PHSG ART TOUR TO ITALY & FRANCE – JUNE/JULY 2013
24 JUNE D DAY!
The day everyone has looked forward to for so long has eventually dawned and what excitement there was as 35 girls accompanied by an array of family members gathered in the International Departure Hall at 15h30. I have just spoken to the chaperones who confirmed that check-in went smoothly (in spite of 3 late-comers) and all can’t wait to board the magnificent A380, which is a veritable hotel in the sky! They are scheduled to arrive in Paris at 06h00 tomorrow and then they will connect to Venice, where they will be warmly greeted by their dedicated tour escort. The chaperones are well experienced and all are aware that the safety and security of your precious children is off paramount importance – so, anxious parents, please relax and enjoy the journey with your daughters – an amazing tour awaits! I will update the site as soon as I hear from the chaperones tomorrow, but in the meantime I wish everyone much happiness and ‘bon voyage’!
25 JUNE SAFE ARRIVAL!
Bienvenue a Paris! I can confirm that all have arrived safely in Paris and are presently waiting for their connecting flight to Venice, where they will be greeted by their 24 hour Tour Manager, Siriki Dembele. Siriki was born in Paris, where he obtained a degree in English & Italian and he now lives in Rome. He has a passion for French & Italian History & Art, so he will undoubtedly add a wonderful dimension to the group. 17h00 I have just spoken to the chaperones who report that everyone is in fine spirit and delighted to be in the iconic floating city of Venice! Their hotel is apparently very comfortable and they all appreciated some time to freshen up upon arrival - the contact telephone number for the ALLOGGI AGLI ARTISTI is 00 39 041 716 270. They are all looking forward to the romantic gondola ride followed by an authentic Italian dinner – lucky girls!
26 JUNE FEELING REFRESHED & LOVING VENICE!
Everyone had a wonderful night’s sleep and they awoke this morning totally refreshed to absorb all that Venice has to offer! After breakfast the girls made their way to St Mark’s Square, where they met with their local guide for a walking tour. Their first visit was to the Basilica, whose interior walls are encrusted with spectacular gold mosaics and here they were given the opportunity to ascend to the ‘Galleries’ for a magnificent view over Venice. After lunch they took a vaporetto to the ‘Laguna Islands’ - Torcello, Murano and Burano – where they visited a traditional glass blowing factory and watched a glass blowing demonstration. Please note that I leave tonight with a group travelling to France and I will only be able to update the site once I have found connectivity at our hotel. In the meantime, please rest assured that the girls are having a wonderful time and are in very safe hands!
27 JUNE AN AMAZING DAY AT THE VENICE BIENNALE!
"We have really been looking forward to the Biennale and the hand-over of the ‘Cry of the Iris’ and we certainly were not disappointed! We experienced such wonderful things like the Korean light pavilion, which was mind-blowing and we heard the sound trees make when they photosynthesize! We met with Renata Toninato from Amnesty Italy and some teachers from Verona, who were so excited about our project and thanks to Frederica Paris who helped with the translation! We also met a visual art teacher from Texas and we saw Ai Wei Wei’s work which was very exciting. Wim Botha at the SA Pavilion had portraits carved from books, which was a fascinating concept. Mihka proudly represented Amnesty SA in our Amnesty T shirt and she was the first to hand over the flowers. Each girl then presented a flower and the overall impression was so pretty & powerful – we were so very proud of our girls and it was an incredible day!"
28 JUNE 0NWARD TO FLORENCE!
All were sad to say farewell to Venice, where they have had the most wonderfully rewarding few days. En route to Florence they passed through the small town of Padua, where they were blown away by the famous Giottos in the Scrovegni Chapel, which was built in 1303. They then continued on to Florence and after having booked into their hotel, they enjoyed some informal exploring in this ‘Jewel of the Renaissance’. A reminder that they will be staying in the 3* HOTEL DONATELLO and the telephone number is 00 39 055 462 7472.
29 JUNE WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY IN FLORENCE!
“Our amazing day started with a guided tour of the Uffizi Museum, where we marveled at the priceless collection of Renaissance Art. We had such a knowledgeable local guide, with an incredible sense of humour, which really added to our enjoyment! We were complimented on the politeness and interest of our girls, so the chaperones enjoyed basking in reflected glory! We then visited the Borghello Museum to see Donatello’s David, before moving on to the massive Duomo and we were in awe of this architectural masterpiece – the brave even climbed to the top of the Duomo! After lunch we visited the Galleria dell’Accademia, where we came face to face with Michelangelo’s famous statue of David and then we had some free time to relax & enjoy some retail therapy!”
30 JUNE ONWARD TO CINQUE TERRA
“Greetings from a sunny & hot Italy! Taki is 18 years old today and after singing happy birthday & cutting her cake, we packed the bus and headed for Pisa. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the tower was beautifully lit. The girls went up in two groups to enjoy the view and got thoroughly disorientated as they traipsed up-and-down and round-and-round! After lunch, with some girls actually lowering themselves to eating McDonald's for ‘a taste of home’ (!), we shopped a little and then made our way to La Spezia, where we had time to settle in and rest before dinner. Yet another wonderful day!” A reminder that they will be staying at Hotel Corallo and the contact telephone number is 00 39 01 87 731 366.
1 JULY MAGNIFICENT DAY IN CINQUE TERRE!
What an incredible day in the charming Cinque Terre, which is characterized by terraced vineyards, beautiful coves and houses clinging precariously to rock promontories, with colourful boats bobbing in the harbour below! A wonderful note from the chaperones: “We left the hotel at nine armed with picnic food for an army! We caught the train through to Vernazza where we did a short walk through the village and then went on to Monterosso. We spent the day there soaking up the sun, enjoying the swimming in the azure waters and taking leisurely strolls through the quaint village. Unfortunately, we were unable to do the Lovers' Walk as it is closed for reconstruction after the floods - the pictures of the devastation are horrifying! We returned to La Spezia by train where Lucio, our very charming bus driver, collected us and took us through to Portovenere. We walked along the harbour and up to the beautiful 14th century church. The views are breathtaking! We went straight back to the restaurant for a delicious dinner of pizza and creme caramel - to die for! We are now all back at the hotel, packing for our departure tomorrow”.
2 JULY ONWARD TO FRANCE!
“Greetings from Cannes! We had an early start this morning and a long drive to Monaco, where we enjoyed a stroll through the exotic gardens and a visit to the cathedral. Some girls ate lunch and got some souvenirs, while others watched the changing of the guards at the Palace. After a drive past the Monte Carlo Casino (just for Humaira) we headed for Nice and arrived just in time to encounter those damn cyclists. After extricating the bus from a teeeeeeeny weeny detour side-street we managed to get to the pedestrian square. We struggled our way over the road leading to the finish line and were rewarded with ice cream from Fenocchio's, which offers over 100 different flavours! Some of the more adventurous souls tried flavours like violet, sundried tomato & cactus and many girls returned for second, and even third, scoops! We then jogged our way back to the bus…..! Then it was off to Cannes - another detour-filled ride because of the Tour de France. We arrived in time to put our bags in our rooms and walk to dinner, where we had foccaccia to start, Veal & pasta and creme caramel. To allow the wonderful food time to settle, we took a stroll along the waterfront, where the girls took photos in the red carpet area and hunted down handprints of the rich and famous. They had an impromptu dance to a busker's music which drew quite an audience! They ended the evening with a ride on the carousel and a stroll back to the hotel and they have now all headed off to their rooms and some quality time with the free wi-fi!” A reminder that they will be staying at the HOTEL BEAU SEJOUR BEST WESTERN in Cannes Tel: 00 33 4 93 39 63 00.
3 JULY AN AMAZING DAY IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE!
"The girls were grateful for a slightly later start this morning! We hopped on the bus and headed for Vence…. well, that was the plan - until the dreaded Tour de France intervened again! After a very scenic trip and a chat to the police (yes,again!), we abandoned all hopes of reaching the Matisse Chapel and Fondation Maeght and as plan B we headed for Antibes. After a few minutes of free time to refuel, we went to the Picasso museum and as always, it was wonderful. Besides the work of the man himself, we discovered new artists who took our breath away - one in particular achieved miracles through the medium of gold and silver leaf. Then it was time to attempt Vence again and miraculously, the way was clear! What a marvel - it is the most simple of buildings - painted in white with murals created using white tiles on the wall - but the play of light through the few green, blue and yellow windows transformed the space. Matisse even went so far as to design all the trappings for the monsignors when presiding over services. Then we were off to the Maeght and sigh, the beauty, the splendour! We had too little time here as there was a new exhibition based on Dada and his rejection of reason and logic and the results are superb. A number of pieces had the girls talking - art discourse at its best! We then made our back to Cannes - hampered by horrendous roadworks - our driver Lucio really has had his work cut out for him over the last two days! We made it back in time for dinner: a delicious, spicy Arrabiata with gorgeous bread followed by ice cream. The girls then went to pack and locate passports for our flight to Paris tomorrow and although they are so excited to see Paris, they are a little sad as this heralds the end of our tour".
4 JULY BIENVENUE A PARIS!
This morning all were transferred to Nice Côte d’Azur airport, where they boarded their flight to Paris and tomnight they will enjoy dinner in a restaurant on La Place du Tertre, where they will meet up with the 37 PBHS History tour students – spare a thought for the other diners in the restaurant as they are surrounded by 72 students from Pretoria!! Herewith a wonderful summary of the day which I just received from the chaperones: "It is now Midnight in Paris as we write this! At the airport in Nice we bade a tearful farewell to our darling Lucio, checked in and waited to board….and waited as it was delayed for over an hour! It was overcast and windy when we arrived at the tres chic hotel. We dumped our bags, grabbed some lunch and headed for our first metro experience to Sacre Coeur and the Dali exhibition. The Dali works left the girls 'dumb with wonderment' and, once again, had lively discussions going. We then went to the Sacred Heart Basilica and marvelled at the spectacular ornamentation inside and were overwhelmed by the beauty of the view over Paris. The girls were given a few minutes to browse before our supper of salad, mozzarella, pesto and tomato starter; spaghetti Bolognese and mixed fruit. We were fortunate to run into the Boys' High tour and the kids chatted voluminously and shared tour stories before we shepherded our girls off to the next destination. With the prices of souvenirs being obscene around the Place de Tetre, we fluttered our eyelashes and headed down the hill. The girls managed an impressive amount of shopping in their 30 minute time allocation and most emerged bearing hoodies and satisfied grins. Further fluttering resulted in Siriki taking us to the Moulin Rouge and the grade 10s and 11s were in awe of standing IN their film study!! Needless to say, the route taken to get to the famous red windmill provided fodder for lively discussion! After a few pics, we headed for the hotel and at this point - at last- we were able to sing for Farah's birthday and presented her with the beautiful cake the teachers had snuck off for at lunchtime! The kids are now in bed and all is well - a busy day for us tomorrow…..". A reminder that the group will be staying at the hotel IBIS CAMBRONNE TOUR EIFFEL for the next 3 nights Tel: 00 33 1 40 61 21 21
5 JULY WHAT A BUSY DAY - LE LOUVRE ETC...
“We visited the Louvre this morning and they were truly spellbound by the magnificent works of art which we saw. These included: the Winged Victory, Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa and the Wreck of the Medusa, to name but a few - we moved in two groups and we had lovely guides. After this, the girls were given some time to explore the Louvre on their own and grab a bite to eat. From here we took a lovely walk through the Tuileries to the the Orangerie and Monet's 'Nymphae' are truly something to see - the girls were mesmerized by these gigantic canvases and all quite moved. The museum also houses works by Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani, Cezanne and Renoir - to name but a few. We had the added treat of a visiting Florentine exhibition and the girls enjoyed seeing places they had visited captured on canvas. We then caught the Metro to La Grande Dame and the girls were beside themselves. We caught the Funicular to the second level and enjoyed the view. A few of us walked down the tower and the jelly legs which lasted for hours after this were well worth it! Thereafer we returned to Paris to primp and preen and wow, they became the talk of Paris! Dinner was delicious and we started with a divine tomato, aubergine and goat's cheese tower and enjoyed a truly delectable Dauphinoise potato dish…. and dessert couldn't get any more authentic that am apple ‘tarte tatin’. Then it was time for our evening bus tour and the girls oohed and aahed at all the sights and we stumbled into the hotel at 22:30 all ready for bed!”
6 JULY EXCURSION TO GIVERNEY AND THEIR LAST NIGHT!
"Greetings from a group of girls who should be all ‘shopped out’ but, alas, I don't believe that to be the case! We went to Giverney this morning - it was chilly and grey when we left the hotel, but by the time we got to Monet's house it was sunny and hot. What a show the gardens put on for us - between Amber Crouse and I, we didn't even make it into the house because we were photographing the gorgeous flowers...!! The bus dropped us off at the Musée d'Orsay - if we spent two days there, we would need three, as there is just never enough time to see everything! Savannah Abdo declared that she will get a job upon returning home so that she has enough money to come on the 2015 Art tour! From the museum, we caught the Metro to the Champs Elysées where the girls spent a heavenly 4 hours shopping. We went to a wonderful restaurant for dinner and not only was the decor astoundingly beautiful, but the food was exquisite. We started with a vegetable couscous followed by creamy mash potato and pork - those who tried the mustard (or who thought it was of the Amer ican variety) had a surprise! Our last dinner in Paris ended with a true classic - a crepe done to perfection. We caught the Metro back to the hotel and headed off to pack, as tomorrow will be a busy day…”
7 JULY A FOND FAREWELL!
“We visited the Georges Pompidou Centre this morning, before heading off to Notre Dame and then..dum,dum,dum… Siriki agreed to take the girls to the Galéries Lafayette for their last European shopping fix! We then returned to our hotel to freshen up before being transferred by coach to Roissy Charles de Gaulle. We've had such a lovely time with the girls and we hope that they've enjoyed their time with us! As parents, you should be very proud of your daughters as they bought thoughtful & lovely gifts for all the staff to say thank you for our work - something unheard of in my time as a chaperone and whilst unnecessary, it was a very touching gesture and much appreciated”. By all accounts this has been the most wonderful tour and I have confirmed their return flight on AF990 which will depart Paris at 23h20 tonight and arrive at OR Tambo International @ 09h40 tomorrow, Monday 8 July. Whilst everyone is really looking forward to returning to South Africa to see family and friends, all 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. All will undoubtedly be exhausted upon arrival and whilst the many wonderful anecdotes may not immediately be forthcoming, they will I know reveal themselves in the days, months and even years to come! To act ‘in loco parentis’ is no mean task and I sincerely hope that the love and compassion shown by the 3 chaperones will not have gone unnoticed. Mrs Jacqui Greenberg, Ms Debra Dugmore & Mr Phumi Tshabalala have made the most formidable team, going far beyond the call of duty to ensure that your girls were well cared for, happy and safe. I admire & applaud their calm perspective, sense of fun and professionalism ~ they have been an absolute pleasure to work with and their dedication, energy and enthusiasm have been inspirational. They have really enjoyed travelling with the girls from PHSG and they have been impressed with their impeccable behaviour, basking in reflected glory at all the compliments received along the way! As parents you can rest assured that you have 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 and the precious memories & firm bonds of friendships will last a lifetime. It has been a joy and privilege to organize the tour and it remains for me to say ‘merci beaucoup et bon retour!