BRESCIA HOUSE TOUR TO FRANCE ~ April 2011
16 April 2011 D Day!
I can only imagine the excitement as all gathered at ORT! The Brescia House group is mirroring the movements of my Independent group which departed last week and I can assure all anxious mums & dads that an amazing experience lies in store for your girls. I will update the site as soon as I hear from the chaperones tomorrow!
Written by: Jenny Peddle
17 April 2011 Bienvenue en France!
Although a long journey from Johannesburg to Nice, all arrived in relatively high spirits, excited to commence their week on the Côte d’Azur! Representatives of the Centre International d’Antibes were there to welcome everyone and once the luggage was loaded on board the coach, the group traveled to Le Chateau, where they were given time to freshen up and enjoy a delicious picnic lunch on the terrace overlooking the bright blue Mediterranean Sea and the snow capped Alps! Thereafter, accompanied by their 'animateur' they enjoyed an orientation tour of the vieille ville in Antibes ~ it was such a relaxing afternoon and the weather was magnificent! At 6.00pm the girls were introduced to their familles d'accueil and there is no need for concern as all have this last week hosted either the Roedean girls or children from my Independent group, with great success and compliments! They are sure to have a good night’s sleep and will no doubt be full of stories as they gather for lessons at the school tomorrow morning!
Written by: Jenny Peddle
18 April 2011 Excursion to Cannes!
Everyone had a wonderful sleep and all arrived bright-eyed at the school this morning, chatting excitedly about their host families! Thereafter they were divided into groups and followed their designated tutors for 3 hours of communicative French tuition. After a delicious lunch all hoped on board the train to Cannes and Luic, their amazing ‘animateur’, started the tour with a walk through the Rue Meynadier, a street which is renowned for its amazing bargains, where the girls showed great restraint! They climbed up to Le Suquet, a landmark which affords a magnificent view over the yacht-lined bay & the Estérel Mountains and upon their return to the beachfront, they visited the Palais des Festivals. After a photo-shoot on the famous steps (sadly no red carpet at this time of year!), the girls were allowed ‘du temps libre’, which equates to some time for serious shopping! After a brief look at the exorbitant designer boutiques along La Croisette, they swarmed to the well known brand stores such as Zara, Morgan, Galéries Lafayette etc. The more affordable shops on Rue Meynadier were of course revisited and then at 6.30pm, laden with parcels and packets, a happy group of girls returned to the station in Juan Les Pins, from where they walked to the venue for the combined soirée barbeque. What a wonderful, animated evening it was ~ plenty of food, with much laughter and social interaction!
Written by: Jenny Peddle
19 April 2011 Excursion to Monaco!
I am leaving France with my Independent group this evening, so will be out of contact until tomorrow. I have heard that everyone arrived at the school this morning in good spirits, all looking forward to improving their spoken French with students of varying nationalities. After lunch all hopped on board the coach and departed for Monaco, driving along the ‘route du littoral’, the coastal road, admiring the magnificent views en route. 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 dropping a sweet paper! All thoroughly enjoyed the ride on the ‘petit train’, which is a great tourist attraction, since it gives excellent commentary on the history of the Principality as you travel through parts of the F1 race track and stop for photos in front of the famous Monte Carlo Casino. The Palace is unfortunately surrounded by scaffolding as it is undergoing a major face lift for the forthcoming wedding of Prince Albert to our very own South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock. After some souvenir shopping all headed back to Antibes, having enjoyed another lovely day in this idyllic part of the world.
Written by: Jenny Peddle
20 April 2011 An afternoon to explore Antibes!
I returned to Cape Town this afternoon after a wonderful tour with my Independent Group and I wish the Brescia House girls ‘bonne continuation’ with their tour! Everyone arrived at the school once again in high spirits and the chaperones were delighted to see the animated interaction between their students and the international students as they gathered in the foyer or on the lawn prior to class. The girls were delighted to have a free afternoon to wander through the quaint town of Antibes, many heading off to the Musée Picasso, whilst others were keen to explore the fascinating shops in the vieille ville ~ only a few were willing to brave a swim in the Mediterranean Sea!
Written by: Jenny Peddle
21 April 2011 Quelle journée magnifique à Nice!
There was a switch in the programme today and after lunch all made their way to the train station for an afternoon excursion to Nice, the ‘Queen the Riviera’. Led by their beloved animateur, Loic, all enjoyed an orientation tour with valuable commentary and then, to their delight, he declared ‘du temps libre’ ~ equating to some free time to shop! The majority headed off to the name brand boutiques along the Boulevard Jean Medecin, whilst others preferred to meander through the narrow streets of ‘la vieille ville’ looking for bargains and only a few chose to soak up the ambience on the seafront. After a wonderful afternoon, all gathered on the newly revamped Place Masena and made their way back to the station for the return journey to Antibes. Quelle journée magnifique!
Written by: Jenny Peddle
22 April 2011 Final day at school + excursion to Grasse!
The week in Antibes has flown by so very quickly and today marked the end of their formal French tuition. The girls were proud recipients of a DELF accredited certificate which attests to the level attained + a comment from their teachers and once again the South African students were globally praised for their positive & enthusiastic approach to the lessons. After saying farewell to all the international friends they have made, everyone hopped on board the coach and made their way to Grasse, the home of French perfume and dubbed the ‘balcony of Provence’ for its magnificent views. Loic started with a short visit to the vieille ville, where he pointed out the 3 original Rubens’ paintings in the local church. Then, after sampling the best crepes in Grasse, they enjoyed a fascinating guided tour of the Fragonard Perfumery ~ apparently the number of packets & the strong scent in the coach attested to the many purchases that had been made! As a treat, this olfactory experience was extended and on the way back to Antibes, the girls participated in a ‘mini workshop’, where they created their own, personal scent ~ wow, a wonderful afternoon for all!
Written by: Jenny Peddle
23 April 2011 Bienvenue a Paris!
What a beautiful, sunny day greeted everyone and the girls enjoyed a morning stroll through the vieille ville, exploring the marché provençal for last minute souvenirs. After lunch they said a fond farewell to their host families as they departed by coach to the airport in Nice. At 17h30 they arrived in CDG where they were transferred to the Campanile Maine Montparnasse and the contact numbers are Tel: 00 33 1 53 74 60 00 & Fax: 00 33 1 40 47 01 49. After settling in to their rooms and eating a quick dinner, all hopped on board a coach for a tour of Paris by night, ‘Les Illuminations’ ~ this is a highlight of the Paris sector and everyone is always delighted as the Eiffel Tower lights up & sparkles at 10.00pm!
Written by: Jenny Peddle
24 April 2011 A wonderful Easter Sunday in Paris!
Joyeuses Pâques! After a good breakfast (with some lunch in hand!) all made their way to the Champs Elyseés , where the girls enjoyed exploring the amazing boutiques along one of the most famous avenues in the world ~ judging by the number of designer packets, everyone thoroughly enjoyed these few hours! Thereafter the group visited the Musée du Louvre, where everyone appreciated the beauty of the artworks on display and all were impressed with the grandeur of this former palace. At 3.30pm they traveled on the metro to Montmartre, the highest natural point in Paris and the ambience was amazing as hundreds of on-lookers enjoyed various forms of street entertainment. After having visited the basilica of Sacré Coeur, all walked to the Place du Tertre, which was buzzing with activity on Easter Sunday and here everyone had some free time to wander around and have their portrait painted. The cherry on the top of a wonderful day was enjoying dinner at one of the most famous restaurants on the Place du Tertre, La Cremaillere ~ quelle journée magnifique!
Written by: Jenny Peddle
25 April 2011 Cruise on the Seine + Eiffel Tower + Notre Dame!
This morning all traveled by metro to the Trocadero, a square which provides a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower. They started with a cruise on the Bateaux Parisiens which everyone thoroughly enjoyed and thereafter they were able to fast-track the queues to the 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower. It was another perfect Spring day and with not a breath of wind nor a cloud in the sky, visibility was perfect! In the afternoon they made their way to the beautiful Cathedral of Notre Dame, where they were all hugely impressed with the magnificent rose windows.
Written by: Jenny Peddle
26 April 2011 Versailles + Musée d'Orsay!
This morning all were able to sleep in and enjoy a slightly later breakfast, which was much appreciated! At 11h00 the girls met with their guide and traveled by RER to the magnificent Palace of Versailles. Everyone was blown away with the opulence and all found it difficult to visualize the French royalty actually walking those same paths ~ they were surprised by the abundance of incredible works of art, not to mention the astonishing gardens! After a wonderful few hours they traveled back to Paris and visited the Musée d'Orsay, former railway station, where everyone was amazed to behold the world’s finest collection of Impressionist paintings, including artists such as Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Gauguin, Delacroix, Manet, Degas and Lautrec. Tonight’s dinner will be in a restaurant close to the hotel ~ I have eaten here several times with many of my groups, so I know that all will be having a wonderful ‘last supper’ together!
Written by: Jenny Peddle
27 April 2011 Final day in Paris!
By 9.00am everyone was on board the coach and they headed off to their sister Ursuline school, Louise de Bettignies, where the girls will spend their final day in Paris ~ I look forward to hearing all the details! At 16h00 a coach will transfer the group to Roissy Charles de Gaulle and at 23h20 they will depart Paris on the magnificent A380 bound for Afrique du Sud! I am sure there is no need to remind the excited mums & dads that your daughters are scheduled to arrive at ORT on Thursday 28 April @ 09h50! All will return with mixed emotions, as whilst they are all obviously looking forward to seeing family and friends back home, everyone will be 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 every girl will return not only academically enriched, but enriched as a person, having matured and grown in confidence. It remains for me to wish you all a happy home-coming and to say ‘merci beaucoup, bon retour et à la prochaine’!
Written by: Jenny Peddle