France Tour 2012 - C'est dans la boîte!

Well folks, that's a wrap for the France Tour 2012.

No doubt you've been hearing endless stories, i'm certain the memories will last a very long time. I'm still telling my friends and family about it, such is the experience I had!

We can all be truly proud of ourselves - the desire to learn more, to make the most of every day and to meet people from all over the world was impressive to see. It takes a calendar year to plan and implement a France Tour, I feel every single effort mate has been well worth it and thoroughly compensated.

Rather than provide a summary, i'll upload some more photos, they speak volumes.

Good luck to all of us as the transition back to school begins! I know for one that my days and classes will be punctuated and enhanced by the Tour, it's highly satisfying to know that such an experience has been lived and that we'll talk about it until, well, at least 2014.

Thanks for reading the blog - it's not easy to always update and most of the time I found myself writing at 11:30 at night at the end of another action packed day! With over 4000 hits in 3 weeks, I knew people were reading so that spurred me on!

We'll see you all at the movie night - date TBA!

À plus....

Shawn Kasbergen

Le Grand Saut!

Well it's breakfast here on Tuesday Morning - we're about to jump on the transfer to the airport and head home.

The last baguettes, croissants and chocolate chaud are being consumed, we toured Paris by bike last night, saw Mr Manuel at the tour Eiffel and laughed and screamed on Space Mountain at EuroDisney!

We can't wait to get home and tell you all our stories first hand - there's 36 interpretations of the France Tour - Mine is overwhelmingly positive, the students will be too!

See you all bright and early on Thursday!

Signing off,

Shawn Kasbergen & The France Tour Team

Sur le pont...

...d'Avignon!

The adventures continue here in France! We've just arrived in Avignon, but more about that later!

The CMEF is quite simply a unique and special place. I have taken 3 groups of students here now and nobody ever wants to leave. From its immense and mystical grounds, the fun French classes, the indefatigable animateurs, the cooking staff, the cleaners and especially the administration, they make this sejour so memorable.

Our last day saw the students receive their certificates for the 20 hours of language classes completed. The  teachers made a special effort to comment to me on the impeccable behaviour of the students, as well as their desire to profit from every single moment. What really impressed me was that one of the teachers had never experienced a group of Australians before, and I genuinely think she was touched by the warmth, kindness and openness of the students.

We will never forget the 8 days spent at the CMEF, I don't say this flippantly, it really was memorable. Indeed, there were tears from a few students after the last soirée, then there were a few fighting them back too.

We were launched straight back into reality when the train was late, giving us a whole 3 minutes to make out transfer in Nice. Somehow we made it - not without a fair bit of stress on my part! The important thing is that we made it to Avignon and after leaving what consensus said was the most amazing experience, we arrived at our new hotel with a view of the Palais des Papes, huge rooms, large beds, sun shining and suddenly we were all ready for a new adventure again! It could have been a lot worse - another group of 50 exchange students lost 20 of their group! Of course, we'd never let that happen!

Students split into groups this evening and chose a restaurant on the Place de l'horloge. They had a chance to interact in French completely independently, the excitement amongst the group when we met back up was palpable - this is truly a pleasure to be travelling with such a motivated, positive cohort.

Tomorrow brings the Pont d'Avignon and the Palais, plus some time for shopping.

J'attends demain avec impatience!

Shawn

Allons à la plage!

Another beautiful day here on the Côte d'Azur and we were in for quite a varied day. We took a break from traditional lessons in the morning and instead had an excursion to the local town of Cap d'Ail with our French teachers to put the skills we've been learning in class into action! Visits to la boulangerie, la poste, la supermarche and la pharmacy gave everyone an opportunity to show of their language skills with great success.

In the afternoon, we went on another excursion firstly to an amazing Villa which was a perfect recreation of an ancient Greek villa, down to every mosaic tile on the floor and fresco on the walls. The tour of the Villa told us of everything from the history of the Olympic games to ancient education to the fact that Greek girls married at 14 - the girls didn't quite agree with that one.

In the afternoon, the weather having turned out beautifully, we spent an hour or so on the beach in the village of Beaulieu (literal translation quite accurately being "beautiful place") with our guides Max and Leo. Some of the braver kids on the tour dared to go for a swim in the 14˚ water, but most of us preferred not to!

Finally in the evening we returned to the CMEF for a Casino night, which was basically just an excuse for everyone to dress up for an evening. Some of the boys even put on ties for the occasion, and although we may not have represented Australia very well in the poker tournament (we tried!), I think everyone had a great time.

Unfortunately our time at the CMEF and in France is nearly drawing to a close, but we've got a few more days to make the most of yet and hopefully they're similar to this one!

Charlotte, Tilly, and Isabella Man.

Eze, Villefranche

We've become used to amazing experiences every single day... yesterday was certainly no exception!

The Parfumerie Fragonard revealed the secrets of making perfume and we were all very quick to buy presents for those we miss from home. A few fun facts included the explanation of 'the nose.' There are only 120 'noses' in the world, most in France and they develop all the new perfume flavours. It takes 6-8 months to develop new fragrances and a 'nose' can only work 3 hours a day. If any thinks they're able to distinguish between a broad range of scents - maybe you can become a nose!

Villefranche was superbe, the Rue Obsure - an underground road - dates back to the 13th century and we were quite easily taken back to another time as we walked the streets. The beauty and intrigue is not lost on us whatsoever.

Enjoy the photos!

That's un œuf! Mr Kasbergen's joke of the day!

Eze from below

The group at the Jardin Botanique in Eze - beautiful panoramic views of the Côte d'Azur

Our home!

Devon Martin in Villefranche

Isabella Man in Villefranche

Tilly Dunn-Lawless in Villefranche

Daisy Anderson in Villefranche

Curious dog in Villefranche

Viv Webb in Villefranche

Claire Hannon in Villefranche

Du soleil!!!

Well the weather has turned for the better, it's sunny and it certainly makes the Mediterranean look even more spectacular and mystic. Our centre and indeed the balconies from our rooms overlook the med ,it has such a calming presence!

Currently all the students are in class, the reports of the experience are great! They're focussing on conversation skills mainly, and we're already seeing many of the new material appear throughout our days. Personally, I am extemely impressed with the willingness to learn and make the most of every situation/learning experience. From the moment we landed in Paris, to museums, galleries, different towns, day to day conversation... We're making the most of the opportunity.

Yesterday we went to the musee jean Cocteau in menton. It's a new addition and what a fabulous place to visit. The dancers in the group were particularly interested in his works, but given that the art of the CMEF is largely by Jean Cocteau, the experience was enriching for all. We could see Italy from beautiful basilica in the old town of Menton. Maybe for the reason gelati called again, and the chocolate noir was possibly the best I've ever tried! Others agreed!

When we have some down time, we're generally playing basketball or soccer up on the terraces. Given the centre currently has about 10 different nationalities, there's a lot of talk of a world cup style challenge. Go Scotch - representing Australia!

Today we go to one of my all time favorite destinations: Eze. It's an eagles nest perched above the med, there's also a perfume factory there too, it's a really informative tour to do. After Eze, we go to Villefrance sur mer, maybe a few rolling stones fans are familiar with this town - if not, look up the story behind exile on main street!

Well, that should sum up our experience for the moment.... Hope you're enjoying the photos and the blog!

A plus, Shawn

Et encore plus de photos!

More photos from our excursion today - The glass factory at Biot, Cannes and Antibes (we all love Antibes now! The Musee Picasso in Antibes was a highlight!

Jordan, Matt, Daisy, Claire and Zoe at the Verrerie in Biot

Superstars at the Palais de Cannes

What a team - Craig, Diana and Max the German animateur!

La Croisette à Cannes, Quinn, Maddy, Hannah, Nadia and Jade

Au Musée Picasso - hannah, Lexie and Danna

Musée Picasso - Nadia and Mr Kasbergen!

Les filles..... et Max à Antibes 

James in Antibes

Tom in Antibes

Ollie in Antibes

Woo hoo! 

Isabella in Antibes

Mother and Son, Rowena and Max

Quelques photos!

Just a few photos to give you an idea of where we are!

Tom overlooking the port in Monaco

Charlotte and Alex out the front of the Monaco Casino

The group in front of the Arc de Triomphe

All of us in front of the Palais de Monaco

Fun and games on the Cannons at Les Invalides in Paris!

Hopefully more to come!

La Côte d'Azur!!

So little time to blog lately, but just a quick word to say we're all loving the CMEF!

Yesterday we went into Nice, it rained all day long but it certainly didn't dampen our spirits at all. The proof? We sampled a huuuge range of ice cream, from the classics, to more interesting flavours like thyme, black olive, tomato and basil... you get the idea! JB, Dana, Quinn and Miss Parnell made the most of the experience, trying as many combos as possible from the 96 choices.

The sun has returned this morning as I type, and were off to get spotted in Cannes for any films that need a few extras! Fingers crossed that this might be our year.

We've been jogging, so pleased to have a group of 10 tearing up the Monaco coast - it was really fun and the hills are tough but we all did it. I think we earnt a few macaron and croissant tickets in the process!

Photos are taking an eternity to upload at the moment but i'll get a few to you all soon!

Thanks for all the comments, it means a lot to the students and staff.

À plus!

The France Tour Team!!

Le CMEF, c'est magique!

Bonjour Tout le monde,
13/4/12 

Quinn:
Quinn Martin here, reporting to you about a real wild time. Mr Kasbergen is a machine when it comes to planning he is da proverbial 'bomb'. Everything has been running smoothly from la Tour Eiffel et le Louvre and who could forget Notre Dame with Maddie's (see below) birthday. On the subject of birthdays, we have thoroughly celebrated Maddie's and Liam's. Speaking for the group, we can successfully say that so far, the French Tour has been absolutely amazing and we can't wait for what's to come and what tricks 'Da Bomb' has up his sleeve. Shall sign in with you later, Quinn. xx(la bise)

Maddie:
As Quinn just mentioned, I think I have had the best birthday ever. This included going to Musée D'Orsay, an amazing museum, followed by Galleries Lafayette doing one of my favourite activities- shopping. This shopping also extended to Macarons, of which I had 8 during the day... Definitely needed my run today to work that off.
I think that the best thing about Centre Mediterranean apart from the stunning views and beautiful gardens are the daily discos! They take place every night, thanks to the Italians' constant requests, and involve anyone who's keen! There is a range of music, from every country, and a range of people doing loads of different dance moves and choreographed lines, some which I wouldn't even try.

Hannah:
France is amazing. It is extremely hard to put what the group is feeling in words. Everything about France; from the food to the history to the scenery is indescribable! Right now, we are sitting outside in Monaco enjoying music from a disco and the loverly breeze from the sea. Monaco is a crazy rich peoples town....something to aspire to, maybe???? Anyway, seeing as it is a 11pm, I think I will say goodnight!

Monte Carlo!!!!

Bonjour de Monaco!

We arrived at the Language Centre at around 6 after travelling along the beautiful Côte D'azur. We were welcomed in French by the owner, Gilles, and then went to get our dinner.

After settling in and exploring the immense grounds overlooking the Mediterranean we enjoyed a music quiz with and against kids from America and Italy.

To finish our first day we party rocked with the German Animateurs Leo and Max!! Dansez!
Although we spent most the day on the train, it was an enjoyable day for all and everyone is excited for the week ahead!

We are in Monte Carlo wooooooo!
from Zoe, Daisy, Claire and Hattie

p.s. Mum and Dad I miss you lots, and you too Maddy :)
Love Nick
xoxo

Day 2 - vite fait!

Salut à tous!

Just a quick summary today - it's late and we've had another action filled day!

After a much needed sleep in, we ventured to the Musée d'Orsay to see the most amazing works of impressionist art. Monet, Manet, Renoir, Van Gogh are all housed in this beautiful museum, which is undoubtedly a work of art in itself. The students were all fascinated and were delighted to find out why this was such an important artistic movement. 

The Courtyard at our hostel -  Zoe and hattie taking some time out.

 We spent a large portion of the day shopping at the Grands Magasins. The shopping was clearly good as almost everyone bought something, and better yet, almost everyone wore something new out to dinner!

We all indulged on the cuisine of the South West of France, famous for large serves, duck, potatoes, rich sauces and of course... les escargots! Reports are still coming in as to who, how many etc, but I can say that garlic and parsley escargots were the clear winners when it came to flavour.

 Santé! Liam and Quinn at Chez Papa restaurant.

We ended the night my heading to Notre Dame, where we sang 'Joyeuese Anniversaire' to Maddy Rock. Hopefully she had a birthday to remember, at least if not for her macaron cake from Ladurée, arguably the best Macarons in Paris - or indeed the World!

Tomorrow is our last big day in Paris - it will be a busy day as we head to Les Invalides, the Champs-Elysées, Le Louvre, another classic French Dinner and finally a comedy show called 'How to be Parisian in One Hour' We'll also be able to practice our singing of Joyeuse anniversaire, as it will be Liam's birthday!

Can't wait.

Stay tuned,

Shawn Kasbergen