INDEPENDENT TOUR TO FRANCE – MARCH 2016
SATURDAY 19 MARCH D DAY!
There was great excitement as we all gathered at ORT this afternoon and check-in on Lufthansa went smoothly. There are 18 students in total and they come from PHSG, Epworth, St John’s DSG, St Anne’s College and Springfield Convent. After a few tears, they said a fond farewell to family & friends and then together we made our way through security & emigration. I am delighted to confirm that we encountered no problems and all are safely through to the ‘other side’! Everyone is so excited at the prospect of the wonderful adventure which awaits them and they have already made new friends in the group. 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/personaltouchschooltoursmarch2016/
A demain…
SUNDAY 20 MARCH SAFE ARRIVAL ... QUELLE JOURNEE!
What an amazing day we’ve had and it’s hard to believe that we only arrived in Antibes this morning! So, let’s look back …. At 05h30 we touched down in Frankfurt, with all having enjoyed the flight on Lufthansa, although the girls seemed to have had much more sleep than the chaperones!! Regardless, in fine spirit, we disembarked and stoically took on the ‘German pre-flight security check’, which includes having to enter a cubicle with arms outstretched for laser scanning, scrutinizing the foot-wear and furrowing through hair extensions, whilst being surrounded by military personnel bearing very serious-looking weapons. All very impressive and we were relieved to have passed the test, as we moved on to the boarding gates for Nice. Here we were able to relax a bit before our flight and what beautiful scenery we witnessed en route, with all the peaks & valleys in the Alps being covered in thick snow - a veritable winter-wonderland! When we arrived in Nice, we were warmly welcomed by Anais & Stan from Le Centre International d’Antibes and in Antibes all the host families were eagerly awaiting their ‘charges’ for the week. I was delighted to reunite with many of the friends I have made over the years and I have no doubt that your precious daughters will be in good hands. We gathered again at 14h00 on the central Place de Gaulle and all were refreshed with many stories to relate! Anais, our wonderful ‘animatrice’ then led us on a tour through the vieille ville and this amazing medieval town, which so accurately depicts la vie provençale, is always guaranteed to impress. The girls then had some free time before returning to enjoy dinner with their families and recharge batteries for all that lies ahead…
MONDAY 21 MARCH SCHOOL, MONACO & LA SOIREE BARBECUE!
Alis on and I met with the girls at Le Château this morning and all were looking forward to the experience at the language school. The ‘debutantes’ started their course immediately, while the others did the oral & written assessment, after which they enjoyed ‘cours fermé’. Based on the results of their test, they will tomorrow be placed in classes to suit their individual level and enjoy ‘cours internationaux’ with students of different nationalities. 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, with clear skies and azure blue waters, 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 and all were delighted to see the flag flying high, indicating that the royal family was in residence and they hoped to catch a glimpse of ‘our’ Charlene with her twins! We then had some time for souvenir shopping, before visiting the Cathedral, after which we strolled through the magnificent exotic gardens of Princess Grace. It was a wonderful outing and, as always, everyone left in awe of this wonderful principality. There are 80 students from various nationalities studying at Le Centre International d’Antibes this week and tonight they will gather at a venue for a ‘soiree barbecue’ (a fancy braai!) and it is guaranteed to be great fun, with plenty of food and social interaction!
TUESDAY 22 MARCH CLASS + OUTING TO CANNES
What sadness greeted us in the news this morning, as we heard about the carnage in Brussels. It is totally inexplicable that atrocities of this nature can take place, but please have faith and confidence that all will be well when we are in Paris. Security has been stepped up to an all-time high, which is comforting and life must go on. So now, back to our day in Antibes … Everyone arrived happily at school this morning, babbling excitedly about the wonderful night they had socializing and singing with the other international students - les Sud-Afs certainly know how to get a party started! The girls have been placed in classes to suit their level of French and the focus was on oral communication, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed! After lunch we hopped on board the train to Cannes, where we followed Anais to Le Suquet, which is a landmark that affords a magnificent view over the yacht-lined bay & the Estérel Mountains. Thereafter we visited the Palais des Festivals, which is famous for the Cannes Film Festival in May and then the girls were shown the super-exclusive boulevard of La Croisette, which is the equivalent of the Champs Elysées in Paris! After a visit to the seafront and an ice-cream, the girls were then desperate for some ‘real retail therapy’ and they were introduced to Rue d’Antibes, which is well-known for its brand stores such as Zara, Morgan and Galéries Lafayette and also to the Rue Meynadier, which boasts an abundance of bargains in all shapes and sizes! At 18h00, armed with an array of parcels, we returned to Antibes on the train and everyone was unanimous that the outing to Cannes was “simply superb!!”
WEDNESDAY 23 MARCH FRAGONARD PARFUMERIE & FLORIAN CONFISSERIE
It was such a joy to chat to the girls at lunchtime – they are all thoroughly enjoying their lessons and feeling more confident to communicate in French! After another delicious lunch, everyone excitedly hopped on board the coach bound for Grasse, the home of French perfume. At Fragonard we had a delightful guide and Monica led us on a fascinating & most informative tour of this world renowned ‘parfumerie’. The girls thoroughly enjoyed their visit to the on-site boutique and many gifts were purchased here! We then continued on to the Gorges du Loup and our journey took us through the most beautiful scenery of Provence. Florian confisserie is world renowned for its sweets, chocolates & jams and here they enjoyed a short tour, before having the opportunity to purchase some more gifts in their boutique. What a wonderful day we had and all returned in high spirits!
THURSDAY 24 MARCH A WONDERFUL EXCURSION TO NICE!
Once again everyone arrived at school in high spirits, all looking forward to improving their spoken French and mingling with the other international students. After lunch we hopped on board the train to Nice which, for good reason, is dubbed the ‘Queen of the Riviera’. Upon arrival we walked down to the spectacular Fontaine du Soleil, where Apollo stands in all his glory and here Anais shared with us some history of this beautiful city. We then crossed to the seafront which boasts magnificent views and the beautiful weather highlighted the numerous shades of blue. Anais then guided the group through the narrow streets of the quaint vieille ville, where the girls enjoyed a tasting extravaganza at Fenocchios. This is a world famous ice-cream parlour, renowned for offering 107 different flavours and today Aeron broke the record by ordering 10 ‘boules’, viz: Nutella; Rocher; Nougat: Noisette: Cactus: Menthe Fraiche; Violette; Coca Cola; Pinacolada; Menthe Chocolat …BRAVO ma petite!! Everyone then headed back to the Boulevard Jean Medecin to enjoy the well-known brand boutiques, before gathering again at 17h30 for our return journey to Antibes. Quelle journée superbe!
FRIDAY 25 MARCH - OUR FINAL DAY ON THE CÔTE D'AZUR
Today marked the end of formal lessons at Le Centre International d'Antibes and Alison & I were eagerly awaiting the girls as they bounded out of their classrooms at midday. All were very proud of their DELF accredited certificates, which attest to the 15 hours of tuition and the level attained, as well as an individual comment from the teacher. When we spoke to their educators, they were full of praise for the SA students, commenting on their level of participation & enthusiastic approach to the tasks at hand and furthermore, they were impressed with the marked improvement in their confidence to communicate. After lunch we discussed the options for their free afternoon, as well as the plans for tonight’s excursion to Juan les Pins, which is a vibrant sea-side resort lying adjacent to Antibes…a chance to dress up! Their final night on the Côte d’Azur is bound to be special and I will communicate in the morning before we leave for Paris. A demain…!
SATURDAY 26 MARCH FAREWELL TO ANTIBES & ONWARD TO PARIS!
We all had such a wonderful evening at Pam Pam’s last night and it was a lovely way to end our time on the Côte d’Azur! The weather has been absolutely glorious for the entire week and we have been very blessed indeed. This morning the girls are enjoying one last stroll around the Marché Provençal and at 13h00 they will say a fond farewell to their host families, as we make our way by coach to the airport in Nice. Everyone is very excited at the thought of Paris and I will write again from our hotel tonight...... 22h30: Our check-in at Nice went very smoothly, thanks to a wonderful gentleman at Air France and we made our way through security with no problems. The flight was delightful and the scenery superb! At Orly our coach was waiting to whisk us through to the hotel Campanile Paris La Villette and, should you wish to contact your daughters, the telephone number is + 33 6 34 48 50 95. Once the rooms were allocated, we had some time to freshen up and relax in the lounge, before enjoying a superb & beautifully presented 3 course dinner in the hotel restaurant, accompanied by coke & orange juice. Everyone was happy thereafter to retire to their rooms to sleep, in the knowledge that tomorrow will be a very busy day!
SUNDAY 27 MARCH QUELLE JOURNEE A PARIS!
Joyeuses Pâques ã tout le monde et Joyeux Anniversaire ã Sinegugu – 17 ans aujourd’hui! A special day awaits us and we will start with a guided visit to the Louvre, followed by a stroll along the banks of the Seine, as we make our way to Notre Dame. In the late afternoon we will enjoy a cruise on the river, followed by a delicious 3 course meal and a guided tour of Paris by night. To complete our amazing day, we will all ascend the Eiffel Tower at 22h00 and then return to the hotel by coach around 23h30. Happy day to all and think of us!!
MONDAY 28 MARCH CHAMPS ELYSEES & MONTMARTRE
We had such a wonderful day yesterday, covering much ground in Paris and only returning to the hotel at 23h30! All were therefore delighted to have a slower start this morning, but by 10h15 we were on the metro again, competently making our way to the Champs Elysées. With firm instructions re meeting times etc, the girls were then afforded ‘du temps libre’ and they had 2 hours to explore all the ' gems' on this famous boulevard! We returned to our hotel at 14h00 to relax a little, before making our way to Montmartre, the highest natural point in Paris, where the beautiful basilica of Sacré Coeur dominates the sky-line. We will then make our way to the Place du Tertre, where hopefully some will be tempted to have their portraits painted! Dinner will be served in the famous restaurant La Cremaillère, where we will all enjoy a delicious 3-course meal, after which we will return to our hotel and I have no doubt that everyone will sleep soundly tonight!
TUESDAY 29 MARCH HOMEWARD BOUND!
Today marks the final day of our tour and everyone has had the most wonderful experience! 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 our hotel at 14h30 and this morning we will pay a quick visit to Galéries Lafayette, a world renowned department store, with H & M, Printemps, Sephora, Zara and many other ‘gems’ in close proximity! We will board our flight LH1041 to Frankfurt at 18h05, where we will connect to our international flight LH572, which is scheduled to arrive at O R Tambo tomorrow, Wednesday 30 March @ 08h40. 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 Alison Gordijn who has been a superb co-chaperone and we share very fond memories of this tour to France. 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’!