Year 8 Paris Trip 2018
Holly Clayton 8S, writes:
Leading up to the annual Year 8 trip to Paris, nerves began to increase as there was a sense of doubt as to whether the snow would postpone the trip. Luckily, the roads were clear, and the coach was able to leave at an early start of 7am on Friday 2nd March. Fully packed with excited children, the two coaches arrived at Dover, ready to make the rough crossing. Due to the wild weather, the ferry was a lot choppier than expected, resulting in many people being sea sick! Relieved to stand on still ground again, we continued our journey to the Château. Arriving at the Château, we were welcomed by the PGL staff and settled into our dorms, deciding on who was responsible for the keys! Pizza and chips was our first meal at the Château, followed by an evening activity. After re-enacting photos, counting street lamps and hugging trees, our first evening in France came to an end.
Waking up to the ‘delightful’ sound of alarms at 6:30am, it was time to prepare ourselves for the eventful day ahead. We started with a peaceful cruise along the River Seine, admiring ornate bridges, the miniature Statue Of Liberty and even a wedding ceremony! Heading off to the Louvre Art Museum where we saw the Mona Lisa, we were given a guided tour of the route we were taking. Next, we visited the Eiffel Tower, gazing up at how many stairs there were. Everyone managed to make it to the first floor and the majority hiked it all the way to the top!
On Sunday, we browsed the local market, practising our bartering skills. Then it was on to the outstanding Stade de France, where football fans were mesmerised. A guided tour of the stadium allowed fans to follow the footsteps of their idols. We were able to explore the changing rooms with the footballer’s t-shirts hanging up, congregate in their warm up room and finally enjoy the once in a life time experience of running out onto the pitch. After the tour was finished, we indulged ourselves at Montmartre, choosing souvenirs and getting caricatures painted.
Disneyland was fantastic! We were free to go to both parks, where we took photos with characters, bought souvenirs and most importantly tested our nerves with scary roller coaster rides. Tuesday morning, we were all packed and ready to go, and began the journey back to England. To our delight, we stopped off at a Chocolate factory, tasting their rich delicious chocolate. What a wonderful, adventurous trip. Thank you for all the staff that came with us and to Madame Elliott for organising such a trip.