Un compte-rendu du voyage :

After the Irish capital of Dublin in 2007 and Liverpool European capital of culture in 2008, the European section of Lycée Anatole France headed for the English capital, so close at hand and so attractive.

With a generous subsidy granted by the Regional Council for this school project, the five-day trip to London, initially planned for October 2009 and then postponed to February 2010 due to the threats of swine flu, was within every student’s pocket.

In a peaceful sunny weather, while Pas-de-Calais was under snow, the 49 students, led by their history and English teachers, let themselves be taken in by the hustle and bustle of this throbbing multicultural city of 8 million inhabitants. Greater London is as large as a French département.

The students were staying in the north-west of London, 20 miles away, with host-families, with whom they forged some friendships and chatted about their busy day in this fascinating city.

The students were split into smaller groups with registered London guides for an exciting tour of the city. Some liked best expressionist or abstract paintings at the Tate Modern whilst others enjoyed the detailed study of Hogarth or Constable’s 18th century paintings ; no-one was indifferent to the archaeological treasures from the Roman or Medieval periods exhibited in the Museum of London, or to the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London.

London also spells a diversity of districts, streets, sights and sculptures which tell us about its history – past and present : the remains of the two-thousand year-old Roman city walls, the City, the oldest district in London which however seems to be the newest with its numerous modern buildings – the famous ‘Gherkin’ among others, the Monument erected by Sir Christopher Wren to commemorate the 1666 Great Fire of London, Saint-Paul’s Cathedral which he built after the Fire.

They wouldn’t have missed Westminster Abbey, where all British sovereigns have been crowned, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and the statue of Churchill on Parliament Square, Whitehall, 10 Downing Street, Saint-James’s Park with its deck-chairs and squirrels, and at the end of The Mall, - Buckingham Palace.

They were also able to discover the ‘Yuppy’ district of Saint Catherine’s docks, rehabilitated at the end of the 20th century, and enjoyed walking over the Millenium Bridge, built in 2000 to link the district of Saint-Paul’s with the Tate Modern and the Globe, a replica of Shakespeare’s 16th century Globe on the southern bank of the Thames.

Those who enjoy a thrill – and all did - will certainly remember their guided tour on the footsteps of Jack the Ripper in Whitechapel – bloodcurdling ! Others will never forget their 500-step climb to Saint-Paul’s lantern, from which they could enjoy a magnificent panoramic view over London at sunset.

Then the group wouldn’t have fully felt the pulse of London, had they not attended a typical show in Haymarket, the theatre district, where on their last day in the city they had the opportunity to follow the mysterious plot of The Phantom of the Opera, the famous musical comedy by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The fifth and last day was devoted to a visit of the prestigious university town of Cambridge, where the students were able to visit King’s and Trinity Colleges before driving back to Folkestone, with their heads full of rich memories.

If in the streets of Lillers, you happen to come across youngsters sporting flashy I LOVE LONDON sweatshirts, it will mean that their busy schedule also left them some free time for shopping !

Texte: Madame Bourdon.

Photos : Mme Minet, M. Marichez

MAI 2010 :

Parents et élèves ont été conviés à la projection du film réalisé à Londres en janvier 2010. A l’issue de la diffusion, chaque participant est reparti avec, en souvenir, un DVD. Les élèves qui ont obtenu les meilleurs résultats au quiz sur Londres ont également été récompensés (remise de T-shirts, crayons etc.).