it was so cool!' The barbecue last night was fantastic and what an amazing spread they had prepared for us! There was music and the 'animateurs' chatted to everyone and put them at ease. After dinner they had prepared lots of games and we ended up playing musical chairs, with les sud-afs, une luxembourgeoise, une autricienne, un allemand competing for the seats. Les sud-afs won, of course, with Gioya proving to be the 'star sud-af'! Great fun and laughter, after which they passed the microphone from person to person and each one was asked to sing something - great fun! This morning, the students were given their certificates and then came the sad farewells. Jean-Marie, our animateur, was overwhelmed by the gifts everyone gave him. He was such fun and thoroughly enjoyed being with us too. Everyone complimented us on the students, commenting on how they had really wanted to improve and had been exemplary in every way! It is a beautiful day and ever yone has gone off to the beach (I am off there too for the last time - at least that way I wont spend any more money in the wonderful shops and market!!!) Here we come Paris!" What a heart-warming email to receive and I am sure that you are as delighted to read it as I am. They will board the TGV to Paris at 7.30am tomorrow and all will feel very 'posh' being placed in FIRST class! They will arrive at the Gare de Lyon just before 1.00pm, where they will be greeted by their Tour Escort, Mme Catherine Brouchard. Should you wish to contact your children at the hotel in Paris over the next few days, the telephone number is 09 33 1 53 74 60 00 and the fax number is 09 33 1 40 47 01 49.
Written by: Jenny Peddle
19 August 2006 Safe arrival in Paris
The group had a comfortable and relaxing journey to Paris on the TGV and this restored everyone's faith in the French railway system! Upon arrival, they were warmly greeted by their friendly and efficient guide, who accompanied them to their hotel. After checking in and freshening up, they made their way by metro to the Champs Elysees. Apparently one of the children was too slow to board, but Catherine saved the day and all was well! They all learnt a valuable lesson. In class, students read about and see pictures of the Arc de Triomphe, but to be actually standing there and seeing it in all its majesty, was an awesome and memorable experience for all. They loved shopping on the world's most famous and elegant boulevard and the many and varied designer packets which were taken back to their hotel laid testimony to this! They also decided to visit the unbelievable 'Grande Arche', which everyone found breathtaking. The evening was spent in the area around La Defense, where they relaxed and enjoyed dinner, before returning to the hotel. A very full and successful first day in Paris!
Written by: Jenny Peddle
20 August 2006 Another full day in Paris
I have just received a fax from Mme Janet Cade who reports: "What a lovely day we had in Paris! After viewing the Place du Palais Royal, we saw the Old Opera in the distance and then came round the corner to the breathtaking view of the Louvre, with its famous 'Pyramide'. There followed two hours of fascinating viewing of the Louvre, before a relaxing lunch break in the food-court. We then walked past La Sainte-Chapelle to Notre Dame Cathedral, with its exquisite rose windows and then we gradually made our way up to Sacre Coeur. Unfortunately it was raining and overcast, but everyone, along with masses of other tourists, were in awe of the beautiful white basilica. Luckily the rain stopped and we were able to go along the small back streets around the Place du Tertre, where we all found various eateries. Some made purchases, two had their portraits painted and others took a ride on the carousel! It was a very full and enjoyable day and the weary group returned to the hotel, really looking forward to their beds!"
Written by: Jenny Peddle
21 August 2006 Disneyland Paris
The children had a wonderful day at Disneyland Paris and even the teachers had fun! Highlights included meeting the Disney characters, braving the hectic rides (especially Space Mountain!) and witnessing the flamboyant parade in the Main Street. These vivid memories will remain with them forever.
Written by: Jenny Peddle
22 August 2006 Final full day in Paris
Mme Francoise Billault was their escort today and she accompanied the group on the RER to Versailles, where she gave them an enlightening two-hour guided tour. Everyone was in awe of this extravagant palace, with its beautifully manicured gardens and they found it difficult to believe that 'people actually once lived here'! After lunch they made their way to the 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower, from where they had the most breathtaking view over Paris. A leisurely cruise on the river Seine and then back to the hotel for a relatively early night to relax, chat with friends and pack.
Written by: Jenny Peddle
23 August 2006 Bon retour!
Mixed emotions abound on their final day in 'la belle France'. Whilst all are obviously looking forward to seeing family and friends back home, everyone is left with a sense of sadness at having to say farewell to people they have grown so accustomed to seeing on a daily basis. As parents, you have certainly afforded your children the most wonderful opportunity and I have no doubt that each and ever y child will return not only academically enriched, but enriched as a person, having matured and grown in confidence. To act 'in loco parentis' for 3 weeks is no mean task and I sincerely hope that the love and care of the chaperones, M Jean Luc Michel and Mme Janet Cade, have been fully appreciated. All flights are confirmed and the group is to depart on AF 990 at 23h15 arriving in Johannesburg at 09h40 on Thursday 24 August. I have advised the chaperones that, at this stage, Air France has not imposed any restrictions on hand luggage for those passengers flying to South Africa, but if anyone is concerned, they should rather pack liquids, gels and creams into their checked baggage. I have also reminded them that Air France is VERY strict re overweight cases – so hopefully there will be no tears at the airport. It has been a real privilege to work once again with Dainfern College and to include Beaulieu College and Sacred Heart. It remains for me to say 'merci, bon voyage, bon retour et a la prochaine--!
Written by: Jenny Peddle