Languages

6th Year Trip to Madrid

33 students of Spanish along with four of there teachers arrived in Madrid on Monday 27th October to begin what was to be a hectic and most enjoyable 5 days in Spain's capital. The tour they had of the city that night was spectacular and included many of the well known sights of the city, illuminated in their full glory. They stopped of in Atocha station to admire the huge palm treess planted in the entrance hall.

On the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings the girls went to Spanish classes in the nearby Tandem International School and on Tuesday after lunch they were bussed to El Escorial where they enjoyed a tour of the monastery built by Felipe II which included a visit to the Pantheon downstairs where they were able to see the tombs of all the Spanish Kings and those Queens whose sons had subsequently become King right back as far as the time of Charles I of Spain. Later they visited the Basilica in the Valle de los Caídos where they saw the tomb of Franco and the spectacular cross, built by prisoners of war during Spain's Civil War in 1936-39. That night they went bowling. On Wednesday afternoon the girls visited the Reina Sofía and the Prado Arg Gallery and in the evening they had a lesson in Flamenco dancing in the renowned Casa Patas. On the thursday afternoon they visited the Bullfighting Museum in Ventas on the outskirts of Madrid. For many the highlight of the tour was the afternoon they spent in Xanadú - an indoor ice park with genuine snow slopes.

The girls along with three of their teachers soon became expert skiers and thoroughly enjoyed themselves! Later there was time for some shopping. On their return into town all enjoyed the experience of eating in a typical Madrid restaurant where they tried out some of the Tapas on offer. Finally on Friday morning they visited the Bernabéu - home ground for the Real Madrid football (and basketball) teams. Exhausted but in great form all arrived home safe and sound on Friday evening.

6th year Trip to Paris

The 6th year French students went to Paris over the October Mid-term break accompanied by teachers Ms. O'Donnell, Ms. Reynolds, Ms. Mullins, Ms. Horan and Ms. Lynch. They left Dublin airport on Monday morning, October 27th and set off on their journey. On arriving in Paris the girls experienced a guided tour of the city, and saw many famous landmarks such as L'Arc de Triomphe, Place de Charles de Gaulle, Champs Elysees, Rue de Rivoli, Louvre, and Notre Dame.

They went on a tour of the Eiffel Tower that afternoon, and enjoyed a boat tour that evening with a trip on the Bateau Mouche along the banks of the Seine. The next day the students had classes in the morning had a guided tour of the Chateau de Versailles in the afternoon. That evening the girls strolled around the beautiful area of Montmartre. On Wednesday, the girls had classes in the morning and then visited the Louvre Museum. There they viewed many famous paintings including the Mona Lisa and Venus De Milo. They spent the afternoon shopping on the Boulevard Haussmann and finished up the evening going bowling. On Thursday the students departed for Disneyland. This famous themepark consists of five themed lands; Frontier Land, Adventure Land, Fantasy land, and Discovery Land. They girls thoroughly enjoyed their time there and then departed later on that evening for the airport. They arrived back home at 11pm in Dublin.