Scotch College 1-0 Iceland Volcano

We had to go into extra time but the resolve and never say die attitude of the France Tour 2010 saw the team arrive home safely - with only a 30 hour delay!

The endless memories and experiences of all participants will soon come to the fore and the drama of the final days will be but a punctuation mark on what was an unforgettable trip. Already as I look back on the Tour I can remember the vast range of places visited, from Paris, and Monte Carlo to Villefranche and Menton we have seen the most amazing works of art, enjoyed gastronomic delights and engaged with people from all over the world. Most importantly, we did it with huge smiles on our faces and expanded our understanding of the French language and culture. In short - we had such a diverse variety of experiences it is not possible to sum them up in a few short paragraphs, or even in this detailed blog!

I wish to thank many people for their efforts on the Tour - notably Melissa Sheldon and Sebastien Lefeuvre. The three of us formed a formidable team and we worked together seamlessly. My sister Vanessa certainly proved to be the heroine at the end of the day, I thank her for staying up late on her anniversary to find us accommodation in Paris and ultimately getting us from KL to Melbourne to Adelaide. Without her - i'm almost certain we'd still be trying to get home!

I really appreciated all the comments made by all readers. The students loved hearing from you and your contributions always provided a morale boost. We averaged just under 200 hits per day - clearly indicating it was a worthwhile endeavour.

We'll see you all at the movie screening - though i'm not setting a date for that just yet - there's a few insurance forms to complete in the meantime!

À plus,

Shawn, Melissa, Sebastien

Homeward Bound!

What a difference a day can make!

After leaving no stone unturned, we had a sneaking suspicion that a flight to Melbourne or Sydney could be possible once arriving in KL. We had the enigmatic Jean-Jacques in the Malaysian office in Paris on our side to get the first flight out of Paris - though the rest of the thanks all goes to my extraordinary sister who found, reserved and ultimately confirmed our flights from KL to Melbourne, then Melbourne to Adelaide. She definitely deserves our gratitude and praise!

The students were so excited - we didn't actually know anything until we landed in KL, so all parents knew well before any of us did! Thanks to Mac for passing on the good news! We're a little sad that the long never ending adventure will shortly be over, but that's far outweighed by the happiness of returning home to see family and friends. The girls will get to the formal and we can all have ANZAC day to recover!

Can wait to see you all at the airport!

Shawn, Melissa and Sebastien

Great news!!

Here's the latest.

We are taking a flight out of Paris at 22h00 this evening for Kuala Lumpur. This is great news as we get out of the current situation, where the volcano may continue to erupt - causing us to stay longer than we already must. Our flight on Sunday was not 100% confirmed either, so any way we look at it - it was a must to leave.

We will need to wait in KL. Our flight from KL to Adelaide is not until the 26th - we will thus arrive in Adelaide on Tuesday morning. We're currently looking into hotels and other means of getting flights home. As per usual, all possibilities are being explored.

I do wish to repeat that it was essential to leave beautiful Paris - a hard decision to make but ultimately there is no alternative. Staying here would potentially create an even longer wait should eruptions and ash head in our direction.

Must go - there's many, many things to get on top of between now and this evening!

Shawn

Paris

Bonjour à toutes et tous,

Well, we're still here in Paris! Our flight was cancelled and we are waiting for official confirmation of our return.

All official details will be sent to parents by Mr Howard MacPherson - the safety officer for the Tour. I will therefore be using this blog as a means to update you on our movements and how we're making the most of our unique opportunity.

I must say I am very pleased to see your positive comments - it provides a real boost to the morale to know you support our actions - I reassure you that we are constantly exploring the possibilities and no stone shall remain unturned in the search for an avenue home.

We've just moved into a comfortable and central hotel near the Opéra Garnier. We will attempt to stay here until the flight home and every indication suggests we can do so. We're surrounded by shops, restaurants and monuments, as well as being a short walk to the Seine, Galleries Lafayette, la Tour Eiffel and the Champs Elysées.

The students have handled the situation so well, i'm impressed with the optimism they have shown for the additional days in Paris. We have no choice but to see it as an opportunity to discover the city at a leisurely pace. We've begun to explore the free activities we can do and we aim to make the most of every day. Fortunately, the weather is exceptionally beautiful for this time of year.

The Year 11 cohort were understandably disappointed to hear they will miss the formal and have begun to make all the necessary changes due to their absence. We are all aware that a range of emotions will be experienced over the rest of our stay and the staff and students will be supportive and understanding of each individual's concerns.

To get you all up to speed - we had an amazing stay in Avignon, where we stayed on the magnificent Place de l'Horloge. We visited the Palais des Papes and the Pont d'Avignon and took time to do some shopping. We also met up with Thibault - our exchange student from 2009 who lives in nearby Montélimar - the town I spent 9 months back in 2004/2005.

As for Paris - we completed a night time bicycle tour, went to EuroDisney and went to the top of the Eiffel Tower by night. Admittedly, it was quite a hazy view from the top - potentially due to the volcanic ash that wants us to stay here for longer. It did make for an impressive sunset, which led into the tower sparkling as it does on the hour each hour from 9 each night. Today we had a picnic in the Place des Vosges - after the students were given group missions to collect different picnic materials including - breads, salads, meats, cheeses, condiments and drinks.

I'll leave you here with the knowledge that we're currently relaxing in our Hotel rooms before heading out to dinner.

I'll update again soon.

Bonne Soirée

Shawn

Travel Update

Dear all,

Firstly, the group is well and in good spirits. We have successfully arrived in Paris from Avignon and managed to negotiate the French train strike without disruption to our schedule.

As we are now in Paris, we are best placed to deal with the cancellation/disruption of flights out of Europe. Our flight is Tuesday morning and the Airports are re-opening on Monday morning at the moment.

We have been pro-active and have been seeking the best solution possible from as many angles as possible. We consulted the Airline, Travel Agents and The Principal to make a decision. As it stood, our only option was to continue with the Tour as planned. For your information:

1. Should it be the case that we have to stay, I have arranged with the MIJE (our current accommodation) to block out Tuesday night and there is a possibility to extend.

2. Malaysian Airlines will provide extra flights to deal with demand once the airports are open. They are dealing with each case on a day by day basis. They will also provide accommodation if possible.

3. Our insurance policy should cover extra accommodation expenses arising from the delay of our flight.

4. As of Saturday, it was not possible to purchase tickets for other flights from other parts of Europe. If you have seen that airports are open, this is correct, though it is not possible to get tickets for these flights. We did consider all options including cutting the trip short and returning home - it was not possible.

5. Rest assured, we are staying up to date and doing the absolute best we can to get everyone home safely. The media are relaying a range of information, so at this stage it is difficult to pinpoint the exact departure times and dates. We can only rely on official confirmation from the airline - as stated, the flight is still scheduled to depart on time.

I thank you for your patience and support throughout the Tour and especially during this time. I look forward to seeing you all shortly.

Shawn Kasbergen

Bonjour From Dani Herreen and Rachel Hutchings

Hey everyone :)

This is Dani and Rachel here.

France is absolutely AMAZING!!! Definitely getting nice and fat from all the great food. Last night everyone did a cultural painting activity and might we say our work should definitely be displayed in the Louvre as you can see from our pictures on the blog :) So far Dani has taken 915 photos and still have 8 days left, wow. The perfume factory yesterday was très bon! Lets just say a lot of money was spent.... :) (on presents for you, of course!) This morning we had a scavenger hunt around Cap d'Aïl, this included ordering food in french and talking to different people on the streets of France. It was heaps of fun I think everyone is getting the hang of the whole French culture. All we need to fit in even more is a cute little poodle in our handbag. LOL. Looking back on our photos, we can already tell it has been a magnificent experience and many great memories have been had. Wow the life is different between Monaco and Paris though! Overall enjoying the amazing food, views, language and company of the group, will keep you undated with our further adventures.

Miss Everyone heaps check out the photos, more to come :)

Much love Dani and Rachel xxxx

La vie au CMEF

Hello Everyone This is Candice and Lauren,

Currently we are staying in the beautiful monaco, it is very sunny and warm and we have an amazing view of the Mediterranean Sea. We have seen the Royal Palace in Monaco, gotten the best ice cream ever in Menton with some of the boys managing to eat a tub of 500 grams of icecream it was that good. Yesterday we went to Eze to the perfumery, and passed through a beautiful church/village with a stunning view. At the moment we are staying with a big group of Spanish, Italian and French Students. The things that we have seen in our time in Monaco so far are breath taking and we will take back all the memories. We are so looking forward to going to avignon soon but not to excited at the fact of leaving this bit of paradise.

Love Candice and Lauren

xoxo

Tout va bien! Menton, Eze et les cours de français

Chers lecteurs!

The good times continue here at the Centre Mediteranneen. I'm sitting in the sun in the beautiful gardens whilst the students have a short break from classes. They're keen to write an entry this afternoon so stay tuned. The program is so full it's hard to pin ourselves down - there's never a dull moment here in Monaco!

This morning the classes had an excursion to Cap d'Aïl, where they had little 'missions' to complete - all in French. All groups had to buy something different from the boulangerie, ask questions about the region and find opening times of shops etc. For me as the teacher, it was an exceptionally good activity and the students got a lot out of it. They're going to have a dégustation of all the things they bought later on - so it's an all encompassing experience. Their teachers here at the centre are so pleased with their language skills and one of them even said that she wished all her classes were as enthusiastic and well behaved as our Scotchies have been.

As for excursions and other activities - we've been to the Parfumerie at Eze, where we learnt how perfume is made and how you can become a 'nose' after 10 years of training. A nose is the person who can distinguish all the different scents and you have to be born with this skill. Certain students think they've got what it takes and it pays 15,000 euro per month for 2-3 hours work per day, so it's rather appealing! The old town of Eze gave spectacular views of the coast and the narrow streets were like scenes from a movie.

We also went to Menton, the last town before you reach Italy. Here we discovered the Musée Jean Cocteau - an artist who helped design the language school and we also went crazy for ice cream and Gelati. A new record has been set with 2 of the boys managing half a kilo of ice cream each. Luckily we've been jogging to stay in shape and with all the walking we've been doing, it's a non issue!

Night time at the centre has had some diverse activities - including a crêpe night - where M. Lefeuvre presented his famous crêpe à la bretonne, which was amazing! You'll have to ask him for the recipie! We've also painted a plate in the Jean Cocteau style and had a disco. The disco was a mix of choreographed routines performed by the Italians, disco lights and lots of singing and jumping about. It was a great chance to de-stress and have some fun.

We've got 2 more nights here at the Cemtre and then it's on to Avignon. The trains are still on strike, so our schedule may need to be flexible, but more trains are running than there were last week. 3 out of 4 are guaranteed, though we won't know which ones until the morning we leave. Fingers crossed it's all OK, were getting good at adapting to the circumstances!

I'll make sure some students do the next update!

Shawn

Bonjour!!! :)

This is a big hello from Charlotte, Emily, and Jamie! We are absolutely loving France and it is absolutely amazing. We have had such nice weather (up till today which was a tad chilly) and we are now at the language centre. The classes have been quite challenging, but very fun so far, and we have already learnt so much by immersing ourselves in the language, and by ordering a lot of crepes, chocolate croissants and ice creams! Hope we still fit into our formal dresses when we get back, but we have been doing a lot of walking around the beautiful streets of Monaco, Villefranche, Cannes, and Antibes, taking in the breathtaking views! We especially loved the relaxing beach at Villefranche, and the cute streets of Antibes. We are all having a ball, and finally did some washing today. We can't wait to experience more and are looking forward to shopping in Avignon, climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower, the night bike tour, and Disneyland! Hope all is well in Adelaide!

Love Charlotte, Emily, and Jamie!

xoxo

Centre Mediteranéen

It’s quite amazing to think we’ve been away for 1 week already! Our program has been so full it’s like we’ve packed a fortnight worth of activities into 7 days. The last few days have been no exception and life at the CMEF is proving to be a perfect balance between activities, classes, excursions and even some relaxation under the Mediterranean sunshine.

The students have very positive reports from their first class on Friday – the Year 11 group have Armelle, who taught the group last time. Many have commented on how useful the classes are and how much they think they will improve over the next few days. The teachers only speak in French so it’s up to the students to make the most of the chances they have. Friday evening we had a quiz musicale – Australia vs USA and we came in first and second place! Allez l’Australie!

Saturday we had our first excursions. In the morning we went to Monaco and saw the old town and the Palais. A few were very excited to see that the Prince was in – as denoted by the flag being raised. The impressive geographical structure of Monte Carlo provided a stunning backdrop for many photos and has proven to be a delightful, though sometimes challenging stroll up and down the hills and steps! We’ll never complain about the steps up to the French room ever again!

In the afternoon we headed to Villefranche sur mer, a picturesque seaside town situated in a bay, complete with one of the largest chateaux on the Cote d’Azur, an old section of the town with cobbled streets and narrow pathways and of course a stunning beach. We spent 40 minutes soaking up the sun and dipping our feet in the crystal blue water whist savouring the local ice cream – which I can verify was delicious!!

We finished off the day with a closely fought soccer match between Monaco and Valenciennes, with Monaco winning 2-1. I think we doubled the amount of supporters for their team, so I’m attributing the victory to us! We know all the chants and sat with the devoted cheer squad who welcomed us into their cheers! We’ve all got official Monaco FC flags and scarves to mark the occasion.

Thanks you all for the comments – yes, it’s a tiring experience, though we all had a solid 8 hours sleep last night (most students had even more) and with all the sun we’ve been getting – it’s easy to stay positive and smile! Sickness has been and gone, we’ve survived a gastro scare and hopefully can avoid any colds and flu. We’ve given all rooms a bottle of dettol hand wash to keep all germs at bay. Thanks for the footy updates too – we’re all worried about our tips and dream teams!!

Tomorrow we’re off to Cannes and Antibes – personally, I can’t wait for Antibes!

À la prochaine….

Shawn, Seb and Melissa

First photo installment!!!

Sous le soleil, la mer

Un grand bonjour à toutes et à tous,

Greetings from Monaco! Following a late arrival last night, we woke up refreshed after a well earned sleep to a clear blue sky, beautiful gardens and the Mediterranean sea in the background.
A tasty breakfast, a short stroll to Cap d'Ail where the sentence 'The best, I have ever had' was used to qualify food purchased from a modest bakery and it was already time to enjoy lunch.
Food obsessed? Why shouldn't we be? It is always so fresh, new and affordable here.
This afternoon, the students were introduced to their very exiting programme combining classes and excursions by Gilles, the centre's manager. It was time then to broaden our French skills during classes. Reports from the first few hours were positive and promising. This exercise will undeniably give their French skills a boost.
Time flies under the sun and we are already looking forward our excursions to Monaco and Nice tomorrow.

Au revoir,

Seb, Shawn et Melissa

Les Grèves en France!!

As if we were destined to have every typical French experience possible - we've been hit by a train strike!! Normally, we'd be on the way to Monaco at the moment but the SNCF says no!!

If I could get onto the media - maybe Mr Sarkozy could use it as a popularity booster and take us there in a private jet - so if you're reading and have contacts... go for it!! Maybe the opposition leader... In any case - we're on a train at 17h00 instead of 11h00 so we'll arrive at 1h00 in the morning to our accommodation! We're also trying to get there earlier and have several possibilities - all seem to end in Marseille for the moment.

Rest assured - we are all safe and happy! Just a little French bureaucratic bump in the road.

When we do get to Monaco - we'll have more access to the internet and a little more free time. Expect photos and updates from the students.

Chat soon!

Shawn

La vie parisienne

Bonjour a tous et a toutes!

Great to see so many following us - keep the comments coming!

We've had another beautiful day in the city of lights - superb weather, april in Paris has treated us so well. For the anniversaire of Sam, we went to the musee d'norsay and saw beautiful works from Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Rodin and many more. Le dejeuner sur l'herbe was a highlight as well as Monet's Water Lillies.

We moved on for a spot of shopping at Galleries Lafayette and we considered items from mini eiffel towers to 1000 euro suits! All questions to Liam regarding the suits! Undoubtedly, our shopping fix was somewhat appeased, though I think there still room for more!

We then went to the Trocadero to see the Eiffel tower - which looked amazing with the weather we're having. We went up and loved the view - most can now trace where we've been in Paris.

It's been magnificent to see all the buskers and dancers in the street, from a trumpet player, to bands, breakdancing to a man balancing goldfish on his head - we've seen it all!

Finally we had a Pizza diner and then a gateau d'anniversaire for Sam in front of Notre Dame - of course we serenaded him with Happy Birthday in French. We finished our second day with Berthillon ice cream over looking the seine.

All are well and absolutely loving the city of Paris - some are already talking about moving here!

Au revoir et a bientot - Shawn, Seb and Melissa!

Nous sommes arrives!!

Bonjour! We've made it and had a magnificent first day! Once in Paris,we found a few quintissential boulangeries and then headed up to Sacre Coeur. It was Easter Monday and people were everywhere busking, walking dogs and just enjoying the beautiful weather - 14 degrees but delightfully sunny!

We then had a Moroccan feast for lunch before seeing a lot of amazing parisian sights on the bike tour, including La tour Eiffel, Napoleon's Tomb, Le Lovre and others. Photos to come in a few days, when we get to Monaco.

It;s now Tuesday morning, all are well and pass on a bonjour to family and friends. There is a great positive spirit amongst the group and we're all excited about the activities to come. We will be suitably celebrating Sam Cave's birthday today with a trip up he Eiffel Tower.

Will be getting the students to update soon - especially now that we've had some sleep!

A plus - France Tour 2010

1/3 of the way - All happy in KL airport!

We're on our way! We'll have a quick 2 hour stopover here in Kuala Lumpur before the overnight trip to France.

Spirits are high - next stop Paris!

À plus!

Last minute details...

30 hours to go! Remember when it was 56 days? The time has flown.

We should all be either packed, packing or have a few last minute things to get before we go. A reminder that 20kg is the limit and 5kg for the carry on. Put all liquids and deodorants under 100ml into a sandwich bag for the carry on - anything over 100ml will have to be in the checked in luggage or you'll lose it through security. All scissors, cutlery or other sharp objects must also be in the checked in luggage.

A final reminder that we are meeting at 12:00 at the departures terminal.

Any doubts or concerns - don't hesitate to email or call one of the emergency contacts.

À demain! Paris nous attend...

Six days to go!

Hello France Trippers and followers! With only 6 more sleeps until we leave it's time to start getting very excited! Make sure you pack wisely and organise any last minute purchases on Thursday afternoon or Saturday. Easter Sunday will come soon enough! See you all at 12:00 at the departures terminal of Adelaide airport. À bientôt!

Bienvenue! Scotch College France Tour 2010!

Welcome all to the official website for the Scotch College France Tour 2010! April draws near so stay tuned for updates on all aspects of the trip. Most of the updates will happen when we leave for France so sign up as a follower and watch this space!