France Tour 2012 - Bienvenue!

Bonjour and Bienvenue!

The France Tour for 2012 is fast approaching! Although most of the updates to this blog will happen after our departure - some content will be provided over the next 2 months to get you all excited and prepared for the experience.

You will notice the countdown time to the right - that's the countdown to the flight leaving Adelaide airport! We have also included the time in Paris so you can quickly gauge the difference!

Parents, friends and College staff can also become 'followers' and contribute to the comments section. Feel free to sign up now!

Finally, you're most welcome to read the previous blog from 2010 - We're hoping for less volcanic activity this time around! We will also endeavour to have more photos, video and student content.

À très bientôt!

Shawn Kasbergen - Tour Coordinator

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