PARIS TRIP
On Friday 17th June, 84 students from Years 7 and 8 set off to spend the weekend in Paris. Along the way, we stopped
off to visit the awe inspiring memorial site of Vimy Ridge, located in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais, which was erected in
memory of the Canadian soldiers that had died in the First World War. We arrived at our PGL Centre late in the afternoon
where we were welcomed by the friendly PGL staff; excitement was in the air, room keys were handed out and students
were taken on a tour of the Centre. We then had dinner and an evening activity which involved a group ‘Camp fire’, a first
on this trip which proved to be very successful! Students sang songs, roasted marshmallows and were able to take a
moment to get to know their surroundings and settle in.
On Saturday, we headed off to the centre of Paris and there were cheers on the coaches when we first saw the Eiffel
Tower in the distance! But our first visit was to the Tour Montparnasse, a 210-meter office skyscraper. The lift took us to
the 56th floor (panoramic floor) within 40 seconds and after going up a few stairs we were out on the roof terrace. We had
stunning views of Paris and the Eiffel Tower from there, the cameras were all out to capture the moment. We then headed
towards the Eiffel Tower for our picnic lunch in the sun. There was an added sense of excitement, as the Euro 2016
football games were on during our trip and students joined in the celebrations. In the afternoon, we walked uphill to the
Sacré-Coeur Basilica in Montmartre and students had some free time on the famous square “Place du Tertre” where
artists exhibited their paintings or drew caricatures of tourists. The place was heaving but everybody
managed to have a good look around and came back to our meeting point with a souvenir
or an ice cream! On the way back to the Centre, we stopped at the local
hypermarket to do some shopping and once back at the Centre, students
were able to spend some leisure time in the swimming pool. The
evening activity consisted of a ‘Bin bag fashion show’ in
which students had to design an avant-garde
outfit and take part in a catwalk – even
staff were made to dress up!
On Sunday, we spent the day at
Disneyland. Students were really excited as
we entered the pa rk and were very much
looking forward to going on the rides and
meeting the Disney characters. After a day of
fun, a few souvenirs were purchased and we
went back to the Centre for another swimming
session. For dinner, on top of the normal menu
available, students had the opportunity to try
snails - and most did! This led to a few smiley
faces but also to a few disgusted faces! The
evening activity following dinner was a team
building session. Some of the activities were a little messier and disgusting than others,for example students had to fit as
many marshmallows in their mouths as they could; they also had to work in pairs to eat yoghurt, without hands!! As you
can imagine, things got pretty messy!
Great fun was had by all and a few not so glamorous pictures will surely make their way to the display
board in school!
Monday was our last day in France. After an early start
to finish packing, we loaded the suitcases on
the coaches and had breakfast. We
left the Centre and headed to a
chocolate factory in Lachelle which
was on the way to Calais. Students
were shown how the chocolate is
made from cocoa beans and they
were also able to see the factory itself
where the chocolates are confectioned
before being packaged and sold. It was
an interesting visit and once students
had spent time in the shop, we started
our journey back to Rugby.
Students had a great weekend and I hope
they have made some lasting memories of
Paris that they will remember forever.