During the summer half term break, nine 4th and 5th Form pupils studying French jetted off for a whistle stop tour of 
Paris.
Arriving in the afternoon on the first day left only a few hours to take in the sights and sounds of the city; however, no time was wasted.
The group headed to the city’s most famous attraction, the Eiffel Tower, for a panoramic view of the city and a glimpse of what the next two days would involve.
The first full day in the capital offered much opportunity for the pupils to practice their language skills and embrace the culture.
A Bateau Mouche tour, a walk along the banks of the Seine to Place de la Concorde and a walk up to Montmartre and the Sacré-Coeur Basilica left everyone very hungry.
After lunch, the pupils visited the Musée Rodin and Les Invalides, before visiting the Latin Quarter and Notre Dame Cathedral.
This packed schedule would not have been possible had it not been for Billy Allen taking control of logistics. He put his French to especially good use, managing to decipher the city’s métro routes.
Eager to see and experience as much as possible, day three was just as busy. The catacombs of Paris were the first stop.
These former mines are filled with the bones of over six million people and to many pupils’ surprise, this seemingly sombre and grotesque attraction actually held a great deal of beauty in the way the bones are arranged.
Later, the group headed to the Louvre where the French paintings served to illustrate France’s turbulent history. After some time spent in the Tuilerie Gardens and the Arc de Triomphe, the pupils spent their final evening soaking up the atmosphere on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
Everyone at Kelly College would like to thank all those who made the trip possible.