Monthly Archives: October 2010

The first two days of our visit were spent in Cologne, a city famous for its stunning cathedral. During our stay we visited the cathedral and most of the group braved the 533 steps to the top of one of its spires. We all enjoyed our visit to the Lindt chocolate museum and factory and were treated to samples of chocolate from a huge chocolate fountain.

The pupils were given free time in the shopping areas and everyone tried hard to use their German whenever possible. Our first day finished with a cruise down the Rhine which offered the chance for a well deserved sit down!

The next day was spent in the city before we walked across the bridge over the Rhine which is covered with padlocks. The tradition is that romantic couples write their name on a padlock and throw the key into the Rhine. Our time in Cologne finished with a cable car ride across the Rhine.

We were then transported by coach to our hotel in Bussy St Georges on the outskirts of Paris for the second part of our visit. Our first full day in Paris began with a cruise down the Seine. Paris looked stunning and the pupils were clearly impressed. Our next stop was the Eiffel Tower before we moved on the île de la Cité. Pupils were given time to buy their lunch (in French!) and see Notre Dame. We then moved on to neighbouring île St Louis to visit the famous ice cream shop, Berthillon.

Some pupils rode the carousel in front of the hôtel de ville before they were given free time near the Pompidou Centre.

Our next day began in Montmartre where we saw the Sacré-Coeur before moving on the amazing shops on Boulevard Haussmann. Keen to see all of the key sites, we then walked past the Opéra to the Palais Royal then on the see the glass pyramid in front of the Louvre. We walked up through the Tuileries gardens where the pupils hand-fed the birds and into the Place de la Concorde. The group then walked up the Champs Elysées to our restaurant which was next to the Arc de Triomphe. After dinner we walked along the Seine to see the city by night and it looked so beautiful.

The last day was spent in EuroDisney where the group spent the day whizzing between Disneyland and the Disney Studios park. Everyone had great fun and it was a relaxing end to our tour.

Sadly, our flight home was cancelled due to strike action in France and so we had to return home via a coach and the Euro-Tunnel but the group were uncomplaining and patient.

The visit was a great success and we were delighted with the behaviour of the pupils and the way in which they tried their hardest to speak German and French. We hope that they all enjoyed themselves and saw the benefits language learning can bring.

 Mrs Young