Nathalie's First School Trip Abroad

Nathalie is off to France and Italy tomorrow, coincidentally the same age, 12, as I was when I first went to France. The fact that I didn't go to France until I was 12 is a source of much amusement for my daughter who first went there when she was sixteen months old, even more amusing (to her at least) is the fact that her mother didn't even own a passport until she was 29! Still that's progress for you, more affordable holidays and school trips for more people.

I can still remember most of my trip, the early morning coach drive to Southampton, the ferry in a gale to Cherbourg and the drive down to the town of Dourdan, somewhere between Paris and Chartres. I've not seen many of my ex-school colleagues in the thirty odd years since leaving school but those I have always respond with two words if that trip back in May 1972 is ever mentioned "hot chocolate." On arrival at the accommodation, a specially built village for students from across Europe (trust the French to do it the right way), we were taken into a large reception hall and each one of us was presented with a goodie bag and a huge bowl of hot chocolate and a packet of French biscuits.

We weren't the only school from England staying there and most evenings of the weeks stay were spent on the football pitches either playing fellow English sides (including one from the next town) and German teams.

For the educational part of the trip we had spent all of the school year from September to May learning about France in some depth, from Charlemagne to Bardot, Asterix to Distel, we covered the lot, artists, kings, philosophers you name it we did it. We spent two days in Paris, a day at Chartres, a day at Versailles and another at Rambouillet - it should have been Fontenbleau but there was a crisis in the French Government that week and our visit was cancelled.

On the trip home I sat next to my first true love, it was the best possible end to my first taste of France. That first love is long gone but my love of France remains as strong to this day as it did thirty five years ago.