St Joseph's College,Summerhill

St Joseph's College Summerhill
Annual School Exchange with Châteaubriant

The early 4am rise of Monday the 13th October saw the outset of what was to prove another hugely successful trip to France for the 40 Transition and Fifth Year students from St. Joseph's College and St. Aloysius College, Athlone. After a 36-hour trek of coach rides and ferry crossings, the students met their exchange partners for the first time at Collège Robert Schuman, Châteaubriant - a Breton town twinned with Athlone in 1995.
The 12-day trip presented aspects of French culture that the classroom could only hope to bring to life for the students, and after returning home from day-tours each evening, the students were met with authentic French culture and cuisine.
Tours included a visit to the largest city of western France, Nantes. Here, students visited the Gallérie des Machines - formerly the shipyards of Nantes - where a growing exhibition hosts amazing mechanical prototypes of sea creatures imagined by Jules Verne's fantasy worlds.
Students were also fortunate enough to receive a guided tour of the Airbus A380 construction site and nearby cruise liner shipyards.

To complete the seven-day stay in Brittany, students visited the walled tidal island of Mont Saint Michel in Normandy. The ancient town rests alongside the monastery, which towers the hilltop, giving breathtaking views of the flat land that expands for miles below. The girls were particularly blown away by the unique views and location of this town. Saint Malo was another favourite - a walled port city in western Brittany. After several stop-offs for play on the beaches, it was finally time to leave Brittany and board the coach to Paris.
The 3-day Paris trip, though short, was certainly packed. The girls managed to visit all of the hotspots and still find time for a day at Disneyland Resort Paris. Certainly one of the highlights of the trip, no corner of the theme park was left unexplored and the general consensus was that another day there was necessary…maybe next year! The hill of Montmartre which features the Sacre Coeur Basilica, Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, an evening at the Eiffel Tower and a boat trip on the Seine concluded the trip.
Finally, after a thoroughly unforgettable experience, the girls vowed that they would miss every second of their time in France. "We bonded really well as a group of 40, and we really got to know each other better". A trip like this brings the students together in a way that school sometimes cannot. Lasting friendships were made on this trip, and with them, life-long memories.