Enrichment Week - Paris

Monday 18 July 2011

On the 4th of July, 43 Deer Park pupils set off at 5.30am on the road to Paris in France. For many of the pupils, aged 12 and 13, this was their first trip away from home without their parents, so five days away was quite a big deal. It was a wonderful week of visiting; we went to the Eiffel Tower of course, and the Trocadero for photo opportunities. We also drove around a lot of Paris so that pupils could see the Opéra, the Arc de Triomph, the Champs Elysées and the Place de Concorde where the guillotine stood during the French Revolution.

Kelsey Beames said “I never thought it would be so exciting to see the museum and learn about the history of Paris”. We saw the outside of the Louvre and the Pyramide in the courtyard before walking through the Jardins des Tuilleries and going to the Musée de l’Orangerie to see Monet’s water lilies. While there we also bought lovely ice creams – in French of course. We also walked up the steps in Montmartre to the Sacre Coeur at the top, and spent time walking around the Place du Tertre where you can see artists with their artworks, and many doing portraits of people. Several of the pupils paid €10 to get a picture or a caricature of themselves here. Fin McLellan said “I really enjoyed going to see the landmarks because when you see them on the postcards, it’s not the same. There is a certain aura to the city”.

We went to the Museum of Science and Industry where we saw a presentation in the Planetarium about the constellations in the summer skies, and also about the formation of the universe. They could also look at hands-on exhibitions on sound, light, healthy eating, genetics and other topics, and visit an aquarium and a submarine. On our last day in Paris we went to EuroDisney where the pupils were able to go on rides and see the parades and shows.

In all it was a wonderful week. The pupils that we took along with us this year behaved beautifully so we could trust them to have a little freedom when they were walking around; they made the week for us!

by Louise Parker