Opal Coast 4-7th June 2009

For the first time the French and Geography departments worked together to organise a 4 day trip to the Opal Coast for the whole of Year 7.  It was a successful combination! After a smooth ferry crossing on Thursday morning (Miss Wynn-Jones accompanied those suffering from sea sickness on the outside deck for some fresh air and horizon watching!) we arrived in Calais and headed straight for Naturpom, an organic farm specialising in apple juice production. The girls enjoyed blind tasting some unusual flavour combinations and took a guided tour of the fields, meeting some friendly Friesian cows on the way. The girls were taught the theory behind organic farming and learnt several specialist French words and phrases. After our first spending spree in the small farm shop we drove along pretty country roads back to the centre of Boulogne, where we checked into the youth hostel. We were very impressed with the facilities: en-suite rooms, a games room, conservatory and large dining room serving three course meals.

We woke up on Friday morning bright and early to sunshine and a light breeze and headed straight to Boulogne old town, Ville Haute. The girls annotated their map to show the area’s characteristics and worked hard on their French translations to complete some difficult questions about shops and facilities in the old town. Armed with berets, ice cream or candy floss most of the groups also visited the new town, Ville Basse and inspected the clothing range in the local H&M! In the afternoon we visited the boulangerie in Hardelot followed by Chocolaterie de Beussent, which, for most girls, was the highlight of the 4 days. The entertaining chocolaterie manager gave a fascinating talk about the chocolate making process, from cacao farming, harvesting & drying in tropical rainforests through to the tempering and moulding process at the chocolaterie in Beussent. We enjoyed tasting cacao beans and the final products!

On Saturday we drove to Le Touquet, the summer destination for many glamorous Parisians, to experience the bustling weekly market. The girls, in groups, were given ten euros to purchase French food for a competition later in the day. The staff were impressed with the girl’s ability to haggle in French and the sheer volume of food (& roses!) bought for such a small amount of money! Every girl also asked two human geography questionnaires (in French!) to find out more about the people who visit Le Touquet. During the afternoon we enjoyed visiting Auberge du Sire de Créquy, where we learnt how the traditional cheese of the region is made.

During the evenings the girls participated in a variety of activities, such as French vocabulary practice with Mlle Boulanger and Mme von Lieres, fieldsketching and map annotation with the Geography department in the local neighbourhood, ten pin bowling, and a final quiz to test their knowledge of France’s geography and popular culture.
On Sunday, after a final shopping spree in a local supermarket, followed by a picturesque journey along the Route des Deux Caps coastal road and another pleasant crossing we arrived back at JAGS on Sunday afternoon, very tired but with plenty of excitement and shopping bags!

We would like to thank the staff who gave up the time to accompany the trip, without them such trips would not be possible, and we would like to say well done to the girls, who behaved well and worked with enthusiasm throughout.

Please click here to see photos of our visit on the Geography Gallery.

By Mlle Boulanger and Miss Wynn-Jones