On Wednesday 11th October, 37 students from Years 8 to 11 accompanied by Mrs Lynch, Mrs Marcuccilli, Mrs Frost and Mr Hill, left Haygrove at 3am for our long-awaited French language trip to Paris. We stayed in Château de Grande Romaine, 20km South of Paris with extensive landscaped grounds and plenty of space to play and relax.  

Our first full day in France was spent in the capital city, starting with an energetic climb up the 674 steps to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, rewarded by the panoramic view of the famous city and its landmarks. Next, we enjoyed a one-hour cruise down the city's River Seine and then took in all the iconic sights on a tour and finished our day at Sacré Cœur in Montmartre.

The following day, in contrast to the city, the students were given Euros to spend at the traditional market of Brie Comte Robert and were thrilled and proud to select their own lunches from the stalls of fresh local produce, and ask for it in French! After preparing the food they had bought, we set off for a guided tour of Fromagerie Ganot where they make Brie cheese, followed by a tasting of their cheeses at 4 different stages of maturity.

Our evenings were packed with activities - with crèpe making, a creative photo challenge and the sporting PGL tournament. The typical French food cooked for us each day was very good and on the last evening we were offered the opportunity to sample snails.