25 April 2023
Maia W, Year 8
More than 50 of us in Years 7 and 8 really enjoyed our trip to France on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 April, packing in a visit to a snail farm, a chocolate factory and the beach.
After leaving school early in the morning and heading to Folkstone, we took the Eurotunnel, which was a new experience for lots of us. It was a quick trip and we arrived in Calais at 10.30 French time. Our first stop was a chocolate factory called Beussent, where we saw how chocolate is made and practised our French as we learnt some chocolate-related vocabulary. Next, we visited a snail farm, where our tour guide talked about the anatomy of snails and other facts in French. I was surprised to learn that snails are good for your skin. As well as holding some snails, which were cold and damp, we were also able to taste some, cooked by the farmer. Our final stop of the day was Château du Broutel, where we were staying. After dinner, we sat around a campfire, playing games and roasting marshmallows.
Our first activity on Saturday was a tour around the Château, where we learnt about its history. We then walked to the nearby museum, which contained lots of pictures and models of planes, as well as facts about a flight school run by the Caudron brothers, all in French! We then explored the local market. Its range of stalls sold just about everything from jewellery to cheese.
After lunch back at the chateau, we took a coach to nearby town Le Touquet, where we headed straight for the beach. The weather was beautiful and after some fun by the sea, we walked down a small street full of little shops (including ice cream shops!) before getting back on the coach and heading home.
I really enjoyed our trip to France. Visiting Le Touquet and seeing the beach was my favourite part. Listening to French people talk allowed us to pick out phrases we understood to build sentences and develop our language understanding. Thank you to all the teachers who took us and the staff at Château du Broutel for being so welcoming and kind.
