Day 1 - Bonjour Boulogne!
This year saw the return of the West House French Trip and the boys were hugely excited about visiting the picturesque city of Boulogne-sur-Mer in the north of France. With passports checked and suitcases loaded, they arrived oversees after a long journey and had the chance to relax in their rooms before the evening activity!
After dinner, the boys split into their touring groups and explored the fortified town of Boulogne-sur-Mer during a fun treasure hunt. Everyone’s map reading skills were put to the test and lots of photos were taken of the beautiful architecture the city had to offer on a lovely sunny evening. It had been a long day since the departure from West House early in the morning so the boys had a good night’s sleep ready for the activities on Day 2!
Day 2 - Exploring France!
After a good night’s sleep, the boys were woken up to glorious sunshine in Boulogne and the news of the first activity certainly got most out of bed and in time for an early breakfast! The sandy beach along the Boulevard Sainte Beuve was a highlight of the trip as the boys got to have some free time building sandcastles, playing some beach cricket and some managed to play a full 90 minute football match!
The first of the afternoon activities involved visiting the Boulangerie Le Fournil and learning more about the process of making bread and croissants. The boys throughly enjoyed this experience and dipped into their euros to purchase some delicious bakery items using their French speaking skills!
The second visit of the afternoon was to the traditional Basilique which is one of Boulogne’s most unusual attractions. This cathedral is a prominent part of the city and provided more photograph opportunities for the boys!
The Sunset Bowling closed off a brilliant first full day where the boys played hard but played fair! A fun-filled day had come to end and the boys were definitely looking forward to another good night’s sleep! Roll on Day 3!
Day 3 - A Taste of France!
Day 3 was another very busy day! As it was a Saturday, the boys had a little lie in and breakfast was slightly later which was enjoyed by both boys and staff! A coach journey through Boulogne led to the first activity of the day – Bagatelle Theme Park. In an unforgettable start to the day, in true West House fashion, the boys all wanted to go on the log flume ride first which ended up in a lot of wet clothes after just one ride!
After the enjoyment of the theme park, the boys had two opportunities to get a ‘Taste of France’. The first visit was to Chocolaterie de Beussent which explained and demonstrated the process of picking cocoa beans right through to the production of the finished confectionary. The boys got to sample some of the delicious chocolate at the end!
The second visit certainly raised a lot of eyebrows – a working snail farm! A fantastic demonstration combined with rather perplexed reactions from the boys added a very traditional element to the day’s activities. Well done to the 14 very brave boys who sampled all three different snail recipes!
Trip leader, Mrs Parker, had kept a very big surprise for the evening activity and treated all the boys to an ice cream on the beach in a glorious sunset which provided fantastic photo opportunities for the boys with their friends for many a year! From the taste of chocolate, to the taste of snails and finishing with the taste of an ice cream! Thank you Mrs Parker for a brilliant end to Day 3!
Day 4 - The Biggest Aquarium in Europe!
Before heading back to England, the boys had an unforgettable experience visiting Nausicaá – the biggest aquarium in Europe – and were amazed by the unique experience and beauty of sea life (whilst also translating the display boards!). In particular, the boys loved trying to spot the “Seize the Day Manta Ray” which is part of our Pre-Prep West House Way!
The final activity before the journey home saw the boys show independence and maturity when spending their remaining euros in le supermarché and, for the final time this trip, put their French speaking skills to the test!
Boulogne-sur-Mer 2024 was definitely a trip to remember! We hope the boys can look back with fond, happy memories of France and we are really proud of all the boys for practicing their French speaking spills including saying “Bonjour” and “Merci” to every person they passed! They really did demonstrate The West House Way throughout their time in France.
Well done boys (and staff!) A fantastic adventure full of French culture, excitement and memory-making fun – Au revoir Boulogne-sur-Mer!
