CORNWALL HILL COLLEGE TOUR TO FRANCE – AUGUST 2014
SATURDAY 9 AUGUST D DAY!
Enfin .... the day everyone has been looking forward to for so very long has dawned ! I have just chatted to Mrs Lysandrou and she reported that all went smoothly with check in & emigration and that the 25 CHC students + the 2 St Mary’s DSG girls were all in high spirits and so very excited! I know from personal experience that they will be treated to excellent service on board the magnificent A380, which is a veritable hotel in the sky and they are scheduled to land at Paris, Roissy Charles de Gaulle bright & early at 05h30 tomorrow! All ground arrangements are firmly in place for the tour and parents should please rest assured that the 3 chaperones, Mrs Lysandrou, Ms Langley & Mrs Malauzat are all aware that the safety and security of your precious children is of paramount importance. I will update the site in the morning, once I have received some news ....
SUNDAY 10 AUGUST SAFE ARRIVAL ON THE COTE D'AZUR!
What an amazing day for everyone, having arrived at 05h30 this morning, passing through immigration, finding their connecting flight and arriving in Nice at 11h00 ~ bienvenue a la côte d’Azur! Here they were warmly greeted by members of Le Centre International d’Antibes, who accompanied the group back to Campus Horticole, where they were given time to settle in before enjoying a picnic lunch. They then made their way into Antibes, where they followed their animatrice, Béatrice, through the quaint streets of the vieille ville, passing the Picasso Museum and then continuing on along the ancient ramparts, before enjoying a swim in the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea, surrounded by some of the most spectacular scenery on the French Riviera! Upon return to campus everyone enjoyed dinner in the restaurant, before being introduced to all the other international students - 16 different nationalities are represented and everyone is very excited for the week that lies ahead in this idyllic part of the world...
MONDAY 11 AUGUST LE TEST + COURS FERMES + EXCURSION TO CANNES
Meeting new friends last night was great fun, with all enjoying the ice-breaker activities and social interaction! After breakfast they gathered in trepidation to do 'le test', where they were assessed on their written & oral ability and after the break, they enjoyed cours fermés, where the focus was on oral communication & role play. After a delicious lunch, they hopped on board the train to Cannes and their first visit was to Le Suquet, a landmark in Vieux Cannes which affords a magnificent view over the yacht-lined bay & the Estérel Mountains. On their return to the beachfront, they visited the Palais des Festivals, which is famous for the Cannes Film Festival in May and thereafter the group was delighted to have ‘du temps libre’, which equates to free time! Some preferred to shop and headed for the well-known brand stores such as Zara, Morgan and Galéries Lafayette, as well as delighting in the more affordable shops on la Rue Meynadier, with its abundance of bargains in all shapes and sizes! Others preferred to make their way straight towards the beach and enjoy a swim in the azure blue waters – a really good idea on such a hot day! At 6.00pm, a happy band of travellers returned to Antibes and a soirée barbecue awaits tonight, which always is great fun!
TUESDAY 12 AUGUST COURS INTERNATIONAUX + EXCURSION TO FRAGONARD, FLORIAN & JUAN LES PINS!
This morning the South Africans were allocated to classes with other international students and all seemed very happy with their level of placement. After lunch they hopped on board a private coach and travelled to Grasse, which is dubbed the ‘balcony of Provence’ for its magnificent views and home to French perfume. At the Fragonard Perfumery they enjoyed a fascinating guided tour and 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, with enough time to eat dinner and spruce up for the evening excursion to the vibrant summer resort of Juan les Pins, which is always a highlight!
WEDNESDAY 13 AUGUST INTENSIVE COMMUNICATIVE FRENCH TODAY!
With a few placement ‘tweaks’ this morning, all benefitted from the ‘cours internationaux’ and after lunch les Sud-Afs enjoyed ‘cours fermés’. These lessons were organized to replace those that will be missed on the public holiday, Friday 15th August - The Assumption of Mary. Everyone spent the first hour creating relevant questions for a survey and then they headed into Antibes to interview locals & shop owners, before returning to discuss their findings. This was such a good hands-on communicative experience, which they all thoroughly enjoyed! After 6 hours of tuition today, they were keen to relax and everyone was very excited for tonight’s entertainment on campus - Soirée Ibiza + Karaoke + dancing!
THURSDAY 14 AUGUST SUN, SEA, SAND & SAILING!
As tomorrow is a public holiday, today marked the end of the formal lessons with Le Centre International d'Antibes. All the students were proud recipients of a DELF certificate, which attests to the 15 hours of tuition & the level attained, as well as a comment from the teachers. Claire, who is responsible for the pedagogy on campus, once again praised the positive, enthusiastic and serious approach of the South African students - bravo les sud-afs! After lunch all excitedly boarded the coach to the Yacht Club in Antibes, where they were divided into groups and given the opportunity to sail on a catamaran on the calm azure blue waters, with snow-capped mountains as a backdrop and the vieille ville in close proximity – what an incredible experience in this idyllic part of the world! After dinner tonight there will be the traditional soirée cabaret and our SA students are historically such a ‘hit’ - out-performing all the others, with their great dancing & singing!
FRIDAY 15 AUGUST EXCURSION TO MONACO & NICE!
Aujourd’hui c’est un jour ferié en France’ - ‘L’Assomption - so therefore no lessons today! At 09h30 all hopped on board the coach bound for the Principality of Monaco and with such lovely weather, the scenery along the route du littoral was magnificent. Upon arrival in Monaco, everyone was struck by the cleanliness and obvious wealth of this small principality - with 1 policeman per 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. At the Palace they hoped to catch a glimpse of our very own South African Princèsse Charlène, before enjoying some Grand Prix souvenir shopping and a quick stroll through the beautiful exotic gardens of Princess Grace. Thereafter they returned to Nice, the ‘Queen of the Riviera’ and from the newly revamped Place Masséna, they wandered through the quaint streets of Vieux Nice to the famous Fenocchios, which boasts a selection of 106 different flavours of ice-cream, ranging from avocado - sundried tomatoes – basil – nutella – lemon meringue - mojito! Everyone then split into groups, with some heading straight towards the name brand boutiques along Boulevard Jean Medécin, whilst others made their way to the beach to soak up the ambience of the beautiful pebbled seafront. At 18h00 all returned to Antibes in high spirits and after dinner tonight there will be a 2nd excursion to Juan Les Pins - their final evening on the magnificent Côte d’Azur is bound to be memorable!
SATURDAY 16 AUGUST BIENVENUE A PARIS!
After breakfast, all vacated their rooms and then had a few hours to explore Antibes to do some last minute souvenir shopping. Whilst enjoying a picnic lunch back on campus, everyone had the opportunity to say a fond farewell to and besto w presents upon their animatrice, Beatrice, who has added such a wonderful dimension to their week. The airport transfer departed at 13h15 for their flight to Paris and once at Orly Airport, they boarded the private coach bound for their hotel, Paris Louis Blanc. After settling into their rooms, they enjoyed their first metro experience as they made their way to the highly rated restaurant in the Quartier Latin – Au Bistrot de la Montagne. Should you wish to make contact with your children, the hotel telephone number is 00 33 1 46 33 33 16.
SUNDAY 17 AUGUST NOTRE DAME & SACRE COEUR
After a good breakfast, they travelled by metro to l’Hôtel de Ville (Paris’ very impressive town hall) and from here they made their way to the Beaubourg area for a view of the architecturally contentious Georges Pompidou Centre – it’s amazing how quickly the youngsters spot a Starbucks Café! After this they strolled past numerous souvenir shops to Notre Dame, where all marvelled at the beauty of this national monument and thereafter they crossed the bridge behind the Cathedral to the Left Bank, which boasts thousands of lovers’ locks – all very romantic in this city of love! In the late afternoon the group made their way to Montmartre and climbed the many steps to the beautiful basilica of Sacré Coeur, from where they were able to have a superb view over Paris. They then strolled to the Place du Tertre, where some opted to have their portraits painted, before enjoying a delicious 3-course dinner served at the famous restaurant La Cremaillère. Everyone loves Paris!
MONDAY 18 AUGUST CHAMPS ELYSEES + CRUISE + EIFFEL TOWER!
Everyone was so grateful for a slower start to the day and at 10h30 all hopped on the metro to the Musée du Louvre, where they marvelled at the magnificent works of art, including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory & Venus de Milo. Thereafter they enjoyed a few hours on the Champs Elysées, exploring all the gems on this world famous boulevard! At 16h00 they made their way to the River Seine, where everyone thoroughly enjoyed a cruise, with a wonderful commentary on all the famous landmarks of Paris. This was followed by a delicious 3 course dinner alongside the river, after which they met up with their guide for the night coach tour ~ Les Illuminations! At 22h00 the Eiffel Tower will light up in all its sparkling glory and at 22h30 the group will ascend to the 2nd floor for a magical view of this iconic city - what an incredible experience & a veritable life memory!
TUESDAY 19 AUGUST A WONDERFUL LAST DAY AT DISNEYLAND PARIS!
Everyone had really been looking forward to Disneyland Paris and after breakfast all excitedly made their way to the RER station for the ‘external’ train ride to Marne la Vallée. With entry tickets firmly in hand, they bounded through the gates, with Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain & the Indiana Jones roller coaster being top of their list! After the spectacular Parade showcasing favourite Disney Characters, all returned to Paris, having had such a wonderful last day - a veritable life memory indeed!
WEDNESDAY 20 AUGUST HOMEWARD BOUND!
Today marks the final day of a very successful tour - everyone has had the most wonderful experience and the precious memories & firm bonds of friendship will last a lifetime. After breakfast they left their luggage in the hotel ‘bagagerie’ and enjoyed a visit to the 2 famous department stores in Paris, Galéries Lafayette & Printemps, with neighbouring H & M winning the day! After re-visiting other favourite sights, they returned to the hotel to freshen up before their coach arrived to transfer them to Roissy Charles de Gaulle. The return flight has been confirmed and they will be departing Paris @ 23h20 on flight AF990 - I am sure there is no need to remind all excited parents that your beloved children are scheduled to land at OR Tambo @ 09h50 tomorrow, Thursday 21 August! 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. They 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 the 3 chaperones ensured that your sons & daughters were well cared for, happy and safe throughout the tour – bravo et merci mille fois mes amies! 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 child will return not only academically enriched, but enriched as a person, having matured and grown in confidence. It has been a joy and privilege for me to once again be associated with Cornwall Hill College & St Mary’s DSG Pretoria and it remains for me to say ‘merci beaucoup, bon retour et à la prochaine…..!’