This half term the Modern Foreign Languages department led a trip to Paris – here is a detailed account of the Reptonians’ varied activities in the French capital.
To view a gallery of photographs from the trip, please click here.
Friday 14 October
No hitches this year – no one oversleeps and no swine ‘flu to contend with! 14 excited sixth formers, together with JHB and MJB, at the Lodge at the appointed hour. Very smooth journey and in Paris for the afternoon. Quick stop at hotel and off for the metro – our five-day travel pass will be put to full use. First stop Moulin Rouge and then the race up steps of Montmartre to Sacré Coeur and the breathtaking panoramic view of the city and our first glimpse of the Tour Eiffel. A few of the group experience persistent local bracelet sellers but manage to escape with euros still in pockets. Beautiful glowing sunset – Lauren and Polly, our official photographers, in their element.
Amble to Place du Tertre to watch the street artists making portraits, before dinner at restaurant ‘La Poutre’. Ready to sample French cuisine (though some prefer spag bol) and a glass of wine. Collapse into bed.
Saturday 15 October
Breakfast of croissants and chocolat chaud. Off to Place de la Concorde with stop at Rue Rivoli to re-create Robert Doisneau’s photograph of pupils crocodiling across road – strange looks from passing motorists! Walk in sunshine through Tuileries Gardens to Musée de l’Orangerie. All marvel at Monet’s “Nymphéas”. Afternoon visit to Tour de Notre Dame with climb up 387 steps to contemplate the gargoyles and great Emmanuel bell. Perfect weather for the best view of the Seine. Meet up afterwards with OR Jarrett sisters, Hannah (working for the British Embassy) and Miranda (studying History of Art) both living in Paris this year. Walk together to Louvre, where JHB shares his expertise on a whistle-stop tour of major ‘oeuvres’, highlight being the story of the ‘Raft of the Medusa’ rather than the must-see Mona Lisa. Funky spinning lift another hit. Evening in St Michel, in quaint Moroccan restaurant before sauntering through bohemian streets.
Sunday 16 October
Much needed lie-in. Meander in Jardin du Luxembourg to watch how Parisians spend their Sunday morning. Enjoy catching some rays and half an hour’s p&q, with side-show of marathon runners, children sailing boats and grannies’ aerobics class. Then on to masterpiece of Gothic architecture, La Sainte Chapelle, with its unique stained glass windows. Relieved MJB booked, avoiding extensive queues. Amazing what school visits are on offer for a 30 euro entrance fee.
And now the Tour Eiffel!! Busy – with such beautiful weather everyone has same intention; fortunately able to grab lunch whilst in queue. Worth the wait. See photos – JHB takes Lauren’s place as photographer, lying on back to get the perfect shot. Huge ice-creams follows before early evening river cruise on the Bateau Parisien – another highlight, with cameras flashing views of Notre Dame and the famous bridges to the Ile de la Cité. Sam and Grace catch up on some sleep.
Dinner at Chartier’s, traditional French restaurant, for the real Parisian experience. Enough energy remaining for Champs Elysées by night - time for some ‘leche-vitrine’ and dreams of returning for some real shopping the next day. Loose change donated to street dancers performing to Scarlett and Sammy’s favourite Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby’!
Monday 17 October
Place Charles de Gaulle and this morning up the Arc de Triomphe; JHB’s architectural brief on Baron Haussmann’s 19th century renovation of Paris. Brilliant views of ‘L’Etoile’ with its twelve boulevards radiating out below. On descent, look at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from WW1 and the eternal flame burning in memory of the dead who were never identified. Time then for serious shopping as promised, most returning with luxurious-looking bags. Opéra quartier and well-earned lunch, and free time for exploration of Galeries Lafayette and Au Printemps, before meeting back at hotel. Hope parents don’t mind everyone spent up. Very chuffed to have used metro in groups without getting lost. Rendez-vous for final soirée - Brasserie Chou-Chou, jazz restaurant in the Beaubourg, where Louis Buckland and her cousin join us. Enjoyed final stroll, drinking-in illuminated Paris, re-enacting Hugo’s ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame’ and spotting famous landmarks we now know so well.
Tuesday 18 October
Check out hotel after breakfast. Last stop Musée Rodin to recognise many well-known sculptures – The Thinker, The Kiss and The Gates of Hell – only to be saddened by JHB’s tale of Rodin and Camille Claudel’s tragic love-story. First rain, so lunch in Bastille restaurant before final opportunity for retail therapy in Places des Voges. JHB escapes to musical instrument heaven in Pigalle and returns with all manner of percussive bargains – hope they let him on the train. Pick up cases, brief walk to Gare du Nord and the Eurostar. Much writing of diaries on way home.
Magic moments
Dancing through fountains
Harriet’s hair trapped in metro door
Trois-boules ice-creams
Parisien male clocking system
Can-can at midnight on the Pont des Arts
The golden light of a Paris evening
Team photographs of a wonderfully happy bunch of charming Reptonians
Posted on
Mon, November 7, 2011
by Repton School