Some of our Group at the Eiffel Tower
Students Posing with Marvelous Street Mime Near Musée d'Orsay
| En Avril, 1998, une groupe d'élèves et
parents de L'école Primaire Sarah Smith, a voyagé en France! C'était un voyage
super, pleines des bonnes memoires! Nous sommes allés à Paris, Giverny, Bailly
(une petite village près de Versailles pour visiter nos corréspondants), Versailles,
Chartres, Tours et plusieurs chateaux, Mt. St. Michel, Dinard, les plages de Normandy et
Bayeux! Nous nous sommes amusés bien et nous avons appris beaucoup!! French Narrative: Martha Franchot One of the strengths of North Buckhead is our elementary school, Sarah R. Smith Elementary School on Old Ivy Road. The excellence of the staff and the strong community involvement in Sarah Smith enriches our neighborhood. It was wonderful for our fifth grade students (and their parents, siblings and a few students from other schools), some of whom have been studying French for five or more years, to be able to participate in a group trip to France. We had an excellent guide from the UK, Suzannah Rickards of ACIS. We found virtually all the French people to be very friendly, flexible and tolerant (with the notable exception of the pickpocket on the Metro, which is another story). This trip is what is reported on this page. Presently, another ACIS tour is being organized for Spring Break 1999 for the Sarah Smith community. This 9 day tour of Paris, Provence and the Cote d'Azur includes visits to the following cities: Paris, Versailles, Avignnon, Nimes, Aix, St. Paul de Venice, and Nice. For information, contact Martha Franchot. In April, 1998 a group of students, mainly from Sarah Smith Elementary School, visited France. The group, including 15 students and 10 adults, spent about 10 days visiting Paris and Versailles, the Loire Valley, Brittany and Normandy. |
| We spent four days in Paris. We visited the Louvre,
Notre Dame and many other sites.
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Some of our Group at the Eiffel Tower
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Students Posing with Marvelous Street Mime Near Musée d'Orsay |
Sarah Smith Students Visit with their Pen Pals in Bailly, FranceSarah Smith students studying French correspond with pen pals who are studying English in Bailly, France. (Bailly is near Paris and close to Versailles.) A highlight of the trip to France was the lunch-time visit to their pen pals' school.
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 American Students Join with French Student Pen Pals in the English Class in L'école de la Pépinière, Bailly, France
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 American and French Pen Pals Jessica and Eléonore with their Mothers |
| Like Jessica and Eléonore, some students were able to go home with their
pen pal for lunch.
|
 The Principal Uncorks the Wine!
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| The parents were served an excellent five course meal in the school cafeteria. With two wines for lunch, it was easy to tell that we weren't in Georgia any more! (They assured us they didn't have wine every day, only for very special occasions.) The people of Bailly were most gracious and friendly. |
| On our way to the Loire Valley we toured the
Chartres Cathedral.
Some of us climbed the 200 foot bell tower, 300 steps up a spiral stone staircase.
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| From the city of Tours in the Loire Valley, we visited the Chambord Chateau and
Chenonceau Chateau,
and Leonardo DiVinci's home (Chateau
du Clos Luce) and the wine caves (cellars) in Vouvrey.
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 Candler, Elizabeth, Kimberly and Emily at Leonardo DiVinci's Last Home (Chateau du Clos Luce) Photo: Jessica Certain
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 Students (Jessica, Candler, Kimberly and Elizabeth) Pose in Front of TGV High-Speed Train Photo: Martha Franchot |
| After Tours, on to Brittany! In Dinard we stayed in a colorful,
century old hotel overlooking the Gulf of St. Malo on the English Channel.
|
 We took off our jeans and "dressed up" for dinner at our hotel in Dinard Photo: Mike Turner
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 Dinard is on the English Channel/Atlantic Coast |
| In Normandy we saw the D-Day beaches and Mont Saint Michel. It was low tide when we arrived so our bus could drive to the Mont. |
 Our Group at Beautiful Mont Saint Michel |
| In the Normandy town of Bayeux, it was a treat to see the 1,000 year old Bayeux Tapestry, which documents William the Conqueror's ascent to the English throne. This extraordinary embroidered strip of cloth is about 20 inches wide and about 230 feet long. It is in wonderful condition and is displayed in a modern, custom-built museum display. |
 Photo: Downloaded from the Internet. |
| Note: Although many participants in this trip are
in one way or another associated with or involved with Sarah Smith Elementary School, it
should be noted that this trip was not organized by nor sanctioned by the Atlanta School
System or Sarah Smith Elementary School. Photos: Unless otherwise noted, the photographs were taken by Gordon and Sue Certain.
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If you have comments or suggestions about this page, please contact Gordon Certain.
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