Brentwood School - Brentwoodian 2020

29 Day one The original thought of having to be up at 5am for a 6am start at school was quite a daunting one, but the excitement of eating one of Crêperie Suzette’s famous galettes unsurprisingly pulled us through. In the meantime, we had a train to catch and some coffees to drink. The two-hour train journey on the Eurostar seemed only too short before we were pulling our suitcases behind us out of ‘La Gare du Nord’ with a spring in our step. First stop, ‘Terminus Nord Café’ for some chocolat chaud, croissants and baguettes to start our trip as we meant to go on! Leaving promptly, we came across our first showdown with the Métro, the underground network of Paris, a humid, every-man-for-himself kind of environment with lots of destinations throughout and lots of new characters embarking on a journey. The only thought in our heads at this point was to get our bags dropped off at the hotel as quickly and efficiently as possible before heading up the Eiffel Tower. Lots of photos and videos were taken of the breathtaking view as the sun set over the Parisian hills on the horizon and the city came to life. What’s the best thing to finish a long day? A Crêperie Suzette’s fried egg and bacon galette followed by a warm toffee crêpe with vanilla ice cream. Day Two Sunday morning dawned bright as we rose and readied ourselves for the day ahead, arguably well rested, but ready to face the day. After a delicious breakfast of coffee and croissants, we split into groups to practise our speaking, spending a relaxing hour chatting (in French, of course!) about various interesting topics of French culture and society. After that, we grabbed our bags and eagerly rushed, once again, to face off with the Métro, this time on course for the spectacular Palace of Versailles. Despite the journey becoming slightly more expensive than we originally planned, we arrived in Versailles-Chantiers in high spirits. Having eaten in a lovely boulangerie, we finally made the long-awaited journey to the Palace. The sight that greeted us at the end of the Place d’Armes was breathtaking. Day Three After our continental breakfast, we spent the day on the Batobus, a boat tour which took us all around the French capital on the world- renowned River Seine. The tour gave us a first-class view of all the famous monuments in Paris, such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame and the Musée d’Orsay. It helped that the temperature reached 26 degrees and the sun was shining down on us (exactly the same as in Brentwood, we expect…?). In the evening, we got to spend our time on the Champs- Élysées, mooching around the shops and immersing ourselves in the local cuisine. Who knew ‘Five Guys’ was so international? After taking an evening stroll up to the Arc de Triomphe, and encountering some dubious characters along the way, we mentally prepared ourselves to face the Métro once more ready for the final day of our Parisian long weekend. Day Four For our fourth, and unfortunately final, day in Paris, we got the opportunity to visit L’Opéra Garnier, a magnificent opera house covered in 19th century paintings and enough gold carats for everyone. Our tour guide was excellent, overflowing with knowledge not only about the opera house itself but even wider information, allowing us to immerse ourselves in French heritage, one of the standout topics of the A Level course. Having been amazed by L’Opéra Garnier, we were given the freedom to walk to Brioche Dorée for endless baguettes and pain au chocolat, something we were not disappointed about. After that, we entered the Galeries Lafayette to spend some coin, although we didn't have much left as we felt it our duty to give to the SDF (homeless people) at every chance we could. Then, we entered our last battle with the Métro, clashing throughout and meeting some new friends on the way. Saying au revoir à Paris, we embarked on the Eurostar and reminisced about the days gone by, the countless laughs and the spectrum of characters found on our journeys. Summary and Recommendations Over these four days not only did we have the chance to visit famous French monuments but also the chance to experience the culture and cuisine - with a couple (loads) of laughs along the way. Even if you're not very chatty with the locals, you won’t believe the amount of progress you will make by just immersing yourself within the French language. Therefore, if you get the chance next year or in the future, you should definitely take it - we promise it won’t disappoint and see if you too can handle the Métro… By Theo Harris, Elizabeth Moore, Paris Ware- Lane, Louis Websdale and George Davis P aris voyage à