A group of Year 10 to 13 students travelled to Paris in February for a Modern Foreign Languages immersion trip.
Highlights included visiting the Notre Dame and meeting representatives from the Friends of Notre Dame to present the funds raised from our European Art Song evening.
The group did so much walking visiting ‘Mémorial des Martyrs de La Déportation’, the Eiffel Tower, the Musée d’Orsay, climbing the Arc de Triomphe, picnicking in the Jardin du Luxembourg and having a walking tour of Montmartre. They also enjoyed a boat ride on the Seine and dinner in a traditional French restaurant.
“The students were great company; very enthusiastic and appreciative and they enjoyed being immersed in the language and culture. Many commented on how inspiring they found the experience.”
Jeudi 9 février
What an amazing day! As I write we are sitting on the coach on our way back to the accommodation after a fantastic, packed day. The girls are on great form and have been so enthusiastic all day.
Our day began at Notre Dame where we met with two representatives from the Friends of Notre Dame, who talked us through, in French, how the restoration project was going. It was fascinating and the girls responded very well to it. They gave us all some honey from the Notre Dame bees as a gift. We were pleased to be able to present to them a donation from funds raised at the European Art Song Evening.
We then had a very moving guided tour (in French) of the ‘Mémorial des Martyrs de La Déportation’. It was a sombre but poignant and immersive experience. The girls were wonderful; they listened attentively and respectfully and were proud of themselves for what they were able to understand.
After this we had a picnic in the park before taking a scenic route through the Tuileries and along the Seine to the Eiffel Tower. Everyone enjoyed climbing up the tower, although there was a funny moment when Hailey and Thalia discovered that there WAS actually a lift and were shocked that we had made them climb!
We finished the day with a beautiful boat trip on the Seine.
We are heading back now for dinner, after which I will be doing some activities relating to the Impressionist paintings that we will be seeing tomorrow at the Musée d’Orsay.
Our days are packed and tiring but the girls are being amazing and so excited about everything. We have all said what a pleasure it is to be able to do this with our students again post Covid as we can see how much they gain from the experience.
Vendredi 10 février/ Samedi 11 février
We had another lovely day in bright, sunny weather, with lots more walking!
We started the day with a morning at the Musée d’Orsay, where the girls enjoyed exploring and had lots to say about their favourite pictures.
We then had a picnic in front of the Hôtel de Ville, before having a couple of hours of free time, shopping in the Rue Rivoli. The girls thoroughly enjoyed this and came back with lots of bags and tales to tell! The best story was someone asking a waiter if she could pay by Apple pay and being presented with an apple pie, which she then felt obliged to eat and pay for!
On the coach in and out of Paris we watched ‘Amélie’, which is set in Montmartre, where we are going on Saturday. As everyone was very tired, we had a relaxing evening in the accommodation centre with no formal activities, but lots of chat and piano playing. We then had an early night and the promise of a later breakfast in the morning.
As I write, it is Saturday morning and everyone is feeling more refreshed after a longer sleep. Anthony, our animateur, is leading a fun quiz before we set off for the day at a slightly later time. We will be climbing the Arc de Triomphe, picnicking in the Jardin du Luxembourg and then having a walking tour of Montmartre, looking at the historic sights, as well as Amélie and Emily in Paris landmarks! We will then finish the evening at a traditional French restaurant in Montmartre and will watch the Eiffel Tower twinkling from the hill of Montmartre.
Dimanche 12 février: A final update from Paris!
We have had another very busy couple of days. On Saturday we began the day with a French quiz organised by Anthony, our lovely animateur. We then boarded the coach and drove to the Arc de Triomphe, from where there were amazing views of Paris.
The girls then had about an hour of free time in the Champs Elysées before we got back on the coach and went to Montmartre. We had a walk around a very busy Sacré Coeur and then the girls had some free time in the pretty Place Du Tertre area.
We then went to ‘La Bonne Franquette’, a traditional French restaurant once frequented by the Impressionist painters, where we were given a warm welcome and enjoyed a nice meal. A highlight was when Izzy sang ‘La vie en rose’ with the restaurant’s musician in front of the whole restaurant, to great applause!
Yesterday was a really fun day at Disneyland, splitting our time between the main park and the studio park. Everyone gave each other courage and at one point the Tower of Terror was filled with Norwich High and our screams (I confess that mine may have been the loudest!).
In the evening we gave the girls some spending money to eat in a restaurant of their choice in Disney Village.
It has been an amazing trip. The girls have been such a pleasure to be with; fun, interested, polite, organised and kind to each other. We have seen new friendships form, fears overcome, fresh interest in the French language and culture sparked. For many this has been their first school trip and we expected that there might be some ‘wobbles’, but they have been secure, happy and positive throughout. All of the staff have enjoyed being with them and have felt very proud of them throughout.
“It was really interesting to visit cultural sites such as Notre Dame, the Sacré Coeur and the Musée d’Orsay. Speaking in French to native speakers over the course of the trip was really inspiring. The animateur was really friendly, and group activities helped to develop my French conversation skills. I really enjoyed shopping on the Marais and having dinner as a whole school group. I had a great time!”
“The variation of sightseeing, cultural exploration and free time was a great balance. I really enjoyed being able to walk around from place to place as it allowed more exploration. The boat ride after the Eiffel Tower was a lovely way to end a packed day and the timing worked out well each day. I really enjoyed eating out on Saturday after the Sacré Coeur as it was a relaxed way to end the day and enjoy some French food and music.
After having restrictions for so long on school trips, it was really great to be able to travel with school again. Being able to visit an environment where French is exclusively spoken was really beneficial for my speaking and listening coming up to the exams. Having multiple year groups on the trip was lovely as it meant we could speak and connect with students that we otherwise wouldn’t have. I really recommend this trip to anyone who is keen to go on a fun, immersive experience with friends.”
“It has helped build my understanding of French and it has inspired me to work harder in the subject. The teachers were really encouraging and were very helpful. The trip not only helped with my French but helped me make more friends as I socialised with a new group of people.”
“There was a good balance of free time and cultural things with just the right amount of time for both and I quite liked how the days were full and we walked instead of taking transport as I feel that we got to see more of the city. The sightseeing element was amazing and there was so much that we saw and learnt about the different historical elements of the city.
This trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity that really helped me to be immersed in the French language and culture. It made learning French more relatable and more motivating. It helped me bond with people in other year groups who I would otherwise not talk to and it left me with lifelong memories.”
“The itinerary was perfect; the balance of learning and fun … the sightseeing and the iconic Parisian buildings and architecture, lifestyle, culture etc was amazing to be immersed in … I liked the fact that most of the learning was on the first few days, and the fun was on the last few days, so there was a lot to look forward to. I appreciated the free time we were given … I also think that the balance of speaking French and learning things was great too, like when we were told facts about different buildings and places, the instructors usually said it in French, so it made it easier for vocabulary to sink in!
Everyone was included as well, and the teachers were very fun to be around and everyone had a laugh … it was all so relaxing and carefree and fun and I would love to do it again! There is nothing I didn’t love about this experience! Thank you.”
“For me, the highlight of the trip was walking to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and admiring the views of the city. The viewing point offered a clear visual of the symmetry of the city, looking directly down the Champs Elysees and to the financial district in the distance, with the Eiffel Tower to the left. The opportunity to listen to a French tour guide at the Deportation memorial was really helpful for language skills as well as being very moving. I fully enjoyed the scenic walk to the Eiffel Tower along the Rive Droite, as it gave me a sense of the open-space feeling of the city centre and the beauty of the architecture all around.
I found the balance between activities and free time perfect, having really enjoyed our shopping time next to l’Hotel de Ville and the Champs-Elysees. It was an extraordinary experience to feel immersed in such a beautiful and culturally rich city.”
