On the 5^th January 40 Y10 and Y11 students and staff from Holsworthy Community College set off by coach and ferry on their long journey all the way to Paris for 4 days.

On the first day, after an epic 14 hours of travelling, students and staff arrived in Paris and went to Les Jardins des Tuileries to enjoy the Christmas markets. Students tried some raclette and tartiflette and bought trinkets using their French that they have developed in lessons!

On the second day the group travelled to Duclair in Normandy to College Gustave Flaubert to meet the French students that they have been writing to over the last couple of years. Students had a fun-packed morning, participating in a walk around the beautiful town of Duclair and seeing the sites, singing in a music lesson, playing basketball in a PE lesson and touring the school. All this socialising was done completely in French so the students had to really try hard to make themselves understood. After all the fun, the group were invited to have lunch with the students in the French school and what a lunch it was! After a lunchtime filled with chatting in French with their newfound friends, the students didn’t want to leave!

In the afternoon of the second day, visiting Les Catacombes was on the agenda. This is an ossuary which claims to hold 6 million people’s bones in an underground labyrinth. The ossuary was created as part of the effort to eliminate the city’s overflowing cemeteries. Students loved looking at the skulls and walking through the tunnels despite the eery atmosphere.

The third day was spent in the centre of Paris looking at the main sites. Firstly the group went on a cruise of the River Seine and were able to see the most famous sites of Paris. After that they went to Musée de L’Orangerie which was an amazing experience to enable students to see works by Picasso, Césanne and Monet to name a few. The group then finished the day by going up the Eiffel Tower! They walked up the stairs to the second platform which was an exhilarating experience had by all!

Whilst on the trip, the students enjoyed a variety of competitions such as best French speaking, tidiest rooms and photography with worthy winners being chosen.

All in all, students and staff had an amazing trip. The students behaved impeccably, in fact, the hotel staff and the parties coach driver commented on what an excellent group of students they had with them.

The following article was written by Isabelle Tucker and Lucy Baker in Year 11

Paris is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. It is an extremely diverse place to visit due to the natural beauty and the breathtaking monuments and architecture. From the 5th to the 9th of January, year 10 and 11 students spent 4 days exploring and learning about this beautiful country on our visit.

After a long night of travelling, we first went to the Christmas markets. There were so many stalls and so many souvenirs it was difficult not to spend a fortune within the hour. Not to mention this was a great opportunity to practise our french speaking in real situations. On day 2 we went to a french school to join in with their lessons, play some sports and look around the area. As well as learning about what French school is like compared to ours. But most importantly we were able to improve our language skills in a fun and enjoyable way by getting to know the students there. On our last full day in Paris (saving the best for last) we saw the Eiffel Tower and after a lot of queuing managed to go up and overlook the city. The river Seine showed us even more of Frances beautiful architecture such as the notre dame and the Louvre.
C’etait tres amusant!