Meeting our link-school in Paris - Sept 2010

Early in the morning of 30th September, 48 Connaught girls set off 'bleary-eyed' to catch the first Eurostar of the day from St Pancras International to Paris. A little over 2 hours later Connaught students and staff arrived at Gare du Nord international station where our partner school from Ollainville had arranged a coach to meet us.

From there it was only a few minutes to the first scheduled stop; the famous Notre Dame cathedral. The Connaught girls then met up with 48 French students and paired off to tackle some tasks on each of the Paris monuments. After a good look round the cathedral home of Quasimodo, the two school parties boarded their coaches again to travel to Paris’s most famous landmark, the Eiffel Tower.

On the lawns below the Eiffel Tower everyone ate their picnic lunch, many Connaught students bought (and bartered for!) souvenirs and group photographs were taken.

Next stop was the Arc de Triomphe, the triumphal arch at the head of the Champs Elysées and home to the eternal flame of the Unknown Soldier. Our partner school had arranged a visit to the top, and as the lift was out of action this meant a long, long climb up a seemingly never ending staircase, but it was worth it for the magnificent view that greeted everyone when they reached the top.

By the time the students and staff had finished enjoying the views and navigating through the subways of one of the trickiest roundabouts in the world, there was only time for a whistle-stop tour of Montmartre and Sacré Coeur where Connaught students and staff were delighted to meet Marion, last year’s French assistante. Fortunately there were some good shopping opportunities here and so the girls were not short of souvenirs.