Paris-Normandy 2005

LIVE from under the Louvre Pyramid

I'm just writing a very quick message from under the Pyramid of the Louvre, from a small internet cafe. Thanks to all those who have left a comment, but we are still feeling as little unloved in some places - get more messages coming!

Last night was a spectacular triup down the river Seine, spotting all the places we have seen in textbooks over the last two years for ourselves. Just as the trip ended the Eiffel Tower began to sparkle - the perfect end to a perfect night. Well, almost the end. Of course, a stop at the 24 hour bakery on the way home let us all have the last sugar hit of the day.

This morning (Tuesday) we walked / struggled up the Arc de Triomphe and saw the iincredible views of all Paris. Alice even managed tp pick up the Eiffel Tower - some creative photography there!

Waling down the Champs Elysees the boys sat in 100,000 pound concept cars in the Renault and Peugeot showrooms, the girls sampled and bought some presents in the world's biggest perfume shop, Sephora. After a sprint to the Louvre (30 girls CANNOT do the perfume shop in 30 minutes) we all met up once more for lunch. Now we are gathering under the Louvre's glass pyramids (go to the virtual visit at www.louvre.fr) to head off to Notre Dame.

Bye for now.

Mr Mac.

I love Paris...!

Finally made it to Paris and tonight we will be setting out along the river Seine to see the sights from a different perspective. Tomorrow, we'll put up all the photos of the main sights, and we also start to prepare the 3rd mgsPodcast, not quite live from the top of the Eiffel Tower. We'll try to put that up on Wednesday.

Keep your messages coming! There are still some pupils who've not had their mention yet.

Au revoir Molay!

Every year we leave Molay for Paris, and every year we wonder why we don't just stay here. We've had a wonderful time thanks, for the most part, to the wonderful behaviour and attitude of our pupils and the incredibly hard work of the staff, especially James and Pip the managers. But thanks, too, to the waitress and animateur staff who keep us entertained, fed and watered. You're all stars and have made our trip doubly memorable.

We are now en route to Paris, and will be stopping in Rouen for lunch. Hopefully Mr Mac. will be able to meet his friends if they're reading this and make their way to the Place du Vieux Marche (hint, hint...)

Paris arrival is about 4pm and then the speedy, hectic lifestyle of the big city begins. Posts will be coming more regularly as the technology of the French capital is more up-to-date than the wonderfully relaxed Normandy.

Molay, we'll miss you...

More market photos

Mr Brown has happily donated these photos of the Bayeux Market to the Animal Welfare cause. The market sells live chicks for your Sunday roast, and luckily enough for the Bayeux traders the MGS pupils did not manage to give them liberty this year round!

Wow! We're famous - almost

Well, the girls and boys in our photo were disappointed not to have made it as superstar models in today's Sunday Express, but we hear the story is good anyway. If you missed the copy we'll put up a small summary hopefully later on.

Les jeux olympiques de Molay - cancelled due to poor weather!

Well, the Norman weather got the better of us all today as an afternoon of sporting adventure turned into a one-off football match special between First Choice and MGS staff vs. MGS pupils. At 40 pupils to 7 staff there was little chance of success for the aged minnows, and the pupils won 7-1 - no thanks to some amazing head work from the 7 foot Mr Burns. The rest of the afternoon was spent catching up on the week's photos, stories and packing our cases for the grand depart tomorrow to Paris.

Express Delivery!

Go out today to get your Sunday Express, as we're supposed to be in it! We can't see from here so let us know in the comments what the story is like. It is on the Podcast that we released yesterday from France. If you haven't listened, get on to the mgsPodcast now.

MGS Olympiques de Molay

Having witnessed the English FA Cup final the gang was keen to get sporty themselves. So today, after a warm-up of walking and cycling into the village for some patisserie (those lovely French cream cakes) we will be running an afternoon of sporting challenges. Who will be the champion of the minigolf, or the footballing heros of MGS Molay FC? And which team will win the mass game of rounders?

Results later this evening. PS: Let us know the scores in the comments. Mr McIntosh wants Rangers to win, but might be in the minority.

Fancy dress? Just scary

The fancy dress party last night has shattered most of our pupils for today. A wonderful night of fancy dress karaoke saw some of the pupils we, the teachers, thought were quiet in a completely different light. Brilliant singing and dancing from the girls and boys (Peter looked just the part in his Gangsta Rap garb).

The teachers made an effort this year, deciding what to wear before they left home. Miss Craigie was a super Bob The Builder (apologies to her nephew for stealing the costume), Mr Burns made a convincing hippy (peace man), Mr McIntosh made a far too convincing priest, taking many a confession durnig the course of the evening, and Mr Brown was, well, we're not too sure. Somewhere between a hippy and a cult figure. Miss Bovill scared the pupils more than normal in her VERY strange nurses outfit. That red wig didn't really suit her - not one for the classroom, anyway.

Just as well the pupils' singing diverted attention away from that one.

Marche de Bayeux

Saturday morning was spent in Bayeux, the first city that was liberated after D-Day itself. Pupils scoured for bargains, looking for elements that would make up their fancy dress costumes for later that night. Some of the pupils still didn't believe that they had to dress up but after the possibility of a night of French homework with Mr McIntosh was put forward they soon changed their minds!

That afternoon we changed historical setting from the Bayeux Tapestry - with that wonderful cinema experience that keeps you on the edge of your seat - to the landing beaches of the Normandy D-Day invasions. Every year we visit Omaha and every year the teachers are taken aback by the scale of the 10,000 graves set out where the men fell. But the pupils, too, enjoyed a walk around the cemetery at Omaha Beach, looking for someone with the same name as themselves, finding the Roosevelts (the President's son was killed, given a Medal of Honor, and then buried at Omaha Beach cemetery, together with a relation killed in the First World War).

 

The pupils also recognised large parts of the cemetery from the film Saving Private Ryan.

We have been very lucky with the weather which, while not always scorching hot, has chosen to rain while we were in the coach.

The fancy dress party awaits - photos coming soon...