Tuesday, 09 March 2010

Photos from the 2009 Cleres Trip

Posted at 18:47:50 GMT

Wednesday, 10 March 2010

Photos Cleres 2008

Posted at 13:07:53 GMT

Saturday, 27 March 2010

Cleres Days 1 & 2

Bonjour à tous!

Well, here we are in Clères.  The journey went very smoothly - we bumped into the Bisley group at lunch at the service station in England, and got to Hull in good time to check in for the ferry.  The vast buffet dinner was enjoyed by one and all, and a perfect calm night ensured a good night's sleep.  An early start (up at 6.30am British time) and a big breakfast were followed by a straightforward drive to Clères in Normandy.  Weather is overcast, but dry.  Pupils are safely with their Fench families. I have phoned round, and pupils have been doing a range of activities, including Wii, football, helping milk cows(!) and going to a magic show.  Clocks change tonight, so off to bed now before our Paris day tomorrow.

Bonne nuit à tous!

Posted at 18:24:40 GMT

Sunday, 28 March 2010

Cleres Day 3

Bonsoir!

Well, everyone made it to the bus in time for our 8.30am scheduled departure for Paris.  It soon became apparent how impressive this feat was, as we heard from pupils who had been invited to join French families at a magic show with a five course dinner and who had gone to bed at 2am (3am after the clocks had changed)!  Stories were swapped about their respective French families and homes in and around Clères.  Many pupils had spent a very enjoyable first evening and several French parents remarked on their willingness to communicate and speak French.  (Elles sont adorables! was one comment)

As it is Sunday, there was very little traffic and we had a smooth drive to the capital.  We started off with a guided tour by coach of the main sights, then embarked on our hour's cruise with the Bateaux Parisiens.  Unfortunately the rain started halfway, but luckily it dried up and the clouds rose before our ascent of the Eiffel Tower.  Almost everyone made it to the top, in a few cases overcoming vertigo to enjoy the stunning views of Paris from the summit.

Back once more at ground level, we strolled across the Seine to the Tocadéro for a group photo.  This took some time, as several stops were required to buy crêpes and barbe à papa, or candyfloss.

A DVD on the coach home meant the return journey to Clères passed quickly.  We hope pupils are now enjoying a quiet evening and an early night before our day in Bayeux tomorrow.

Bonne nuit!

Posted at 21:56:10 GMT

Monday, 29 March 2010

Day 4

Bonsoir!

Today started off bright and sunny as we left Clères, but frustratingly it grew cloudier as the day progressed and we ended up travelling through a 2 hour long storm with lots of lightning and very heavy rain.  However, no snow for us at the moment!

A closed motorway and lengthy traffic jams led to a change of plan at the last minute, so we found ourselves on the coast at Arromanches for lunch, overlooking the town with a stunning view of the mulberry harbours which still dot the bay.  We then went to the 360° cinema to see a very moving film montage of the events of D Day and the region in the present day.

Our next visit involved going back to the 10th century to visit the Bayeux Tapestry.  Headphones allowed us to walk the length of the 70m tapestry and listen to an explanation of each scene.   Results of the competition will be revealed tomorrow - there will be several prize-winners!

A demain!

Posted at 21:04:34 GMT

Tuesday, 30 March 2010

Day 5

As it was Jim's day off today, we took the train to Rouen.  The SNCF caters very well for groups, and we had a compartment reserved for us on the train, complete with Dollar Academy signs on the windows

We started the day with a guided tour on foot of the town centre, which took in the main sights.  We saw the Hotel de Ville and Saint Ouen Abbey en route to Notre Dame Cathedral, where we saw the tombs of Rollo, the first Duke of Normandy and Richard the Lionheart, whose heart is buried there.  We walked along the pedestrianised street to the fourteenth century Gros Horloge, and on to the Place Jeanne d'Arc.  We visited a striking modern church and saw the site where she was burned at the stake in 1431, aged 19.

After a quick visit to the market, pupils were let loose for two hours shopping, returning full of smiles and laden with bags.

Three very competitive games at the Bowling followed before we returned to Clères.  It's nice to be back earlier than usual and to have time to visit the village.  As I write, a game of rugby is taking place and several groups of pupils are going out later to Dock Laser in Rouen, back to the Bowling and to a barbecue.

Disneyland tomorrow, then we head for Scotland the next day.  The week is flying by!

A demain!

Posted at 17:22:40 GMT

Wednesday, 31 March 2010

Day 6

We returned to Clères at 8.15pm tonight after a long day trip to Disneyland.  It proved to be as popular as ever with the pupils, and even Mr Young joined in and had a ride on Space Mountain!  The weather has been extremely changeable all day, ranging from sun and blue sky, to torrential showers and even a hailstorm, but we were pretty lucky at Disneyland.  As well as the rides, pupils fitted in a fair bit of shopping and eating.  They are now back home with their French families for the last evening - hopefully they are finishing their packing and getting ready for an early night.

Tomorrow we leave for Zeebrugge, with a stop en route at a Belgian chocolate factory to spend any remaining euros.  We hope to be back in Dollar slightly ahead of schedule, around 4pm on Friday afternoon.

If pupils have any good photos from the trip, it would be helpful if they could bring them to school on a memory stick, and I will put them in the shared area.  I shall try to make a souvenir show of the trip with the best photos.

We have had a wonderful stay in Clères once again this year, and would like to take this opportunity to thank our French host families, who have been so kind and welcoming and have made this trip such a great success. Un très grand merci de la part de tous les profs et les élèves de Dollar Academy!

Posted at 21:09:32 GMT

Friday, 02 April 2010

Days 7 & 8

We couldn't quite believe our stay in Clères had already come to an end when we all gathered at the coach yesterday morning.  Several pupils appeared with small paper fish stuck on their backs - a French tradition on 1 April ( le Poisson d'Avril).  French parents were very complimentary about the Dollar pupils and many invitations were given for 2011, which will be our tenth visit to Clères.  A celebration is already being planned!

Once the luggage had been loaded, and many farewell kisses later, we headed back to Zeebrugge to catch the ferry home.  It was a beautiful sunny morning, and the Normandy countryside looked stunning as we headed northwards.  We stopped briefly at the Baie de Somme before driving on to the Belgian chocolate factory to spend our last euros and eat our picnic lunches.  Jim then took us to Bruges for a brief visit and boat trip on the canal.  What a picturesque little town!

All too soon we were back on the coach and heading to the ferry.  Embarkation went smoothly, and the group enjoyed a relaxing dinner before the ship set sail.  Thank you postcards to the French families were written, then some pupils went off to the ship's cinema before bed.  We were pleased to be able to turn our watches back an hour and enjoy a longer sleep than usual, although some pupils did not appreciate the 'ocean motion' at the start of the crossing.

This morning everyone had breakfast and packed, and after a slight delay before docking, we made it through passport control and back to the coach.  The traffic was not too bad, and DVDs helped pass the journey until our return to Dollar at 5.15pm.

On behalf of Mrs McDonald, Mr Young and Mr Fraser, I'd like to thank all the pupils for being such a great group.  We really enjoyed your company and we hope you enjoyed the week in France as much as we did.   Happy Easter . . . and sleep well tonight!

Mme Young

Posted at 20:15:29 GMT