Saint Aidan’s trip to Paris February 2023.
Written by: Paige Frith, Millie Jenkinson, Alysia Hall, Charlotte Dorrell, Eleanor Maguire, Katie Cameron, Rudi Dixon, Sam Boughton, Maisie Davey, Jasmine Welsh, Ruby Mellor, Ruby Burgess and concluded by Belle James
During February half term, a group of 56 students and 7 staff ventured across the Channel for a weeklong visit to Paris. Both staff and students alike had an amazing time, making memories to last a life time.
Paige tells us about our visit to a perfume museum. Our first activity in the beautiful city of Paris was a tour of a perfume museum. The name of the museum was ‘Le Musee de Parfum Fragonard’. As we arrived we were taken on a tour by a lovely French lady. She showed us the many rooms of the museum which explained the history of perfume and how it is made. It felt like you going through the process of making the perfume itself! Every room taught us something different, whether it was about scents or packaging or oils, we found it very interesting to learn about. After we completed our tour we headed downstairs where a few of the staff handed us 5 different perfume scents, we had to try and guess the scent of the perfume. Our tour guide also explained each one of the scents and why they went well together. After our tour finished we had the opportunity to look around the shop and see if we would like to purchase any of the scented goods, which many students, and staff did.
Personally I think it was a cool and interesting opportunity to learn about the making of perfume as I would never have seen perfume in that way. I also learned the proper way to apply perfume (not to rub on the wrists – to tap.) I will definitely use that tip in the future!
Paris is such a busy city, full of hustle and bustle. Our next stop should have been to Sacre Coeur and the Montmartre area, as the roads were so busy, we saved this for another day. From the perfume museum which is in the Opera area of the City we were driven to the banks of the River Seine. Eleanor, Charlotte and Katie will tell us about their experiences.
After we had visited Le Musee de Parfum Fragonard we went to the Eiffel Tower and its surrounding areas. We walked around the base of the Tower, taking in the atmosphere and competing against one another to see who could take the best photos of the tower. We weren’t going up the tower as later we had booked to go up the Montparnasse Tower, this meant that we would have the Eiffel Tower in our photographs. We walked all around the Eiffel Tower, in the gardens at the base and where there were some pop up shops selling a variety of French foods, some of us bought crepes whilst others had baguettes and Croque Monsieur. We even got to practise our French, which was very satisfying.
After we’d visited the Eiffel Tower, we were given the opportunity to go on a cruise down the River Seine. This was brilliant as it took us on a tour around the centre of Paris and we could admire the beautiful architecture and scenery that Paris is renowned for. We got a brilliant view of the Eiffel Tower and also got to see some of the ornate white bridges which can be found dotted along the Seine. One in particular, was embellished with white and gold flowers, giving a striking contrast to the glistening green depths of the Seine and the stunningly clear blue sky. This all added to the captivating and romantic atmosphere which Paris seemed to emanate.
The cruise gave us a fascinating glimpse of what it would be like to live in Paris. Adorning all the buildings are the rather quaint Juliet balconies. These added to the wonderful romantic atmosphere which, considering it was Valentine’s Day, was rather appropriate.
All in all, the cruise on the River Seine was definitely one of the most memorable experiences from our trip to Paris and everyone had a fantastic time.
Later in the day we visited the Montparnasse Tower, the views were amazing! The tower is 210 metres tall which is located in the Montparnasse area of Paris. From the top of this tower you can see all around Paris including the Eiffel Tower. There are two areas where you can see the sights of Paris. In one area there is a café and a small shop where you can buy souvenirs. The second area is the rooftop. On the rooftop there is a seating area in the middle and an “I love Paris” 3D sign. Many students took photos in the sign.
Ruby M has written about her Disney experience, I think we all agree with her. Disney was the best place we visited, it was only a 5-minute drive from the Hotel so we were soon there. Once we were in the park a meeting place was arranged and we were allowed to go off in our groups. We started in the smaller part of the park, Walt Disney Studios, I spent the first few hours going on and watching my friends on the rides. Crush’s Coaster was the best ride in that section of the park as it was a four-seater mini roller coaster that goes into a dark area and spins around. My group finished off going on the Toy Story soldiers parachute drop it was great fun.
After meeting up with everyone else, we went to the bigger Disney Park. We went to Thunder Mountain which was a small roller coaster on the side of a mountain. Next, we went to Indiana Jones, another roller coaster which goes upside down. That was the best roller coaster. After we finished on the rides, we went to get food. Most of us had chicken nuggets and chips with a drink of our choice. Earlier, we got a free ticket for food, so that was all free. Not all food places were free though, so we had to pick an area from the ticket. The food was good and after we went to some of the Disney stores. While we were going into the stores the parade was on. It had all different Disney characters, but we didn’t stay to watch the whole parade.
By the time we finished in the shops it was time to head back to the meeting spot. We got there early and waited for a bit. When everyone got back, we went into the Disney Village, an area with all different food places and shops. When everyone had had their tea, we headed back to the main park to watch the fireworks. When the fireworks started it was really busy. We had a clear view of them and lots of people took photos and videos. They lasted for 20-30 minutes and was a really fun experience. When they finished everyone went straight out to the shuttle bus, it took us back to the hotel, we were all very tired so went straight to bed.
On our final day exploring Paris we started with a visit to Cite de Sciences Explora and Planetarium. Rudi tells us about his experience.
The science museum was a great place to visit for those who are interested in all types of sciences including maths and astrology. The museum was split into sections where there were voice recordings explaining the different objects, one of my favourite things was in the astronomy section where it taught you how to measure galaxy’s length and find how far away they are. Overall the science museum was a great place to learn new things about modern science and how far humans have developed over the years.
From the Science museum we travelled across Paris to the Le Louvre, we were all excited to see The Mona Lisa. Ruby B and Jasmine tell us about this amazing experience.
The Louvre is the world’s most-visited and largest art museum. As we wandered through the iconic building, in awe of its beautiful architecture, we were able to admire the most impressive art collection in the world. On top of this, after wading through a colossal queue, we even managed to sneak a peek at the Mona Lisa! We explored other paintings and statues around The Louvre such as The Raft of the Medusa Afterwards, we had the much appreciated opportunity to take photos with the iconic pyramid to commemorate the unique experience. Overall The Louvre was a fun and different experience for everybody.
I am incredibly grateful to have had the chance to experience this wonderful trip, a huge thanks to all of the amazing teachers who made this trip possible!
Whilst travelling through Paris, our driver took us to see the Arce de Triomphe, did you know that once you cross the blue line onto the roundabout you are no longer insured? We drove around the monument twice, it was like being in Mario carts! From here we went the Sacre Coeur and The Montmartre area, Maisie tells us a little bit about the history of these areas.
The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France is one of the world’s best – known monuments. It is an iconic symbol of French nationality identity and took 30 years to build. The construction began in 1806 on August 15th, Napoleon’s birthday. The basic structure of the monument was finished by 1831; work was completed in 1836. The coffins of many French luminaries have lain in state there before there interment elsewhere.
Millie, Sam and Alysia tell us all about the evening’s entertainment. During the evening after adventurous days in Paris the fun didn’t stop. Mrs Rossall was kind enough to keep us entertained with some engaging fun and games, one of which was a pub quiz which kept the kids and staff entertained, the staff seemed to enjoy the fun and games as much as the youngsters did, Mrs Palin getting particularly competitive. There were rounds on Geography, History and many others.
The fan favourite activity of the trip was a fun game that brought out the creativity and inner model in every child lucky enough to take part, this was a Disney themed costume competition which was rewarded with fantastic Disney themed prizes. Each bedroom was given a bundle of coloured plastic bin bags, a roll of sellotape and a pair of scissors, we were given an hour to dress one person up in the style of a Disney character. The winner was tinker bell, her handmade wings were amazing, so creative! We would all like to thank Mrs Rossall and all the other staff for keeping the smiles going throughout every night. It will be something we will NEVER forget!!
We drove past this amazing monument on the coach which stands 164 feet tall. All the patterns and wonderful designs on the monument stand out so well and are extremely fascinating. It is a well built, iconic monument in Paris, France.
The Sacre Coeur is the second most visited church in Paris even though it’s the youngest church. This landmark is the second highest point in Paris! Standing at 213 metres above sea level, it is second to the most iconic Eiffel Tower which is 300m tall. For that reason many people come to the church not only to adore its architecture but also to observe the spectacular view. The construction took nearly 39 years. It was started in 1875 and was completed in 1914.
On our final day of exploring Paris, Sacre Coeur was the last place we visited. We were limited on time at the top but had plenty of time to look around the Montmartre arear, again buying traditional French foods and getting a few last minute gifts and treats. After going on the funicular to get to Sacre Coeur we had around 10 minutes to explore the church and take some amazing photographs of Paris, the view from the top was amazing.
The Paris trip was exciting, countless memories were made during the experience and many new things were learnt. As you have already read, we had many new experiences. As a group we thought the trip was such a fun and entertaining holiday. The hotel fit our needs, the breakfast was amazing and the rooms were great for us all to share. Personally, during the trip, I made many new friends and I loved enjoying the experiences we were offered with them. My favourite activity on the trip was going to Disneyland and watching the fireworks with all my friends.
