Unfortunately Lagan’s Got Talent has had to be postponed until Monday 29th March in light of Mrs Donnelly being off sick and the possibility of the weather deteriorating further.
All tickets bought for Thursday 25th will be valid for the new date.
(KE)
Snow!
It began to snow while we were underground en route to Sacré Coeur, so to emerge from a tunnel up into a white Paris was a nice moment. It was met, however, with a successionary reaction that went roughly:
“Wow!”
“Its so pretty!”
“It looks cold though…”
“What if it keeps snowing…?”
“We’ll be stuck!”
“Yay!!”
As though we planned it, it snowed long enough to get great pictures at the top of Sacré Coeur, then cleared up nicely for the journey back.
(It did hail/snow later too but not for long)
Here the kids got to sample genuine French portrait artistry and marketplace haggling (special mention goes to Rebecca Gray for blagging a great price for everyones hoodies) and get some great food for lunch.
From there to the Latin Quarter for a bit more shopping (around a frozen fountain, no less), then finally back to Fiap to pick up the luggage we’d locked away that morning. Here it was time to say goodbye to Johann, our amazing guide, without whose help we’d all still be stuck somewhere on the Metro. We all wish him luck with his upcoming album and tour with his band MOPA (My Own Personal Alaska). A wonderful guide and person: Don’t Mess With The Johann 
Then through to CDG airport [note to Michael - thank you for the music] and finally back to Belfast.
Will put the last pictures up when I get them back from people (am sorry to say this is being written from school and not under a plant in a dimly lit Parisien foyer as per previous entries).
Well done to all the students who behaved fantastically and were a real credit to themselves and the College.
For now,
Au Revoir!
(KE)
The earliest wakeup call yet was met by more than a few bleary eyes as we made our way to Ecole Bilingue for the first concert of the day.
Set in a plush theatre we tailored the set to a younger audience, and hosted by french speaking compere Oisin [with a little prompting by Mrs D] the kids had a great time. A bountiful lunch was had before heading back to the theatre for the second performance where Mrs D rounded the show off by inviting the entire audience onto the stage for a picture. Amidst screams of HELLO OISIN! and questions about guitars the tiny fans rounded off their day with a great photo.
The day was finished by a great sightseeing tour by coach, where sights as diverse as the Arc de Triomphe and Moulin Rouge [only the outside, don't worry folks 
], along with the spectacle of seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle at exactly 9pm was a wonderful end to the day.
Time to go pack now 
What can you say really?
Even though it rained and hailed at first, the enthusiasm never waned. Poncho’d up like a mass escape from Teletubby land the various groups were let loose in the strangely enchanting but ultimately infectious Disneyland.
With half the day spent at either 100mph or upside down it was amazing that breakfast managed to stay down. The Tower of Terror, Space Mountain and the Rock N Rolla Rollercoaster held no fear for students and staff alike.
(Not too many pictures from Disney i’m afraid as the kids all went their own ways and we were too busy having fun!)
Eventually we had to say goodbye to Mickey and head back to Fiap for tea, rehearsals and the long awaited Talent Contest.
Ultimate winner Gavin’s beatboxing was only the highlight of a bizarre variety of talents. Magic, impersonation, origami, music and dance all made an appearance, ably compered by Daniel (who proved himself as quite the host!).
Off to bed now, ahead of a busy day (2 shows) tomorrow!
Some pics:
Up and fed while even the birds were still snoozing we were primed and eager to hit the streets of Paris for the first time proper.
Our enigmatic and long-suffering guide Johan had us marching through the streets of Paris toward the Metro in time to beat the queues at the Louvre: and it worked!
For kids who find the schoolbus traumatic at times, the Metro is a journey into a complete other dimension. However, they met the challenge with typical Lagan College spirit.
The Louvre itself is something that truly has to be seen to be believed. The giant glass pyramid which extends above and below the main entrance only warms you up for whats to come. The kids have seen everything from the Mona Lisa to Monet, and far far too much else to even begin listing.
From there to the Tuillerie Gardens for lunch by the pond accompanied by a small army of birds, then onward to the Musee D’Orsay to see the works of Gaugiun, Van Gogh, Monet, Matisse, Manet, Cassat and plenty more.
Then back onto the Metro toward the Eiffel Tower and our Seine tour cruise (narrated by a woman of seemingly endless languages), then Metro to Notre Dame for a spiritual and musical experience not easily forgotten and then finally to dinner!
A short train back to Fiap and straight to bed for 35 pretty exhausted children!
And the bit of real interest, the pictures:
Giant Chess!
Mr Burch wonders how he ended up in Paris after being in London the week before...
The "Penguin Huddle"
Daniel, Zara & Hannah
Lagan College have arrived!
Day One
Early morning texts from Mrs Donnelly aside, everything went pretty smoothly. Simple flight [note: Paris CDG Airport is ridiculously enormous], easy coach transfer, getting roundly beaten at giant chess by Michael Burns (pics to follow), then a scouting trip to the Metro, dinner and then……
The (standing room only) First Concert:
A Rapt Audience
AquaTramp ft Anna
Lisa's Wonderful World
Rosie
Hannah
Felicity
…and finally:
Handsome Frenchman Admires Kevins Technical Genius
Just a quick update to say we’re here in the Fiap centre (and quite a multicoloured spirally modern thing it is too).
Everyone’s getting unpacked and settled into their rooms at the moment then we’re off to dinner then setup for the first concert.
(Will have some photos for the next post)
Kevin
As a few people asked me for them (and a few didn’t even ask!) at the meeting on Tuesday night, I’ve uploaded the full size (A3) concert posters for you to download and print yourselves.
They’re too big to put on our blog, so you can get them here:
Concert 1 -
(French)
(English)
Concert 2 and 3 -
(French)
(English)
(Sorry students, this website will not work in school, but will work fine elsewhere).
(KE)
