INDEPENDENT TOUR TO FRANCE – JUNE/JULY 2013
26 JUNE D DAY!
The day everyone has been looking forward to for so long has finally dawned and all are eager to make new friends and embark on a great ‘aventure en France’! For the KZN and Cape Town contingent, the journey started this morning, but by 15h30 everyone should have arrived at O R Tambo. They will then go through emigration & security before spending some ‘quality’ time in the duty free shops! We have arranged to meet at 18h00 at the boarding gate and everyone is really looking forward to flying on the magnificent A380, which is a veritable hotel in the sky! We are scheduled to land at Roissy Charles de Gaulle bright & early tomorrow at 6am and I will update the site as soon as I find some inter net connectivity. Please rest assured that the 3 chaperones & I are acutely aware that the safety and security of your precious children is of paramount importance and we will do all in our power to ensure that they have a wonderfully enriching tour. A demain…
27 JUNE SAFE, BUT EVENTFUL ARRIVAL!
We arrived ahead of schedule after a really enjoyable flight - although not much sleep was had with 85 of our students on board! All was on track until .... one of the boys announced he had left his passport on the plane (subsequently found - sigh!) and then there was an accident on the motorway from the airport, which delayed our arrival. Anyhow we now all have our cases in a few of the rooms and we are heading off for our first trip on the metro! More later.... Hello again - at 23h30 and what a wonderful day we’ve had and everyone is on such a high! Once we had freshened up at the hotel we made our way to the Champs Elysées and walked to the Place de la Concorde, where we observed the preparations for the July 14th celebrations. We all had time to relax and stroll through the Tuileries Gardens with nutella crêpes in hand and at 14h00 we returned to our hotel to settle in and shower at last!! The evening was quite simply delightful as we made our way by metro to Montmartre, where we climbed the steps to the beautiful basilica of Sacre Coeur before strolling to the Place du Tertre, where so many girls AND boys had their portraits painted! Dinner at the famous restaurant La Cremaillere was truly memorable and we were treated to a delicious 3 course meal as we were serenaded in French by the local singer/performer - he absolutely loved our group as they participated so actively & spontaneously in a true South African fashion! It’s amazing to think that many of these 41 student have only known each other for just over 24 hours and all have bonded so well, with a deep sense of comraderie – heartwarming for me indeed! I am off to bed now and can’t wait for a good night’s sleep….!
28 JUNE A GLORIOUS DAY!
What a wonderful sleep we all had and 'Joyeux anniversaire' to Kwasi - 17 years old today! Everyone chatted excitedly at breakfast, discussing what the day held and our morning was spent on the Champs Elysees, absorbing all that this world famous boulevard has to offer! At 14h00 all gathered under the Arc de Triomphe, laden with parcels & packets and then we made our way to the Louvre, where our large group was divided into 2 and in the company of a specialist guide, the boys & girls were introduced to so many wonderful works of art. By 18h30 all were back at the hotel and after dinner tonight we will board our private coach for a night tour of Paris, Les Illuminations. At 22h30 we will ascend to the 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower, for a spectacular view of Paris - what a wonderful birthday memory for Kwasi!
29 JUNE A WONDERFUL LAST DAY IN PARIS!
This morning we all enjoyed a leisurely cruise on the River Seine, identifying the many famous landmarks of Paris and thereafter we visited one of the most famous department stores in the world, Galéries Lafayette, where all enjoyed some free time to shop and explore. In the late afternoon we made our way to the magnificent Cathedral of Notre Dame and then the boys & girls were grateful for a free evening to relax or dine at a restaurant of their choice with friends. We have a fairly early start tomorrow as we head off for our second part of the journey to the south of France and everyone is very, very excited! More tomorrow….
30 JUNE ONWARD TO THE FRENCH RIVIERA
Farewell to Paris, where we have done so much in such a short space of time! Our coach arrived at 9:30 and transferred us to Orly airport, where we met up with my St Anne's group from KZN who were also on the same flight - a total of 75 'Personal Touch passengers on board! As we flew into Nice, all were delighted to see the sunshine & yatchs bobbing on azure blue waters and here we were greeted by representatives from le Centre International d'Antibes who travelled with us by coach to the campus. There was great excitement as everyone enjoyed a picnic lunch and unpacked swimming costumes as they prepared for an orientation tour of the 'vieille ville'. Upon return to campus, everyone settled into their rooms and enjoyed dinner in the restaurant, before being introduced to all the other international students on campus - a total of 15 different nationalities are represented! All are very excited for the week ahead holds in this idyllic part of the world ...
1 JULY EXCURSION TO MONACO!
This morning all gathered to do their 'test' where they were assessed on their written & oral ability and thereafter they were placed in classes. After lunch we all hopped on board the coach and departed for Monaco and upon arrival, 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! After a visit to the cathedral and the palace, all boarded ‘le petit train’, which is a great tourist attraction, since the informative commentary gives excellent global coverage of the Principality, travelling through the streets of the F1 race track, passing in front of the Monte Carlo Casino and the surrounding luxurious hotels. It was a really special afternoon and all returned in high spirits to the campus, where an evening of fun awaited!
2 JULY EXCURSION TO CANNES!
Everyone really enjoyed their lessons this morning and most seemed very happy with their level of placement. One or two requested a change and this I will try to organize tomorrow. After lunch we all hopped on board the train for a wonderful afternoon excursion to Cannes. It was a perfect day with not a cloud in the sky and we started with a visit to the Palais des Congres which showcases famous actors & actresses at the Cannes film festival. Thereafter many chose to walk with the animateurs to Le Suquet which is situated high up in 'Vieux Cannes' and from there they marveled at the most incredible view over the bay. Then there was du temps libre which equates to ‘free time’ and whilst many went dashing off to the shops, others chose to swim the azure blue waters. At 17:30 we returned to Antibes by train and after a quick dinner & bath, everyone boarded the bus for our evening excursion to vibrant Juan les Pins, which is always a highlight!
3 JULY EXCURSION TO FRAGONARD & FLORIAN!
I made the few switches necessary and all seemed to enjoy their classes this morning, commenting on how interactive and rewarding they are. After lunch all hopped on board the coach and travelled to Grasse which is dubbed the ‘balcony of Provence’ for its magnificent views. It is also the home of French perfume and they enjoyed a fascinating guided tour of the Fragonard Perfumery ~ judging by the packets & strong scent in the coach many purchases had been made! The tour then continued on to the Gorges du Loup where they visited the Florian confisserie, which is world renowned for its sweets, chocolates & jams. Laden with even more packets, all returned to the campus around 6.00pm with enough time to eat dinner and spruce up for the evening on-campus disco, which has a theme of ‘Black & White’ and promises to be great fun!
4 JULY SUN, SEA, SAND & SAILING!
Once again we woke up to beautiful sunshine & clear blue skies on the Côte d’Azur! after much fun in the classroom, all were transferred by coach to the Yacht Club in Villeneuve–Loubet where, under the tutorship of professional instructors, everyone enjoyed sailing on a catamaran on the calm waters of the Mediterranean Sea. I never tire of observing the sheer delight of the children as they enjoy this amazing experience, surrounded by some of the most incredible scenery on the French Riviera ~ the afternoon was a real highlight for everyone!
5 JULY CERTIFICATES + AN AMAZING OUTING TO NICE!
Our week in Antibes has flown by so very quickly and today marked the end of the formal lessons with Le Centre International d'Antibes. All the students were proud recipients of a DELF accredited certificate which attests to the 15 hours of tuition + the level attained + a comment from the teachers and once again the educators expressed their absolute delight with the South Africans, praising their positive, enthusiastic and serious approach. After lunch we made our way to the train station for our afternoon excursion to Nice, the ‘Queen of the Riviera’ and at the newly revamped Place Masséna all were afforded ‘du temps libre’, with many immediately heading off to the name brand boutiques along the Boulevard Jean Medécin! Others however chose to follow Olivier, our animatreur, through the narrow streets of Vieux Nice, noting the strong Italian influence of this fascinating city and then choosing an ice cream at the famous Fenocchio which boasts a selection of 96 different flavours, ranging from avocado - sundried tomatoes - basil – nutella ….even to mojito & beer! The majority then made their way to the beach and at 18h30 we returned in high spirits to Antibes, where a bus was waiting to take us back to campus. We have asked everyone to pack in preparation for tomorrow’s departure and at a 20h30, by popular request, we have organized to revisit the vibrant summer resort of Juan les Pins!
6 JULY AU REVOIR TO FRANCE!
Today marks the final day of our tour and after breakfast we will have a few hours to explore Antibes and to do any last minute shopping. We will then enjoy a picnic lunch back on campus, where everyone will say a fond farewell to our animateur, Olivier. He has added a wonderful dimension to our group and everyone has really appreciated his warm & caring personality. The airport transfer is scheduled to depart campus at 13h15 for the 16h05 AF 7715 flight from Nice to Paris and once at Roissy Charles de Gaulle the group will remain in transit, where they will undoubtedly enjoy the duty free shops! Flight AF 990 is scheduled to depart at 23h20 tonight and to arrive at OR Tambo on Sunday 7 July @ 09h50. Many girls will then have a connection to either Cape Town or Durban, so we will walk together to domestic departures. It has once again been my joy to escort a dynamic group of South African students to France and all have fully embraced every opportunity. The ultimate success of any tour depends largely on the chaperones and I appreciate the immense contribution of Michelle, Christine and Mirella enormously – they have quite simply been amazing and fine role-models for your children. As a personality who sets the bar very high, I find it difficult to entrust responsibility to others, but these three have earned my greatest respect and assisted me admirably ~ for this I thank them most sincerely. So much has been packed into the last 10 days 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 say 'merci beaucoup, bon retour et a la prochaine'!