INDEPENDENT TOUR TO FRANCE – APRIL 2016
WEDNESDAY 13 APRIL D DAY
Who knew that Wednesday 13th would have a mind of its own! Everything was on track for a smooth departure today, until the message was received from Air France that the inbound plane had been delayed and therefore the flight scheduled for tonight to Paris would be delayed by 8 hours! Goodness, what a lot of admin followed, but parents were generally very accepting and we all gathered in high spirits at ORT as planned at 15h00. Our group comprises 22 students in total, with representation from St Andrew’s School for Girls, Redhill School, St John’s College and Trident House in Zambia! Check-in went smoothly and after much social banter & fond farewells, we all made our way through Emigration. All went well, in spite of one child not having a full unabridged birth certificate (!!) …but fortunately, some very sweet talking solved this problem! Once through this obstacle, we re-grouped and I went through a lot of the procedure which is necessary for a tour to run smoothly. We then parted company, with all eagerly heading towards either Mugg & Bean or Jackson’s to redeem their meal vouchers. We will reassemble at 22h00 to ensure that all are fine and that everything is on track, before hopefully boarding at 02h00 tomorrow morning. This delayed departure certainly presented us with a curved ball, but nothing is distracting everyone from the excitement of a wonderful adventure en France. I will update the site as soon as I have connectivity tomorrow, but please rest assured that your precious children are in safe hands and all are really happy. A reminder that photos will also be loaded on a facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Personal-Touch-Schooltours-April-Independent-2016-1096023930448961/ A demain…..
THURSDAY 14 APRIL MORE CUREVED BALLS, BUT LOVING PARIS!
It is now 23h00 and the first time I have got near to my computer today! Goodness, what a whirlwind of adventures and I will write more in detail tomorrow when I have the energy! In summary, the group has bonded so well and in spite of the huge curved ball of the delayed departure, all remained in high spirits and enjoyed a good sleep once on the plane. Sadly 6 of our group, along with many, many others on the flight did not have their luggage delivered, so yet another curved ball. But even this could not dampen our spirits as friends offered to share clothes. I opened a case file for each one and have this minute received a message to say that the cases will be delivered tomorrow! Our evening in Montmartre was superb and everyone already feels Parisien and all simply 'just love the city'! More tomorrow ...off for some well needed rest!
FRIDAY 15 APRIL A WONDERFUL DAY IN PARIS!
All thoroughly enjoyed a good night’s sleep and, after a sumptuous breakfast, we set off for our visit to the Louvre. The children were overwhelmed by the beauty of this former palace and their specialist guide introduced them to so many incredible ‘gems’. They then had some free time to enjoy the Louvre’s ‘mini-Mall’ and Starbucks was a firm favourite! Thereafter we made our way to Paris’ ornate Hôtel de Ville, from where we crossed to Notre Dame on Ile de la Cité and mercifully the queues were not long at all. We then travelled by metro to Boulevard Haussman, which is dominated by the glorious department store Galéries Lafayette, where they all enjoyed a few hours of retail therapy! Upon return to our hotel, we were delighted to find 5 of the 6 missing suitcases, which was a real relief, but poor Isabella has to wait until a little later tonight for hers. We enjoyed dinner in the hotel restaurant and the food was simply delicious, thoroughly enjoyed by all. We will have a slightly later start tomorrow, before we take on the Champs Elysées, followed by a cruise on the Seine, a coach tour of Paris by night and ultimately the Eiffel Tower at 22h30. All are having the most wonderful time and are such good friends!
SATURDAY 16 APRIL A WONDERFUL DAY FOR ALL!
Joyeux Anniver saire ã Jenny…and how spoilt was I! For starters, the hotel and my French Tour Operator presented me with the largest and most beautiful bunch of flowers upon our arrival on Thursday. This morning the group sang a hearty Happy Birthday and spoilt me with a very special box of Parisian chocolates, as well as a bunch of lovely flowers…merci mille fois! After breakfast we made our way to the Champs Elysées, where all had ample time to explore the many 'gems' on this famous boulevard! We returned to our hotel at 14h00 to relax a little and at 16h00 we will make our way to the Seine, where we will enjoy a cruise with commentary, followed by a delicious 3 course meal. Thereafter we will have a wonderful guided tour of Paris by night and to complete our amazing day, we will all ascend the Eiffel Tower at 22h30, before returning to the hotel by coach around 23h30. What a happy & memorable day! Off to the south of France tomorrow….
SUNDAY 17 APRIL ONWARD TO THE COTE D’AZUR AND GREAT EXCITEMENT!
Joyeux Anniversaire a Solyle … and what a special day to celebrate her 17th birthday! Our coach arrived at 08h00 and whilst everyone has absolutely loved Paris, all are so excited to experience part 2 on the wondrous Côte d’Azur! At Orly Airport we were fortunate enough to fast track the queues and once on the plane, many were able to catch up on some much needed sleep! Upon arrival in Nice, we were greeted by Romain, our animateur for the week from Le Centre International d’Antibes, who escorted us to the coach bound for Antibes. At Le Château, everyone was able to store their luggage, change clothing, take a picnic lunch AND enjoy the delicious cake which the school had prepared for the birthday girl! At 14h30 we all set off for an orientation tour of the vieille ville - the views from the ancient city ramparts were magnificent and everyone has immediately fallen in love with this idyllic part of the world! Thereafter they enjoyed some free time to explore this fascinating city, before returning to Le Château, where they were introduced to their familles d’accueil. I have no doubt that your precious children will be in good hands, but if there are any concerns, they are aware that they may call me any time day or night. Bon séjour à tout le monde and I look forward to chatting to all tomorrow morning, when we meet at the school...
MONDAY 18 APRIL 'LE TEST', COURS FERMES, MONACO & LA SOIREE BARBECUE!
Adele and I met with a group of very animated students at Le Château this morning, all sharing stories of their familles d’accueil! There are several nationalities represented at the school this week and the atmosphere was electric. At 09h00 the students were called into class, where they did the oral & written assessment, after which they enjoyed ‘cours fermés’ and tomorrow, based on the results of their test, they will be placed in classes to suit their individual level of French. After a delicious lunch in the restaurant which overlooks the azure blue waters of the Mediterranean and the snow-capped mountains of the Alps, we departed for Monaco. Driving along the ‘route du littoral’, we admired the magnificent views along this winding coastal road and we could not have asked for a more perfect day! Upon arrival in Monaco, everyone was struck by the cleanliness and obvious wealth of this small principality - 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 race track, passing in front of the world renowned Monte Carlo Casino. We hopped off at Le Palais, all hoping to catch a glimpse of our very own Princess Charlène with her twins, but sadly the flag was not flying, which indicated that the royal family was not in residence. We then had some time for souvenir shopping, before visiting the Cathedral, after which we returned to our coach bound for Antibes. Tonight there is a ‘soiree barbecue’ (a fancy braai!), where all the students from the various countries will gather and this is guaranteed to be great fun, with plenty of food and social interaction!
TUESDAY 19 APRIL COURS INTERNATIONAUX & EXCURSION TO CANNES!
When Adele and I arrived at the school this morning, we were greeting with beaming faces and many stories of how wonderful last night’s entertainment was. Apparently les Sud-Afs really got the party started and in Krishan’s words of high praise, ‘‘the evening was dope Madame’’!! At 08h45 they all went to their various classes, where they will enjoy ‘cours internationaux’ with students of different nationalities. I spoke with their teachers, who reiterated how delighted they were to again have a group of South Africans and they confirmed that the emphasis would be placed on improving their communicative skills and their confidence to speak. After another delicious lunch in the school cafeteria which overlooks the azure blue waters of the Mediterranean and the snow-capped Alps, we all made our way to the train station for the scheduled excursion to Cannes. Our first visit was to the Palais des Festivals, which is famous for hosting the Cannes Film Festival in May and thereafter some chose to visit Le Suquet, a landmark which affords a magnificent view over the yacht-lined bay & the Estérel Mountains. The group was then afforded ‘du temps libre’ (free time!) and the majority swarmed to the well-known brand stores such as Zara, Morgan, Sephora and Galéries Lafayette, whilst others were delighted to discover the more affordable shops on the Rue Meynadier, which boast an abundance of bargains in all shapes and sizes! At 18h00, armed with an array of packets, we returned to Antibes and all are looking forward to an early night’s sleep to recharge batteries!
WEDNESDAY 20 APRIL SCHOOL + PARFUMERIE + CHOCOLATERIE!
Joyeux Anniversaire a Iwani! It was such a joy to chat to the group at lunchtime – they are all thoroughly enjoying their lessons and feeling more confident to communicate in French! Before our afternoon excursion, we presented Iwani with her present and a wonderful cake, accompanied by a hearty “Happy Birthday to You!”… en francais bien sur! We then hopped on board our coach bound for Grasse, dubbed the ‘balcony of Provence’ for its magnificent panoramic views and the home of French perfume. At the Fragonard Parfumerie, our delightful guide led us on a most informative tour and all thoroughly enjoyed their visit to the on-site boutique. We then walked through the fascinating vieille ville of Grasse, where we visited the Chocolaterie du Planteur, a family-run enterprise which was very much appreciated by all …especially the free tastings! What a wonderful day we had and all returned in high spirits!
THURSDAY 21 APRIL SCHOOL + EXCURSION TO NICE
Everyone arrived at school this morning in high spirits, once again looking forward to improving their spoken French and mingling with the other international students. After lunch all hopped on board the train to Nice, ‘Queen of the Riviera’ and upon arrival we walked down Boulevard Jean Medecin to the spectacular Place Masséna which is dominated by the Fontaine du Soleil, where Apollo stands in all his glory! Romain shared some history of this beautiful city, before guiding us through the narrow streets of quaint Vieux Nice and all were spoilt for choice when they arrived at the famous Fenocchios - 107 different flavours of ice-cream on offer, including avocado, sundried tomatoes, Nutella, Ferrera Rocher, Nougat, Noisette, Cactus, Menthe, Violette, Coca Cola; Pinacolada; Basil, cookies etc ….. and even mojito & beer!! All were then delighted to have ‘du temps libre’ and whilst some chose to stroll along the seafront to admire the magnificent views of the Riviera, the majority headed back to Boulevard Jean Medecin to enjoy the well-known brand boutiques. We gathered again at 17h30 for our return journey to Antibes, all agreeing whole-heartedly the ‘Nice is very nice indeed!!’
FRIDAY 22 APRIL - OUR FINAL DAY ON THE CÔTE D'AZUR
The week in Antibes has flown by so very quickly and today marked 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 were full of praise for the SA students, commenting on their positive & enthusiastic approach, as well as the marked improvement in their confidence to communicate. After lunch we gathered as a group to discuss all the arrangements for the rest of today and for our departure tomorrow. We then spent some special time on the lawn, where our animateur, Romain was showered with an array of African-flavoured gifts. He has certainly been a lovely addition to our group and I have very much appreciated his contribution. Tonight there is a planned excursion to Juan les Pins, which is a vibrant sea-side resort lying adjacent to Antibes and everyone is looking forward to this. The weather is lovely, so we will start with a walk along the beautiful beachfront, before heading to Pam Pam’s which is a trendy & tasteful 'cocktail bar’ with a superb ambience, boasting a wide variety of non-alcoholic cocktails and ice cream sundaes, all adorned with exotic umbrellas & other decorative paraphernalia! It will no doubt be a wonderful way to end out time on the Côte d’Azur!
SATURDAY 23 APRIL AU REVOIR A LA BELLE FRANCE!
The group has grown so close and last night at Pam Pam’s was the perfect way to end our tour – such fun as you will see by the many photos! This morning all will have time to relax and stroll through the vibrant marché provençal, before meeting at Port Vauban at 15h00. Here they will say a ver y fond farewell to their host families and once again to Romain. We have done so much in a relatively short space of time, with everyone having made so many new friends and all having shared such wonderful memories. At 18h20 we will board flight AF 7709 to Paris and once at Roissy Charles de Gaulle, the group will remain in transit, where they will no doubt enjoy browsing in the duty free shops – not much money left to spend! Flight AF 990 is expected to depart at 23h25 and I am sure that there is no need to remind all excited parents & family members that we are scheduled to arrive at OR Tambo tomorrow, Sunday 24 April @ 09h55. To act ‘in loco parentis’ is no mean task and I would sincerely like to thank Adele Morris from St Andrew’s School for Girls who has been a superb companion and we share very fond memories of our tour with your children. Adele has been dubbed as ‘matinale et maternelle’ – waking up with the sparrows and tending to all the children with motherly care - merci beaucoup pour tout ma chère amie! It has been a very successful & happy tour and such a pleasure for us to escort an outstanding group of students to France. They have fully embraced every opportunity 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’!