ST CHARLES COLLEGE TOUR TO FRANCE – JUNE/JULY 2014
SATURDAY 28 JUNE D DAY!
After months & months of anticipation, D day has finally dawned and there was great excitement as all gathered at King Shaka International airport this afternoon. It has been such a joy to work closely with the chaperones and to create a tour which is the ultimate boy-tour to France! Sincere thanks to an amazing group of parents who have been so co-operative along the way – all arrangements are firmly in place and I wish your sons an enriching and blessed tour. More tomorrow ….
SUNDAY 29 JUNE SAFE ARRIVAL!
At 14h00 I received an sms from Mrs Vermaak to say they had arrived safely in Paris – the flights had gone well and all were in fine spirits! Once they had retrieved their luggage, they loaded it on to the waiting coach and made their way to the hotel, Paris Gare du Nord and this is when I received a 2nd sms…. This is my preferred hotel in Paris and I have stayed here on numerous occasions with groups, hence my disbelief when I heard that the boys had been placed in triple rooms, when clearly 9 twins were reserved and paid for. After countless calls to France, all was sorted, but the hotel Management will most certainly be contacted once again tomorrow morning. I am very sorry for this stress, but apparently the boys were not too ‘phased’ (how different from the girls!) and after a quick freshen-up, they had their first metro experience as they made their way to Montmartre. Tonight they will be enjoying an authentic French meal in one of the most famous restaurants on the Place du Tertre, La Cremaillère and from years of experience, I know that this will be a very memorable evening!
MONDAY 30 JUNE GUIDED TOUR OF PARIS & LES CHAMPS ELYSEES!
This morning all awoke refreshed from a good night’s sleep and after a copious breakfast they were introduced to Mme Catherine Brouchoud who would guide them on their 3-hour coach tour of Paris. After this wonderfully informative experience, they were able to enjoy some free time on the world’s most famous boulevard, l’Avenue des Champs Elysées, before ascending the Arc de Triomphe, a magnificent structure which was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 to honour his armies. From here they were able to see la Grande Arche de la Defense and from the summit they were amazed to observe some of the most chaotic driving in the world! Dinner tonight was booked at La Créperie des Champs Elysées and I look forward to further updates from the group ….
TUESDAY 1 JULY ROLAND GARROS + CRUISE ON THE SEINE + EIFFEL TOWER
This morning the boys travelled to Roland Garros, where they enjoyed a guided tour of the stadium - here they had the opportunity to go behind the scenes to visit the areas reserved for players, including the locker rooms, the press centre & of course the courts. They also enjoyed a visit to the museum, which boasts a permanent exhibition, with archives & memorabilia dating back to 1897. In the late afternoon they hopped on board the Bâteaux Parisiens for a leisurely cruise, identifying the many famous landmarks of Paris and this was followed by dinner at the restaurant alongside the River Seine. At 20h00 they ascended to the 2nd level of the iconic Tour Eiffel for a breathtaking view over this enchanting City of Lights ~ a truly memorable experience as the tower sparkled on the hour!
WEDNESDAY 2 JULY SUCH LOVELY FEEDBACK!
I have just received such a long and happy WA message from the chaperones and can't wait to share it: "Coucou Jenny!!! Where do I start?!!!! We are all having an awesome time in Paris. A lack of sleep but ready to go every morning!! The last 2 days have gone sooo quickly!! Coach bus tour was fantastic with Catherine (who remembered me from last time!) and she included le jardin du Luxembourg for the boys to use their energy, we loved it!! Then arc de Triomphe and supper next to Champs Elysees where we experienced World Cup fever!!! Boys were in their element joining in with the French shouting, singing etc etc!!!! They have such a good spirit! Yesterday Roland Garros was enjoyed by all of us, it was just fantastic, what an experience!!! Then had picnic at champs de mars with seine cruise, beautiful and relaxing. Then the big excitement of the day, ET where the boys decided to go to the very very top!!!! Such excitement. Walked back to champ de mars to watch the tower getting lit up….which reflected their spirit. Caught metro line at école militaire, and they were all singing rugby songs and the SA anthem enjoyed by all the pedestrians and people in cafés!!!! got back at hotel at 11.30!!!Voila ma chère, les nouvelles de Paris!!!! xx". I leave for France tonight with 46 students and we will be staying in the same hotel as the SCC group, so I look forward to personally catching up with everyone!
THURSDAY 3 JULY STADE DE FRANCE + CITE DES SCIENCE + WE MEET UP!
After a long day of travelling for our group, I was delighted to meet up with some of the boys from SCC and to know that Personal Touch was alive & well in Paris tonight with 65 students in the one hotel! The boys have been having the most amazing time and the visit to the Stade France was apparently ‘awesome’ - they had a fantastic guide and the boys really enjoyed the visit, buying numerous souvenirs from the boutique! They also had photos taken in the players’ change room, where they posed with great pride and and it was such an incredible experience for them all! The visit to la Geode was also very good and the meal tonight was really delicious!
FRIDAY 4 JULY LOIRE VALLEY!
Today the group had an early start as they travelled by coach to the Loire Valley and in the city of Amboise they visited Le Close Lucé, the official residence of Leonardo da Vinci between 1516 & 1519. Here he devoted himself to perfecting his inventions and the museum includes over 40 of his models on the theme of military engineering, town planning, mechanics, flying machines & hydraulics. They had an amazing guide and the boys really enjoyed this visit. After lunch they made their way to Chambord, the finest château of the region, where their hired bicycles and this was a wonderful experience! It was my absolute pleasure tonight to join the group for dinner upon their return and I delighted in their animated tales, which ranged from soccer fever on the Champs Elysées, to very ‘weird people’ on the metro, to all the incredible sights visited, to their ‘questionable’ guide at the Louvre (!) and ending, as always, with tales of the amazing beauty of the local French ladies! What a joyful evening it was for me to spend time with your sons and I can assure you that each and everyone of them is having an incredible experience – they are such a happy band of travelers and gratitude to the 2 amazing ladies at the helm, Muriel Vermaak & Merle Prinsloo!
SATURDAY 5 JULY DISNEYLAND PARIS!
It is 20h00 and I have just met the boys in the foyer after having returned from a wonderful day at Disneyland Paris. In spite of the long queues which were to be expected in the summer season, they were able to boast several exciting rides and thoroughly enjoyed the day! Many have met up with my group and all are enjoying their last evening in Paris … chatting & watching the soccer!
SUNDAY 6 JULY ONWARD TO NORMANDY!
This morning the coach arrived at 08h30 and after having loaded the cases, the boys bade a fond farewell to Paris, where they have experienced so much in one week! As they drove towards Normandy it was raining, but upon arrival in Caen, the sun was shining to welcome them! Here they visited Le Mémorial de Caen, which is an all-encompassing museum commemorating World War II - it uses some of the most advanced interpretative techniques available to take one on a trip through the history & atrocities of the war and gives amazing insight into the D-Day landings, all of which will be highlighted on their full day excursion tomorrow. Thereafter the boys were delighted to settle in to their very comfortable hotel, in front of which there is a large green park, where they thoroughly enjoyed playing with the soccer ball purchased by Ross Campbell at the Stade de France! A reminder that they will be at the Kyriad Caen Centre for the next 2 nights and the telephone is 00 33 2 31 86 55 33.
MONDAY 7 JULY TOUR OF NORMANDY BEACHES
Everyone woke up refreshed and after a delicious breakfast, all hopped on board the coach, where they were introduced to their local guide for the day, Valerie Coupel. As they left Caen, she pointed out many important land marks and brought the destruction & subsequent reconstruction of the city to their attention. They then travelled to Arromanches, which is renowned for its artificial Mulberry Harbour, but uncannily it is today quite simply a beautiful seaside resort. Here they viewed the 360 degree movie, which graphically highlighted the 100 days of the Battle of Normandy – it was an excellent production which was utterly moving. They then drove to the American Cemetery at Coleville-sur-Mer, where everyone was visibly moved as they walked through 9 387 white marble crosses & stars, all placed in perfect rows – an amazing tribute to the young men who made the greatest sacrifice of all for liberty. They then moved on to Pointe du Hoc, a German Battery vantage point, where Colonel James Rudder & his Rangers accomplished a memorable feat of arms on the cliffs on 6 June 1944. The ground around is scarred with huge craters from the Allied bombings and it was an emotional experience as the boys relived the feelings & sentiments of the soldiers in the first hours of that morning. In the late afternoon they returned to the hotel, emotionally exhausted and filled with such respect & a real empathy for the events that took place on the shores of Normandy 70 years ago. They had some time to relax before dinner at the neighbouring restaurant and their final evening on tour is bound to be memorable, as they recount all their memoires ... apparently what happens in France stays in France!
TUESDAY 8 JULY HOMEWARD BOUND!
By all accounts the tour has been a resounding success and everyone will be returning home with such fond memories of la belle France! I have just received these final words from Mme Muriel Vermaak: “What a fantastic day we yesterday in the company of an awesome guide! We did all the D-day beaches, starting with the incredible 360degree movie which gave a total overview. We then travelled to the American cemetery which was very moving and the guide was very impressed with the intelligent questions the boys asked - how very proud we were of our SCC students! Our last supper in France was once again delicious and thereafter they enjoyed playing soccer on the grass terrain in front of the hotel … in the rain! Our trip has been fantastic, with excellent camaraderie amongst the boys and as chaperones, we are positive that this experience will have enriched them in so many different ways. Thank you to Jenny Peddle for everything you have done to make this such an incredible tour for us!” Today they will visit Rouen en route to Roissy Charles de Gaulle and I can confirm that all flights remain as per schedule - I am sure there is no need to remind all excited mums & dads to expect to see their sons at King Shaka @ 16h45 tomorrow, Wednesday 9 July. 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 & compassion shown by Muriel Ver maak and Merle Prinsloo has been acknowledged, as they went far beyond the call of duty to ensure that your boys were well cared for, happy and safe. I admire & applaud their calm perspective, sense of fun and professionalism ~ they have been a pleasure to work with! I know too that they have appreciated the boys’ willingness to cooperate and been so impressed with their impeccable behaviour and their sense of adventure. 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 boy will return not only academicall y 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 be associated with St Charles College and it remains for me to say ‘merci beaucoup, bon retour et à la prochaine!’