After an epic voyage by road and sea through rain and snow in the depths of the night, the adventurous travellers from 
Form 2 and Year 7 of Loretto finally landed on the coast of Normandy.
Unlike the soldiers involved in Operation Overlord we were met with a warming meal, and the whole party collapsed into comfortable beds in exhaustion.
Sunday dawned and we visited a very windy Utah beach. Our next visit was to the Airbourne Museum at St Mère d'Eglise, a wonderful exhibition commemorating the allied victory.
We learned about the American parachutist whose parachute became trapped on the church spire, and who hung there for a few hours without moving, pretending to be dead.
It was only when the allies gained control over the town that he revealed that he was actually alive. A model of him remains on the church spire today.
La Pointe d'Hoc was our next destination to visit the cliffs which the allied soldiers in 1944 scaled to take capture of the French coastline.
The children entered the remaining bunkers and hid in the bomb shell dents in the ground. We learned of the harshness and deaths that so many soldiers suffered at Omaha in 1944.
The day ended with a sobering visit to the American war cemetery where tens of thousands of white graves marked the bodies of so many heroic men who died during the Normandy Landings nearly seventy years ago.
On Monday, plenty of French was practised at the local French market where les baguettes, les fraises et les cadeaux were purchased by everyone.
We visited Mont St Michel in the afternoon, climbing the ancient steps to the top and learned more about this atmospheric medieval island and abbey. The evening ended with tasting snails! Delicieux!
On Tuesday, we visited the old town of Bayeux. We visited the Cathedral with its beautiful stained glass windows, painted crypt and resounding organ.
This was followed by a tour of the Bayeux Tapestry, where we learned the history of William the Conqueror's defeat of Harold with an arrow through his eye, during the battle of Hastings in 1066.
We learned that it was 68 metres in length and 50cm high and was a magnificent work of art. Favourite scenes were the horses and the soldier with a severed head.
The film about the Normandy Landings in the 360 degree cinema was very moving and brought home to everyone the realities of war. A visit to Arromanches and the artificial harbour constructed in 1944 for the invasion of the Normandy coastline was a fascinating end to the visit.
On the way back to our accommodation, we visited the darker German cemetery, and the poignant German museum beside it.
A fancy dress French-themed evening brought much hilarity… striped t-shirts, moustaches, strings of onions and an array of coloured berets were the flavour of the evening.
Well done to Anoushka Prentice, Cal Molloy and William Rowley for winning the prizes for the best costumes.
Our final day was based at the Chateau de la Baudonnière. Split into groups we took part in initiative exercises, archery, climbing and a visit to the farm. The outdoor activities were in French and we learned a lot of new vocabulary.
In the evening, after our final meal of the day, certificates were presented; we said thank you to Graham, our fantastic coach driver and to Carolla, our Animateur.
Au Revoir Normandy! We loved our trip there.