INDEPENDENT TOUR TO FRANCE – APRIL 2014
WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL D DAY!
After months & months of anticipation, D day has finally dawned and a group of very excited youngsters gathered in the International Departure Hall at OR Tambo this afternoon. Check-in went smoothly and once through emigration, everyone had time to relax, bond and browse in the duty free shops. We will all meet at the designated boarding gate at 17h30 and everyone is looking forward to flying on the magnificent A380, a veritable hotel in the sky! Arrival at Roissy Charles de Gaulle is scheduled for 06h00 tomorrow and I will update the site as soon as I have internet connectivity. Many of the mums might be feeling sad and the students themselves might be a little anxious, but please rest assured that an amazing experience awaits them and Mrs Howard & I realize that the safety & security of your precious children is of paramount importance. A demain….
THURSDAY 24 APRIL BIENVENUE A PARIS!
We arrived a little behind schedule this morning and everyone was so excited to be in Paris! We freshened up and changed at the airport in order to avoid the morning rush hour traffic and at 09h00 we hopped on board our coach and travelled to the Hotel Campanile Gare du Nord (Tel: 00 33 1 40 34 38 38). Here we left our luggage in the bagagerie, before setting off by metro to the Louvre and after many photo-shoots, we strolled through the Tuileries Gardens, enjoying crêpes, gaufres et les hot dogs français at La Place de la Concorde. At 13h00 we returned to the hotel to unpack and recharge batteries (literally & metaphorically!) and at 16h00 we will be heading to Montmartre. Here we will climb the steps to the beautiful basilica of Sacré Coeur, before making our way to the Place du Tertre, where some no doubt will be tempted to have their portraits painted! Dinner will be at the famous restaurant La Cremaillère, where we will enjoy a delicious 3-course meal - everyone is very happy and having a wonderful time in Paris!
FRIDAY 25 APRIL QUELLE JOURNEE A PARIS!
Everyone was so grateful for a slower start to the day and at 10h30 we all hopped on the metro, very excited at the thought of spending a few hours on the Champs Elysées! At 14h00 we walked through the passage souterrin to visit the tomb of the Unknown Soldier which lies under the magnificent Arc de Triomphe, before returning to the hotel to off-load parcels and relax. At 16h00 we will make our way to the River Seine, where we will enjoy a cruise + commentary on all the famous landmarks of Paris and this will be followed by a 3 course dinner alongside the river. At 20h00 we will meet our guide for our private coach tour of Paris by night, after which we will ascend to the 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower for a spectacular view of this iconic city!
SATURDAY 26 APRIL EVERYONE LOVES PARIS!
After another good night’s sleep, we made our way by metro to the Musée du Louvre and because we were a little early for our scheduled visit, we had time to explore the wonderful shops around La Pyramide Inversée. At 11h15 we were introduced to our delightful guide, Pauline - all donned headphones and everyone so appreciated her informative commentary, as she used the latest ‘whisper system’ to communicate. The Brescia girls then had a wonderful surprise as they coincidentally met up with other students from their school who are on an Art Tour – great excitement indeed! Thereafter we travelled to the Hôtel de Ville (Paris’ very impressive town hall) and here we ate lunch before strolling to Notre Dame, where we marveled at the beauty of this magnificent cathedral. We then walked behind the cathedral and across the bridge to the left bank, where the girls were enchanted to see all the lovers’ locks – so very romantic in this city of love! Our final visit for the day was to Galéries Lafayette, one of the most famous department stores in the world and here we had some free time to explore and appreciate the beauty of this national monument. We are now safely back 'home' and tonight the group will be given a few options for dinner, all the restaurants being within close proximity of the hotel. Everyone has really loved their time in Paris and even though we have had a few showers, this has certainly not dampened our spirits in any way! We leave tomorrow morning for the south of France ..… ã demain!
SUNDAY 27 APRIL BIENVENUE A LA COTE D'AZUR!
Whilst sad to say au revoir to Paris, all were really excited to commence the next phase of the tour! The group arrived at Orly Airport at 10h30 and once on the plane, everyone was able to relax and catch up on some much needed sleep en route to the Côte d’Azur. We were warmly greeted by Stan, the gorgeous animateur from Le Centre International d’Antibes and after initial introductions & banter, everyone hopped on board the coach to Le Château. Here we enjoyed delicious baguettes, before walking into Antibes for an orientation tour of la vieille ville and at 17h45 we returned to the school, where Mrs Howard & I chatted to all the host families as they collected their ‘children’. Everyone left in fine spirits and I feel certain that they will be very happy with their designated familles d’accueil. Should there be any concerns, they all have my telephone number as well as Mrs Howards and everyone is aware that they may call us at any time of the day or night. Bon séjour à tout le monde … we look forward to hearing all the stories tomorrow morning!
MONDAY 28 APRIL LESSONS + EXCURSION TO CANNES!
After a good night’s rest everyone arrived bright-eyed at Le Château this morning, all chatting excitedly about their various host families! The Grade 10 students from Brescia were placed immediately in a class to suit their level of French, whilst the senior students did ‘le test’, where they were assessed on their written & oral competence. After a delicious lunch in the school restaurant, we all hopped on board the train to Cannes and the first visit was to Le Suquet, a landmark which affords a magnificent view over the yacht-lined bay & the Estérel Mountains. On return to the beachfront, we visited the Palais des Festivals, home to the annual Cannes Film Festival and thereafter the group was delighted to have ‘du temps libre’, which equates to some free time to shop! They quickly passed the exclusive boutiques along La Croisette, before making their way to the well-known brand stores such as Zara, Morgan and Galéries Lafayette! They were also delighted to discover the even more affordable shops on la Rue Meynadier, which boast an abundance of bargains in all shapes and sizes!At 17h00, armed with an array of parcels, a happy band of travellers hopped on board the train and returned to Antibes. We will meet again at 19h00 for a soirée barbeque in Juan les Pins – it will no doubt be a wonderful evening, with plenty of food and social interaction with the other international students!
TUESDAY 29 APRIL EXCURSION TO FRAGONARD PERFUMERY + FLORIAN CONFISSERIE
Lessons were great fun this morning and everyone is so much more confident to communicate in French! After lunch, all enjoyed relaxing and chatting to friends on the lawn in the warm sunshine, before hopping on board the coach to Grasse. Dubbed the ‘balcony of Provence’ for its magnificent panoramic views, it is also the home of French perfume and at the Fragonard Parfumerie everyone enjoyed a fascinating & most informative tour. After making several purchases at the on-site boutique and having had a brief tour through the vieille ville, the tour continued to the Florian confisserie in the Gorges du Loup. This is world renowned for its sweets, chocolates & jams and also boasts an on-site boutique! Laden with packets, all returned in high spirits, which even a flat battery in the coach could not dampen and all were unanimous that it was truly a wonderful afternoon!
WEDNESDAY 30 APRIL INTENSIVE FRENCH TODAY!
All thoroughly enjoyed their ‘cours internationaux’ this morning and after lunch les Sud-Afs were divided into 2 groups and assigned to a teacher for 3 hours of ‘cours fermés’. These lessons replaced those that will be missed tomorrow, as it is public holiday, le 1 mai. Everyone spent the first hour creating relevant questions for a survey and then they were given the task of interviewing locals & shop owners, before returning to discuss their findings. This was such a good hands-on communicative experience, which they all thoroughly enjoyed! After 6 hours of tuition today, they were keen to relax and the weather is absolutely glorious - everyone is very excited for tomorrow’s excursion to Monaco and Nice!
THURSDAY 1 MAY QUELLE JOURNEE MAGNIFIQUE!
Aujourd’hui c’est un jour ferié en France’, so therefore no lessons! At 09h30 we all hopped on board our coach to Monaco, passing through the beautiful towns of Villefranche, Beaulieu-sur-Mer & Eze. The scenery along the route du littoral was magnificent - with clear skies & azure blue waters, we could not have asked for a more perfect day and the breath-taking views will remain in our memories forever. Upon arrival in Monaco, everyone was struck by the cleanliness and obvious wealth of this small principality and with 1 policeman per every 60 tourists, no one even thinks of littering! All thoroughly enjoyed the ride on ‘le petit train’, which is a great tourist attraction and the informative commentary gives excellent global coverage, as it travels through the streets of the F1 racing track. We alighted at the Palace, where the flag was flying high, indicating that our very own Princess Charlene was in residence! After some souvenir shopping, we walked through the Cathedral where Prince Rainier and Princess Grace are laid to rest, before returning to our coach for our journey to Nice, dubbed the ‘Queen of the Riviera’. In Vieux Nice we visited the famous ice-cream parlour, Fenocchios, which boasts a selection of 106 different flavours, ranging from avocado - sundried tomatoes – basil – nutella – lemon meringue - mojito – cookies etc…a real hit! Everyone then made their way to the beach to soak up the ambience of the beautiful pebbled seafront and at 17h00 we returned to Antibes, having had the most enjoyable jour ferié en France!
FRIDAY 2 MAY OUR FINAL DAY ON THE COTE D'AZUR!
The week has flown by so very quickly and today marks the end of formal lessons at Le Centre International d'Antibes. All were proud recipients of a DELF accredited certificate which attests to the 15 hours of tuition and the level attained, as well as a comment from the teacher. Once again the educators have expressed their absolute delight with the South Africans, praising their positive, enthusiastic & serious approach, which has resulted in a marked improvement in their spoken French. We had all planned to go to the neighbouring town of Juan les Pins after school, but the weather was really unpleasant, rainy and cold, so only a handful opted for this. I am, however, delighted to say that by 17h00, the skies are now blue & cloudless and a beautiful final evening awaits us on the magnificent Côte d’Azur! I will shortly confirm all arrangements with regard to our departure tomorrow….
SATURDAY 3 MAY HOMEWARD BOUND!
Today marks the final day of our tour and everyone is very reluctant to leave this idyllic part of the world! We have done so much in a relatively short space of time and as a group we share so many happy memories. The airport transfer is scheduled to depart from Le Château at 13h15 and here all will say a fond farewell to their host parents who have cared for them over this last week. They will also be sad to say goodbye to Stan, our much adored animateur who has added a wonderful dimension to our group. At 16h05 we will board flight AF 7715 to Paris and once at Roissy Charles de Gaulle, the group will remain in transit and undoubtedly enjoy browsing in the duty free shops! Flight AF 990 is scheduled to depart at 23h20 tonight and to arrive at OR Tambo tomorrow, Sunday 4 May @ 09h50. It has once again been my great joy and privilege to escort an outstanding group of students to France and they have fully embraced every opportunity. To act ‘in loco parentis’ is no mean task and I would sincerely like to thank Elizabeth Howard who has been a superb companion and we share very fond memories of our tour to France with your children. Merci beaucoup ma chère amie ~ I value your professionalism, ‘personal touch’ and especially your friendship! It has been such a successful & happy tour and as parents you can rest assured that you have afforded your children the most wonderful opportunity. I have no doubt that each and every child will return not only academically enriched, but enriched as a person, having matured and grown in confidence and the precious memories & firm bonds of friendships will last a lifetime. It remains for me to wish you all a happy home-coming ~ ‘merci beaucoup, bon retour et a la prochaine’!