Today we went to the home the most beautiful garden by Claude Monet. During the visit we saw gorgeous flowers, and our breath was taken away by the amazing atmosphere. We were in awe of nature’s wonderful creations. As students, we were extremely lucky to have the opportunity to go inside the house where Monet spent 43 years. We learnt that although Monet was always thought of as just an artist he had an underlying talent of cooking. The sight of the whole day was awe inspiring.
After traveling 2 hours back from the home town of Claude Monet’s garden we arrived at the Palace of Versailles. Our jaws dropped immediately at the sight of the golden gates. As we ventured inside we learnt some amazing facts about the history of the French Revolution. The art work was extravagant. None of us wanted to leave. After a hard decision, the teachers finally dragged us away; back to the Eiffel Tower for the third time for a very sad result of the fact that the top wasn’t open for us to visit. Although, with the teachers amazing enthusiasm we ventured off to do last minute shopping on the Rue De Riviol. We are now back at the Mije, packing for our return to Australia.
Au Revoir, Á bientôt! Paris
Olivia Edgley and Jazmyn Barfoot xx
Today we headed to Villers Brettoneux and other war related places. We first stopped at a place called Pozieres which is where the most Australian Soldiers were killed. It was a small but very significant monument for Australians.
We then stopped at two other memorials where we saw real trenches and a location where bombs had gone off in the trenches leaving an incredibly big hole, which has been left pretty much untouched, these two sights really showed the conditions of the war.
We then visited the Victorian School briefly, which had a museum which we looked around. The school also had the signs ‘Never forget Australia’ all around the school and within the school there were various Australian animals and aboriginal artworks. The Victorian School was funded by Australians after the war creating a strong bond between Australians and the community of Villers Brettoneux.
Lastly we arrived at Villers Brettoneu where all of us were amazed by the sight of the memorial, it was simply magnificent and a very moving sight. The time there consisted of placing our poppies (which we were given) onto various graves, going up the Australian Memorial and taking in the breath taking views. Even some of the girls were able to find and see the names of their relatives. All up the experience was incredible and a big eye opener to the devastation which the war had on Australians and other nations.
Molly O’Bryan
Today was another early start for the group as we spent our first night in the Paris hostel.
By 9am we were ready to undertake the first challenge of the day, catching the Metro. We were taken care of by our guide and teachers who showed us how to use ticket machines and make our way to the platforms. I think most girls were surprised by how fast the train went and how different the atmosphere is compared to Melbourne.
After changing trains and hoping off, we started the walk to the Eiffel Tower. We were all in shock at how large the tower really was and seeing it in person blew us away. We all had our cameras out trying to take as many photos as we could. We made our way closer to the tower and we got a real sense of how detailed the tower is.
We went up the tower to see the views of Paris from up high. It’s fair to say most of the girls are tired but we easily forgot how tired we really were when we had such a brilliant view in front of us. We’re very excited for the days to come in Paris to discover more amazing landmarks and attractions.
The Eiffel Tower has set the bar high as we eagerly wait to see what’s in store for us in Paris.
Erin Wilson
mccfrancetrip2015 
Recent Comments