WEDNESDAY 24 APRIL D DAY!
There was great excitement as we all gathered at ORT this afternoon and check-in went smoothly….thank you to all who arrived timeously! There are 30 students in total, with 27 from Kingsmead College, 2 from St Andrew’s School for Girls and 1 who will be attending St Teresa’s next term. After a fond farewell to family & friends, together we made our way through security & emigration and I am delighted to confirm that we encountered no problems whatsoever and all are safely through to the ‘other side’! Everyone is so excited at the prospect of the wonderful adventure which awaits and they are all bounding with energy! I will update the site as soon as I have connectivity tomorrow, but please rest assured that your precious children are in safe hands and all are really happy. A reminder that there will be daily entries and photos will also be loaded on a Facebook page linked to the website. If you are a member of Facebook, then either search ‘Personal Touch Schooltours – April Independent 2019’ or follow the link below and click ‘LIKE’ to receive updates as they are posted. https://web.facebook.com/Personal-Touch-Schooltours-April-Independent-2019-2214298582217807 A demain…!
THURSDAY 25 APRIL - SAFE ARRIVAL IN PARIS!
We all arrived in high spirits bright and early this morning and mercifully all our luggage appeared on the carrousel! We then had time to freshen up at the airport, before boarding the private coach to our hotel, Campanile La Villette. As anticipated, our rooms were not ready, so we headed off for our first metro experience to the Tuileries Gardens. The weather was a little chilly and overcast, but this did not deter or dampen their enthusiasm and joy. After endless ‘selfies’ at the glass pyramid, they had time to stroll through the magnificent gardens, spotting for the first time the Eiffel Tower, the Carrousel, the Obelisk on the Place de la Concorde, the Arc de Triomphe in the distance and, of course the Louvre. All regrouped punctually at 12h30 and we then made our way to Galeries Lafayette, which they all loved. We arrived back at the hotel at 16h30 and all were delighted to have a few hours to unpack, shower and chill before our dinner in the hotel restaurant tonight. I am sure that it will not take anyone long to fall asleep thereafter ... including the chaperones!!
FRIDAY 26 APRIL - QUELLE JOURNEE MAGNIFIQUE!
Bonjour! I have been out and about with the group all day and we will only be back at the hotel after midnight! In summary the girls have had a marvellous (sunny!) day in Paris, starting with a wonderful few hours on the Champs Elysees! We made our way to the Eiffel Tower after lunch and there were shrieks of joy at their first sighting! They are now on the cruise and this will be followed by a lovely 3 course dinner and then a coach tour of Paris by night. We will ascend the Eiffel Tower at 23h00 and then back to the hotel after midnight ... phew, quelle journee magnifique!
SATURDAY 27 APRIL - OUR LAST FULL DAY IN PARIS!
Joyeux anniversaire to Emily - 17 today and we all sang happy birthday to her at midnight in front of a sparkling Eiffel Tower! After not too much sleep, we all left the hotel at 08h15 this morning and many were very excited at the thought of a guided visit of the prestigious Musée du Louvre. Our group was divided into 2 and all appreciated the input from their specialist guides, as they focused on so many famous works of art. We then had some time to relax in the Louvre’s mini-mall, with the majority heading off for food at either Starbucks or McDonalds! The chaperones and I discussed the scheduled visit to Notre Dame and we made the decision not to continue with this, based on a) the girls are a little weary and would benefit from a short rest at the hotel before Montmartre b) visitors are not able to enter Notre Dame after the fire c) the girls viewed the beautiful edifice from the boat on their cruise. We now have 2 hours to relax and pack, before making our way to Montmartre in the latter part of the afternoon. We will enjoy strolling through this famous district and after a visit to the beautiful basilica of Sacré Coeur, we will walk to the Place du Tertre, where many are looking forward to having their portraits painted! Dinner tonight will be served in the beautiful 19th century restaurant La Crémaillère and this will be a superb ending to our very special time in Paris. We leave our hotel at 07h00 tomorrow and all are looking forward to the new adventures which await in the south of France!
SUNDAY 28 APRIL ONWARD TO THE COTE D’AZUR!
What an amazing evening we had at the restaurant last night. We were seated in a beautiful room, dedicated to our group and the piano was at our disposal. What an incredibly talented group we have, with some fine singers, dancers and pianists! Mokkie entertained us for a large part of the evening and she is truly gifted. Suffice to say, we all left in exceptionally high spirits and probably later than we had planned, so waking up to our alarms this morning was not easy! All have loved Paris and the girls have seen & done so much in such a relatively short space of time. Everyone was excited to be flying to warmer shores and upon arrival in Nice, we were warmly greeted by our ‘animateur’, Liam, from Le Centre International d’Antibes. Once all the luggage had been loaded on the coach, we headed for Antibes, where all enjoyed a picnic lunch at Le Chateau – the school premises which is beautifully situated, overlooking the snow-capped Alps and the azur blue Mediterranean Sea, bedecked with luxury yachts! Thereafter the girls walked into Antibes and enjoyed an orientation tour of the vieille ville and the views from the ancient city ramparts were magnificent – everyone has immediately fallen in love with this idyllic part of the world! Once the visit was complete, all were given free time to wander and explore, before making their way back to Le Chateau to meet their familles d’accueil. Everyone seemed very happy and I have no doubt that your precious children will be in good hands - bon séjour à tout le monde!
MONDAY 29 APRIL LE TEST + EXCURSION TO CANNES
Everyone arrived at the school in high spirits and Le Chateau is looking so beautiful, with the snow-capped Alps and the beautiful Mediterranean Sea as a backdrop. At 09h00 they were divided into groups to do their oral & written assessment and after ‘la pause’, all enjoyed ‘cours fermés’. Tomorrow, based on the results of ‘le test’, they will be placed in classes to suit their individual level of French, with other students of similar ability. Lunch was so enjoyable and everyone took their trays on to the terrace, mingling with the others. After lunch we made our way by train to Cannes and upon arrival we visited the Palais des Festivals, which is famous for hosting the Cannes Film Festival. Thereafter, they followed Liam to Le Suquet, a landmark which affords a magnificent view over the yacht-lined bay & the Estérel Mountains. They were then afforded ‘du temps libre’ (free time) and the majority swarmed to the well-known brand stores such as Zara, Morgan, Sephora and Galéries Lafayette, whilst others were delighted to discover the more affordable shops on the Rue Meynadier, which boast an abundance of bargains in all shapes and sizes! At 18h30 all hopped off the train at Juan les Pins and went to the venue for the ‘soiree barbecue’ (a fancy braai!) where they will have a wonderful evening socializing with all the other students at the school this week. This is usually such a fun-filled evening and I am looking forward to some wonderful stories tomorrow morning!
TUESDAY 30 APRIL FRENCH COURSE ….. ALL DAY!
Apparently last night’s soirée was a huge success, with our South African students once again ‘getting the party started’ with their singing and dancing – bravo les filles! Another glorious day greeted us this morning and there was a buzz as they gathered around the notice board to see their designated class & teacher. Everyone is very eager to start their lessons, where the emphasis will be placed on improving communicative skills and general confidence to speak. As tomorrow is a public holiday (un jour ferié) the school will not be open and to replace these lessons, after lunch the girls benefitted from a specially designed course. The various teachers prepared worksheets and questionnaires, which required the girls to communicate with locals in Antibes in order to fulfill the requirements. After an hour and a half on site, they returned with their teachers to the school to discuss their findings and I could hear much chatter and laughter emanating from the classrooms! This was certainly ‘education with a difference’ and the girls really enjoyed participating in this valuable exercise. Tonight will be a quiet night for everyone and a time to recharge batteries for all that still lies ahead!
WEDNESDAY 1 MAY ‘UN JOUR FERIE’ AND A FUN FILLED DAY!
At 09h30 we gathered on the Place de Gaulle, all very excited for our day’s excursion to Eze and Monaco. Once on board our coach, we travelled along the spectacular ‘route du littoral’ which boast incredible scenery. We stopped in Eze, which is a beautiful mediaeval ‘village perché’ and here we visited the Fragonard Parfumerie, where our guide gave us a fascinating & most informative tour. Thereafter we spent time in their on-site boutique and many special gifts were purchased! Onward then to the Principality of Monaco, where we enjoyed our picnic lunch, before visiting the State Apartments in the Pink Palace. All were then afforded ‘du temps libre’ and enjoyed some souvenir shopping, before taking a ride on ‘le petit train’, a tourist train which weaves through the famous ‘Grand Prix’ streets of Monte Carlo, providing valuable commentary along the way. A happy, albeit a little weary, band of travelers returned to Antibes around 18h00 and we encouraged the girls to have a restful evening and early night.
THURSDAY 2 MAY SCHOOL + EXCURSION TO NICE!
All enjoyed their lessons this morning and they are feeling so much more confident to communicate in French! The animateurs laid out a table full of post-Easter treats and during 'la pause' all enjoyed some delicious chocolate and juice. At lunchtime our group jumped the long queue in order to get to the station in time to catch the train to Nice. Upon arrival we walked down to the spectacular Fontaine du Soleil, on the Place Masséna and here Liam explained some of the history of this beautiful city, which is dubbed the 'Queen of the Riviera'. Many were keen to find Fenoccios – a famous ice cream parlour, where there are 107 different flavours, ranging from nutella; sun dried tomatoes; nougat; cactus; rhubarb; coca cola; pinacolada etc and, with such a vast choice, it is always really hard to make a decision! Thereafter, everyone headed to the Boulevard Jean Medecin to browse/shop in the well-known brand boutiques and we met again at 17h30, all in high spirits and brandishing their purchases! Once at the station, we hopped on board the train and returned to Antibes at 18h30 - quelle journée magnifique!
FRIDAY 3 MAY - DELF CERTIFICATE + FREE AFTERNOON IN ANTIBES
Today marked the end of formal lessons at Le Centre International d'Antibes and all were very proud to receive their DELF accredited certificates, which attest to the 15 hours of tuition and the level attained, as well as an individual comment from the teacher. The educators were once again full of high praise for our SA students, commenting on their level of participation & enthusiastic approach to the tasks at hand and, furthermore, they were impressed with the marked improvement in their confidence to communicate. After lunch we gathered on the lawn to thank Liam for having been a wonderful animateur and he was certainly spoilt with a lot of South African little goodies. Thereafter the girls dashed into Antibes, all excited to have free time to explore the fascinating vieille ville with all its hidden gems and many made the Picasso Museum their first stop. Tonight they have been granted an extended curfew to give them the opportunity to be 'tourists' and perhaps enjoy a meal together in a restaurant. School transfers have been organized from the Place de Gaulle to return the girls directly to their families by 22h30.
SATURDAY 4 MAY HOMEWARD BOUND!
This morning we woke up to glorious sunshine and all will have time to relax and stroll through the vibrant marché provençal, with some perhaps even enjoying a swim! We will gather at Port Vauban at 14h00, where the girls will bid fond farewell to their host families who have taken such good care of them for the past week. Then all aboard as we travel by coach to the airport in Nice, where we will check in for our flight to Paris. Once at Roissy Charles de Gaulle, our group will remain in transit, where all will no doubt enjoy browsing in the duty-free shops…not that much money left to buy anything! Flight AF 990 is expected to depart at 23h20 and I am sure that there is no need to remind all excited parents & family members that we are scheduled to arrive at OR Tambo tomorrow, Sunday 5 May at 09h55. To act ‘in loco parentis’ is no mean task and I would sincerely like to thank Sue Ann Mabaso and Lisa Pienaar for their amazing support and dedication to the role. They have been superb companions and we share very fond memories of our tour with your children. Merci beaucoup mes chères amies ~ I value your professionalism and thank you for flying the banner high for ‘Personal Touch’! Everyone has had a wonderfully happy experience and we have managed to pack so much into a relatively short space of time. As parents, you have given your children the most incredible gift 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. The precious memories & firm bonds of friendships will last a lifetime and it remains for me to wish all a happy home-coming - ‘merci beaucoup, bon retour et à la prochaine…!