Fantastic French trip inspires fond memories for Perse students
Emilie (Lower Sixth) shares her thoughts on the Year 10/Lower Sixth French trip to Annecy.
In Annecy, a delightful alpine town in south-eastern France, the daily sight of the contrasting mountains and lake was breathtaking, as were the beautiful canals dotted with bridges.
On the first day of the trip, despite the extremely early wake-up, we were not fazed when presented with the task of a photo scavenger hunt that afternoon. Split into teams, we navigated the cobbled streets of the town to find and take photos in specific places. This hunt brought us to Le Pont des Amours, which provided amazing views down the canal and of the lake.
However, our cultural enrichment had barely begun. A gastronomic activity later that afternoon educated us in the production of a selection of French cheeses and meats, which of course we had to taste! The day closed with a three-course meal in a local restaurant.
Our appreciation of Annecy’s geographical beauty was further enhanced through a bike tour around the edge of the lake the next day, and a boat tour the day after that. However, no trip to France would be complete without indulging in a session of pétanque, a typical sport in southern France. Despite the efforts of the Year 10 players, it seemed age and ‘experience’ were valuable, and it was the Year 12 students who took the top two places on the podium. After this tough tournament, an energy refuel was needed, so we split off into smaller groups to find dinner.
The next morning dawned grey and a bit rainy, but people’s spirits couldn’t be dampened, not even those of the birthday girl celebrating turning 17. The day did start to brighten however during our morning language sessions, in which we completed various activities that included some dictation and translation and an oral role play. After this, we toured the museum Château d’Annecy and the Palais de l’Ile, which gave us insight into some of the history of the town.
The last day of the trip saw an active start for some, with five of us enduring a 7km run down to the lake with two of the teachers. This might have been the sole time that Cambridge was missed, since the hills posed quite a challenge for some of us!
After a final purchase of French books for the Year 12 students and of lunch for all, it was time to bid farewell to the lakeside town which had given us all lasting memories of France, friendships and fun! Fantastique!