The Hallifordian - 2016-2017

20 On Thursday we met at the school again and took the coach to the Basque Coast. We visited Biar- ritz where we went on a tour of the Hôtel du Palais . We had to wear school uniform because it was a very posh hotel. The master suites were up to €7000 a night. Plenty of celebrities had stayed there and it was really luxurious inside. We then went shopping in the town and changed into normal clothes. People bought crepes, postcards and gifts in the little “Ta- bacs” and we all sat on some steps to eat our lunch that our exchange family had given us. After our day in Biarritz we were ready to go back to the school and go home. On Friday we met at the school again and took the coach into Bayonne where we had a guided tour and went shopping for a few hours. We had to do a quiz where we had to find certain landmarks in the town and answer questions that we had been told on the tour. After that we went to a chocolate factory where we learnt how they made chocolate and the history of the cocoa bean. We then got to try loads of different samples. 70%, 80%, ones with hints of chilli, orange, coffee and even 98% cocoa. Most people then bought some chocolate in the shop which was then gone in the next hour. Eventually, we took the coach back to the school and then went home again. On Saturday and Sunday we spent time with the families. On Saturday my partner’s family took me across the border into Spain. It was right on the coast and it was really nice and we went shopping and spent time in Saint Sebastian. Some others went to Spain too but a lot of the others did other things with their families. We had tapas and went in and out of little Spanish shops. It’s amazing just how Chocolate delight! Year 9 students Oscar Leigh-Hales, Chris Jones and Sam Murray-Smith. busy the tapas bars can get at lunch time. Every- body squashed and with less than 10 inches of mov- ing space. On the Sunday, I think the French kids had arranged with all their friends to go ice skating and there ended up being about 25 people, French and English at this ice rink. Everyone had a really good time on the weekend and for most people the ice skating on the Sunday was the highlight of their week although they had gained some bumps and bruises. On Monday, our last full day, we went to visit some of the Basque Villages. These are meant to be some of the most beautiful villages in France and they are old, traditional villages. We had a tour and we were told the history of the villages. We then visited a house of a famous French writer, Edmond Rostand. His house was amazing and his garden was huge, with perfectly kept garden beds and sym- metric bushes in crazy designs. It was a really old house and it was interesting to learn about what they used to have in their houses and look at how they furnished their rooms. After that we took the coach back to school and went home for our final night with our French family. On Tuesday, our last day, we said goodbye and thank you to the French family and we met at school where we took the coach to the airport with another two hour trip. When we got to the airport we went through security and were met by French military carrying rifles. They gave us some dirty looks but we carried on and went shopping again in the main part of the airport. Then eventually we got on the plane and sat down and waved goodbye to France and to a really good week. Everyone was sad to leave. Thank you to Mr Gruner and Mrs Wilcock- son for putting up with us for a whole week of fun and laughter. The garden was amazing. It was so beautifully kept.