Year 6 girls from our Junior School describe an exciting few days in France from 19 - 23 May.

Without doubt the promise of a holiday in France kept our spirits up during SATs week - we couldn’t wait! The moment the final command came to “Put down your pens” and our last exam papers (Maths) were collected, we knew that the fun could begin.

On Monday morning, most of us were wide awake long before our alarm clocks called us from our beds. A very early start for most of us, as our coach left school at half past 6. We were terrified of being late and missing it!

All present and – almost – correct. After one more final headcount from Mrs James we were on our way. Despite a few early morning yawns we were all very excited and chattering away nineteen to the dozen. This was the first time that some of us had been in a foreign country away from our parents, so excitement was tinged with a few nerves too.

Before boredom had a chance to set in we caught our first glimpse of the sea - the English Channel at Newhaven, where our ferry, The Seven Sisters, was awaiting us. Once on board, we settled in to an area reserved especially for us and ate our lunch. Later we played fun games on deck which helped to pass the time.

our gite

By early evening, we had arrived at Le Havre, ready to begin our onward journey to La Grande Ferme, our gîte for the week. When we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by Andrew and his wife, Lucy, who made us feel at home straight away. 

No time for us to rest – straight to our rooms – a hasty hand and face wash – then our first French supper. Delicious! By the time we eventually got to our beds we were all so exhausted we forgot the secret midnight feasts we had planned and were fast asleep as soon as our heads touched the pillow.

We thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast the next morning – it was great fun drinking our hot chocolate straight from the bowl, French fashion. We knew if we did that at home we’d get told off!

In our French lesson we learned lots of new words which would help us during our stay, and we learned the very complicated rules of boules. It was much easier once you were actually playing. Even our teachers showed some skill at the game!

getting that sinking feeling ...

One of the most memorable visits, we all agreed, took place that afternoon to Mont St Michel. There we had the opportunity to walk across the bay – accompanied by an experienced guide, thankfully, as we needed to make sure that we didn’t come to grief in the sinking sand. It was an amazing experience – the long walk didn’t seem quite so long as we stopped frequently to be shown different, interesting things. And, best of all, we had a go at jumping on the sand and actually sinking! Dani, Thara and Biom got stuck – but we managed to rescue them before they disappeared for good!

Our visit to the goat farm (Fromagerie de Chčvres) was another memorable occasion. We saw how the goats were cared for and were able to cuddle the kids – they were so sweet and affectionate. Milking the goats was a fun experience – certainly not as easy as it sounds. We were given permission to spray milk from the goats’ udders straight into our mouths – very weird!

Our lunch was delicious, as we picnicked on the food we had bought in the local French market that morning. We feasted on cheeses, salami, cooked chicken, cherries, strawberries, and lots more. We had competition however from Belou – the big black Labrador at the goat farm. He lay in wait and the moment we took our eyes off our food, he took his chance, leaped on the picnic table and ran off with our lunch!

Pegasus Bridge

The next day gave us the chance to travel back in time: first to 1066, when we visited Bayeux and saw the famous tapestry, depicting the Norman invasion; and then we returned to 1944 and Pegasus Bridge, an important monument from the liberation of France.

Our week had flown by. It was now our final evening and we had the task of entertaining the teachers. We all did a variety of entertainments – the most memorable of all was Teachers: behind the scenes – performed by Lucy C, Lauren H, Melissa and Angelica. It was really funny and gave us a good idea of what our teachers got up to when we were safely tucked up in our beds – or so we imagined! We had the best holiday ever, and we all wanted to stay. But home was calling . . . Au revoir la France!

Click here to see more photos: http://www.kingsleygallery.co.uk/index_files/year6frenchtrip08.htm