Cultural 02
The School Visit to France (1957)

On the morning of Friday. 2nd August, last year, the first party from this school to visit France assembled at Victoria Station and after about half-an-hour we entrained for the hour's journey to Newhaven. There, after a quick passage through the Customs, we boarded the "S.S. Brighton" and soon proceeded over the calm Channel. In three hours, we arrived at Dieppe and climbed on to a dirty-green-coloured train which took us to Paris.

After dinner in a café near the Gare St. Lazare, the party went by coach across the city to the Gare D'Austerlitz, where we boarded the last train of our journey to Tours, arriving at about half-past one on Saturday morning.

The few days in Tours were spent looking around the old town and one afternoon was taken up by a coach tour around some of the many castles in the Loire Valley. It was very hot in Tours, and some of the party took swimming trips to the rivers which pass through the city. On Tuesday evening, however, we took our last look at the city and bought souvenirs and presents, and on Wednesday morning we took the train back to Paris. At the "Hotel Mont Joli" we were shown our rooms, and then went to a restaurant for lunch. Most of the time in Paris was spent sightseeing.

But on Sunday we had to leave France; the notable point about the return journey was the contrast between it and the outward voyage, for the "S.S. Brighton" this time had to battle against wind and weather. By the time our train reached Victoria however, we had all recovered, and handshakes and au revoirs ended a most enjoyable and interesting holiday.

D. WOODHAM.