Paris-Normandy 2004

Voyage a Paris

On va à Paris aujourd’hui après un séjour incroyable dans le Château. Ce soir on va passer du temps sur un des Bateaux Mouches de la Seine. Si vous voulez voir un webcam du trajet (et peut-être nous voir!) cliquez ici. A plus tard!

After spending so much time in class studying the chapter of the textbook called 'Voyage a Paris', we're finally actually doing it. We're leaving the Chateau this morning and we're quite sad to be leaving. More of an update on how we feel about arriving in the big city, la capitale de la France, tonight. Our first experience of Paris is a tour on the bateaux mouches, the open-top boats that go up and down the river Seine. There's a good webcam of them here, so take a peek at around 8pm and try to spot us!

Vacances

Today is the day off for the teachers and pupils, although we will all be working hard in some way. Sunday will be; hopefully, be the day that we beat the other Grammar School that has arrived at our Chateau. A day of rugby, football, swimming and other sporting competitions will take place, and MGS will do our best to win the title of Molay Olympic Champions. Results later today, or tomorrow, when we get to Paris.

Joyeux anniversaire!

A birthday special for Iona
Tonight we celebrated Iona's birthday with a celebration cake cooked by the French chef and a feast which included frogs' legs, snails and lamb roast with all the trimmings. Also, we were allowed a little sip of (watered down) cider from the region. All this amongst the backdrop of our fancy dress karaoke. Things are going really well, but we're all feeling the tiredness creeping in. Thank goodness for our day off tomorrow. We're all looking forward to sitting round the pool.

Live chickens and small dogs

Encore un petit déjeuner français, encore une visite ce matin. On va revenir à Bayeux, mais cette fois c’est pour faire du shopping au marché. Apparement on vend des poulets vivants et des petits chiens. Des photos disponibles dans l'album.

Photos tonight hopefully of the Bayeux Market where they sell live chickens and small dogs. Not for eating hopefully. Another great breakfast. Getting ready for the party tonight. Photos of the market now in the album (Click to the right of this)

Prep for the Fancy Dress

Mr Mac. here. I'm in a real panic. It's fancy dress tonight and I've been trying not to think about it. Now the time has come and I have no costume. What should the teachers dress up in? Any (clean - reasonable) suggestions, add them here!

The first pupil diaries

We have now got fully acclimatised to the French weather (very sunny and warm when the arctic winds are not blowing) and some of the group have come up with their diaries. Here they are. Also, consult the photo diaries by clicking on the photo album link.

Thanks for all your messages

Thanks to you all for your questions and messages. We'll be taking a look at them all on Sunday and putting some answers up as soon as possible. We've had some problems with the connection in the rural Chateau, but have still managed to put up our short posts. More photos and diaries will appear during our stay in Paris. Keep your eyes (and ears) open for an audio blog that we'll try to put up from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

The group is over the moon to hear from you, and have been touched by the kind messages. Well done to all the classes that have sent messages in and their teachers for continuing to give support.

A bientot
Mr Mac.

Friday's Diary

Today's diaries written by Kelsey Egan, Catherine Eadie, Lene Binnie.

Notre première nuit en France était super ! Nous avons fait la balance (the swing) et nous avons joué au foot. On a visité la tapisserie de Bayeux. C’était incroyable et très, très long. Le détail est super. Puis, nous avons visité Arromanches et le cinéma 360 degrés. Ça te laisse malade parce qu’il faut tourner avec l’image ! Nous avons mangé des sandwichs et des gateaux pour le déjeuner et des frites à Port en Bessin, un petit village au bord de la mer. C’était venteux mais il fait très beau et assez chaud (22 degrés celsius).

It’s been a great day. The Bayeux Tapestry was really interesting, even if it doesn’t sound it at first. The commentary on the ‘audio phone’ was interesting and the posh man on the recording was very funny. The detail in the tapestry is amazing. The American cemetery was quite a sad place to be. Some of us were upset because it reminded us of how we miss the folks back home, and how these people, the soldiers, never made it home. The cemetery is American territory and was very busy. Theere were preparations for President Bush’s visit in a couple of weeks. The grave of Theodore Roosevelt, former President Roosevelt’s son, was cordoned off – we reckon Bush will have his photo taken there because he’s the son a former President of the USA, too. We’ve got a barbecue tonight. Enjoy the photos !

Wednesday & Thursday's diaries: the journey

Today's diaries written by William Fleming, Michael MacKenzie, Calum Scott

Mercredi - Wednesday

Mercredi soir nous sommes parties à 21 heures. J’étais content à partir. J’ai mangé des sandwiches, des bonbons et chips et j’ai bu un coca, du Lucozade et de l’eau.

Thursday
Nous sommes arrivés à Douvres à 7 heures et nous sommes arrivés à Calais à 9h45. Dans le ferry nous avons pris le petit déjeuner. J’ai mangé un muffin et j’ai bu du jus de pommes. Le ferry était grand et correct. Nous sommes arrivés au Château à 17 heures. Ma première impression du Château était très positive. C’est grand et correcte. Les chambres sont correctes aussi. Le soir, nous avons mangé du poulet avec des lardons et des légumes.

The journey was really long (see Ms Craigie losing it early on in the image above) but when we saw the Château for the first time it was incredible. The food is different from what we normally eat and we hate drinking just water with dinner. We’re going to ask the chef to put it in the fridge for a while to at least have it cold. The food is good, though, and we’re never hungry ! We did a treasure hunt to get to know the grounds of this huge place and also to get to know the horses which graze all around the Château.

Premier petit déjeuner en France

On a goûté notre premier petit déjeuner à la française ce matin: pains au chocolat, croissants, du pain frais ou grillé, du chocolat chaud, du café, du thé, du jus d’orange, des céréales… Après note long voyage on l’a mérité.
Aujourd’hui on va passer notre temps à voir la tapisserie de Bayeux et des plages de la deuxième guerre mondiale et ‘D-Day’. Il y a soixante ans les américains ont perdu 1000 dans un seul jour à la plage Omaha. Des photos ce soir, si on fait marcher la technologie!

We tasted out first French breakfast in France this morning: pains au chocolat, croissants, fresh or toasted bread, hot chocolate, coffee, tea, orange juice, cereal… After our long journey we deserved it!
Today we’re going to head out to the Normandy Beaches in the afternoon, after a morning visit to Bayeux and the tapestry there that tells the story of 1066. We’ll also see the place, at the beaches, where 1000 American soldiers died on one day as they landed in France.
Hopefully, tonight we will have the technology to send out photos to you all. Keep looking and cross your fingers! Any questions you want us to answer about today’s visit, click Comments and add it below.