SCHOOL TRIPS
lessons throughout our trip to develop our writing and speaking skills. As a rite of passage for anyone visiting Paris, the climb up the Eiffel Tower is a must-do. Despite the strong breeze and Mr Brown’s apprehension, we managed to enjoy the unparalleled views from the top floor of the structure and take some breathtaking pictures of the city. Later in the week, we enjoyed seeing the Mona Lisa (‘La Joconde’ to the French) on an early morning visit to the Louvre, and were impressed by the sheer array of artefacts of worldwide history on display, which made it clear why the museum is so well known around the world. But the Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa are not the only things Paris is known for, and we were treated to many other excursions and events, including a behind-the- scenes tour of the Stade de France, where the Rugby World Cup final had been played a few days before our arrival; and visits to the Place du Trocadéro, the Cat- acombs (an endless maze of ossified remains with the occasional inscription) and the Sacré-Cœur on Montmar- tre. On the penultimate night, we spent a very enjoyable evening at the cinema watching Inestimable , a humorous story of a get-rich-quick scheme gone wrong. We may not have understood all of the French, but no effort was needed to understand most of the humour. We all agreed that our host families were the best part of the trip. They prepared us homemade dinners, over which we chatted and practised our French, and in the morn- ings, they always advised us on the best way to get to our destination, sending those of us staying in close proximity together to ensure we were safe. The trip ended well and we all returned safely to St Pancras, having completed nine hours of French lessons, climbed 674 steps up the Eiffel Tower and eaten far too many pains au chocolat ! It is safe to say that the trip was a big success. ‘Un grand merci’ to Messrs Savage, Brown and Poynton for their care, expertise and support of us
FRENCH TRIP – PARIS A’YAAN ABDUL-MUGHIS & SAMUEL BETANCOURT CORTES (YEAR 12) • OCTOBER 2023 Early in the morning during October half term, a group of sleepy-eyed Year 12 pupils assembled at London St Pancras station, all packed up and ready to travel to Paris. Upon our arrival, we were met in the Gare du Nord by our first batch of Parisian commuters and a lot of rain. Our first stop was, of course, a boulangerie to purchase some authentic French délices . We then made our way to the language school, Accord Langues next to the Eiffel Tower, where we attended specialist French
during our stay in 2024’s Olympic city. ◉ WATER POLO TOUR – MALLORCA MILO JONES (YEAR 9) • OCTOBER 2023
Our trip got off to an inauspicious start as 25 bleary-eyed boys from Years 9 to 13 gathered at 5:30am on a wet and windy October morning at Gatwick. However, a few hours
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TRIPS
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