Paris-Normandy 2005

Un message de Bob!

Ca y est! Bob est rentre de l'Allemagne! Yes, the road meister himself has left us a message wishing all the pupils well:

"Would like to thank you all for the lovely letter and my boss might give a rise for being good. Once again thanks for being a great group, and making the trip enjoyable."

He certainly deserves a rise, especially since with his new watch he'll be on time for work now! ;-)

Thanks Bob for being a great "chauffeur de car" and getting us to all these wonderful places. We were looking at the photos all together today at school and there was only one complaint - no-one had a picture of you. Come on! We want to add you to the album...!

More photos?

A week ago we were in Paris - can you believe it? Your DVDs are in preparation at the moment but would you appreciate some more photos online before next week? If you would then let me know by leaving a message here. If you're happy to wait then just let me know.

Also, if you've not tried it already, take a look at the webcam for Mont St Michel in the post below. If you click on the link 'Paris' to the left of the new screen that appears then you've also got some cracking webcams of the Eiffel Tower.

I'm away from school this week but look forward to seeing you all with your DVDs next week. If you've got photos you want to contribute email them to me: [email protected].

Mr Mac.

Missing it already...?

I've found a very cool link to bring back the memories of the Mont St Michel, from last Friday. Try having a look at this webcam at night, as the views are fantastic.

More photos of the trip will be posted now and during the week. Remember to come to your post trip meeting to get your own DVD of all the photos!

Back home chez nous

You might not have believed it if you were on the coach but that was a pretty speedy return home. I am shattered and ready for some zzzs, but I wanted to let all the pupils know, on behalf of Mr Burns, Miss Bovill, Miss Craigie, Mr Brown and myself, that we think you're great. You did us, your school and your town proud. I've had emails from people all around the country who have followed your trip online, and a nice audio message from the guys at the Chateau who thought you were brill.

As a languages teacher I was REALLY impressed by the way that you jumped right in and didn't get discouraged. You should all get back to France ASAP and get more patisserie, gateaux and crepes (only one each, though ;-).

** If you were on the trip leave your messages to each other here, in this post, and then you won't miss each other. **

Well done to you all. I'm sure there will be some post-trip blues when we all look back at the pictures. There'll be a meeting in 10 days and you can come along to get your DVDs and slideshow.

Time to go...

After some footballoing excitement to finish off our French experience we are now heading off to the Sacre Coeur and Montmartre for some final French culture - artists at the Place du Tertre, the last crepe from the creperie and perhaps even a photo opportunity (our pupils vain? NEVER!!!).

Thanks for following the trip. We've enjoyed every minute and will be sorry for it to end. We'll try and post the minute we arrive in Dover.

A bientot
Mr Mac and the team.

Final night awards - a huge success

One final night to experience Paris and all it has to offer. So, after some brilliant preparation by the pupils the glad rags were put on and we headed out to our last supper at La Chiffonade where all the kids were given a small present as a sign of appreciation from us, the teachers, of their immensely great behaviour and attitude throughout this trip. MGS pupils have impressed not just us but all the staff in the hotel, the Chateau, the museums and restaurants we have visited, as well as the people who live in the cities we have visited.

We'll pick up your messages right now - in between watching the penalties on the football - and read them out tomorrow on the coach. All the pupils seem to miss home to some extent but a lot of you will be spending the next few holidays in France, I feel...

Parc Asterix - the ups and downs of a French trip

The Paris brigade set off this morning for Parc Asterix, the theme park based around the French comic character. If Malie's reaction is to go by - she went on the world's biggest G Force rollercoaster FIVE times - then not only have we all put ourselves through the fastest, most scary rides, but many have overcome their fears of heights. Pictured is Mr McIntosh overcoming his latent fear of anything too fast or based on a water theme - once again Mr Burns bullied his staff to get on the fastest rides he could find.

Il faisait presque 30 degrees celsius et nous avons les debuts d'un bronzage d'ete. Un temps super!

It's not just our blog readers that are having to try the French. Tonight at our annual awards ceremony there are several prizes for translation and interpreting skills. MGS-ers have been working their French *very* hard.

La tour de la Tour

Another incredible sunset around the Eiffel Tower. The pupils managed to overcome fears of heights and saw the wonderful views from the top of the Tower. More photos tonight from Parc Asterix.

Hope you enjoy the photos - we'll be at Parc Asterix today and will be having our fun and games tonight at the restaurant till the wee small hours. A plus tard!!!

Shopping at the Champs Elysees

They might not have their driving licences yet but some of the pupils took very well to the luxury on offer in the Peugeot and Renault concept car shops in Paris' biggest shopping street. The girls enjoyed buying smells in the world's biggest perfume shop, too. Maybe some nice presents for the folk back home...

Bateaux Mouches - Paris from the River Seine - Photos

Well, we are now back in the hotel and I've managed to tap into someone else's WiFi connection. We've had a *very* tiring day of walking around Paris and have an hour to sit back and relax before tonight's escapade up the Eiffel Tower. We've got some photos here of the Tower taken last night during the river cruise. I'm sure you'll agree that the place is beautiful.

KEEP THOSE MESSAGES COMING. We will be picking up ALL the messages that have been sent over the past few days on Thursday morning and this will be the last time to say hi to your beloved ones. Keep your comments to the most recent posts to make sure they are found. Merci!

1. The Pont d'Alma - passing some time at the spot where 'Lady Di' was killed. This is next to the Bateaux Mouches.

2. La Tour Eiffel at various times during the night. The shimmering takes place on the hour, every hour. You can see videos of this at http://www.toureiffel.fr. The emblem in neon lights is everywhere in Paris at the moment. It's part of their bid to host the Olympic Games in 2012.