Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 5215 TRIPS AND VISITS Paris Trip 2015 On Friday 23rd October 2015 at 6:00am we arrived at school to meet for our journey to Paris. We loaded our luggage and found a seat in the coach wondering what would happen next… some were nervous, some were excited. As we waved our parents ‘au revoir’ we set off for Dover. After a couple of hours we stopped at Oxford services to buy some snacks and have a toilet break before continuing to Dover. Due to the fact we arrived at the ferry early, we had to wait for about 30 minutes before boarding. When we finally arrived inside the ferry, Mr Jones decided upon a meeting spot (this is where we were to meet when the ferry arrived at Calais). We all explored the ferry feeling ecstatic. Everyone really enjoyed playing in the arcade and looking around the shops. Reaching Calais, we set off on another long and tiring journey to Lagny, where our hotel, the Comfort Inn, was. When we eventually arrived, everyone was relieved but exhausted. We grabbed our luggage and headed to our rooms. As we unpacked Mr Mohsin knocked on our door informing us that dinner was ready. We all rushed to the dining table. Everyone really enjoyed the dessert, however it’d be better if I don’t mention the starter and main meal! The teachers had decided that 10 o’clock would be the time for ‘lights out’. Everyone had an early night as we all were terribly fatigued. Some of us contacted our parents to say ‘bonne nuit’. Our first day dawned….we all were filled with excitement! After we had scoffed a delightful breakfast, Mr. Jones made an announcement about what we would need and also what we’d be doing. From there, we dashed to our rooms, grabbed our backpacks and headed off for a cruise along the River Seine. We saw great views of famous buildings such as the Louvre and, most commonly, the Eiffel Tower. After our cruise we went to the Montparnasse Tower and everyone loved the views of Paris from the top; there was nothing we couldn’t see. We spotted sights such as the Arc de Triomphe and Sacre Coeur. After descending we trudged to McDonalds. Ordering food at McDonalds in Paris was quite different to the way we order it in the UK; we had to order on screens in booths. After this, we walked through gardens and under the Eiffel Tower; Mrs Minhas told us that we walked for around 4 miles! We then headed to the Montmartre area and had free time to buy souvenirs, have a drink, eat some more food or just chill out. Some of us climbed up to the Sacre Coeur which took about 10 minutes. We saw plenty of scams such as the ‘cup and ball’ trick and guys who tried to charge you for tying string around your wrists or signing something. Forewarned by Mr Jones, we avoided being ripped off! We then went to have dinner at a restaurant called ‘Monte Carlo’; everyone enjoyed their meal. As we headed back to the hotel, we saw lots of amazing things. The roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe has 12 exits to it and Mr Jones told us that, once on the roundabout, no driver’s insurance would be valid. Mrs Minhas and Mrs Donoghue kept Sachin and me awake for all of the journey with their ‘amazing’ singing of 1970s ‘classics’. Back at base, after such a busy day, we dozed off straight away had a great night’s sleep… Our next day dawned… everyone arrived refreshed at the breakfast table bang on time. We were now going to the Cité des Sciences Museum. After a 30 minute drive we arrived. However, because of a last minute strike, it was shut. Great! Everyone felt disheartened but we went early to the Stade de France. We really enjoyed ourselves; there were plenty of gleaming and valuable souvenirs bought and we were given a tour of the whole stadium. One of my friends, Sachin, said “I really enjoyed the Stade de France tour. My favourite part was seeing the Stadium’s home changing room. We even got to run out along the players’ tunnel”. We also visited the museum in which Raess and I spotted a Brazilian shirt signed by Ronaldo. Priceless! After seeing the gigantic and spectacular stadium we headed off for lunch. Unfortunately, lunch was a bit of a disaster… we went to a pizzeria and it took at least an hour and a half for everyone to receive their meal. Mine was worth the wait though! After lunch, some of us played football whilst others played a catching game with a rugby ball. Overall we had a tremendous time. It was soon time for dinner! Arriving at our booked restaurant, the Hard Rock Café, we ordered and, when it arrived, the food was amazing although we couldn’t finish it. We were stuffed… we just had enough room to finish a bit of our ice cream. We then set off for bowling at ‘Bowling Mouffetard.’ Some of us bowled (and I won) whilst others played pool, air hockey or on arcade machines. We went back to the hotel and we dozed off straight away again. Day 4… our last day… after breakfast we loaded our luggage with everyone a little sad to be leaving. The journey was long and tiring. However, Mr Jones kept me, Gurkirut, Sundeep and Talbir entertained at all times asking us questions from Mrs Donoghue’s quiz book. Reaching Calais, we had to go through a few security checks before boarding. Then, reaching Dover, we set off for another long and tiring journey to Birmingham. We felt happy to see our parents again. We grabbed our suitcases and and set off back home for dinner and a good night’s sleep… We want to all thank all our teachers: Mr Jones, Mrs Minhas, Mr Campbell, Mr Mohsin and Mrs Donoghue, and also our coach driver Dave. Without all of your hard work our trip would not have taken place. Would you like to go to Paris with us again next year? Shivam Kanda, 8G Montparnasse Tower and everyone loved the views of Paris from the top; there was nothing we even got to run