Before heading back to school after the Christmas holidays, Sixth Form French and Art students headed to Paris for a trip full of art galleries, crêpes and Christmas markets.
On the first day, we got to school bright and early at 5.30am and headed to St Pancras to get the Eurostar. After dropping our bags off, we got on the Metro and headed to the Musée D’orsay, all of us excitedly looking around and taking in the sights of Paris. At the Musée D’orsay we saw many sculptures and famous paintings, including some of Van Gogh’s work! As one of the art students on the trip, I had the task of completing three sketches: a colour study, a tonal study and a mark-making study. Before heading back on the Metro and back to the hotel, we stopped at a nearby Christmas market and ate some crêpes. We all huddled together watching the Eiffel Tower light up from afar, eagerly pulling our phones out to take pictures.
In the morning, we walked through the sunny streets of Paris to the Picasso Museum, stopping to take pictures of street art and learn about Parisian history along the way. After lunch in Marche des Enfants Rouges, we went to Musée de l’Orangerie, where we saw Monet’s famous water lilies. We quickly visited the Christmas market again on our way home for some churros and ate a galette des rois after dinner. Three of us were lucky to become Kings and Queens after finding charms in the cakes.
On day three, we put the gallery trips on hold to explore Paris, travelling to Place du Tetre. We had the opportunity to wander around in small groups, each of the groups doing something slightly different – such as vintage clothes shopping, visiting a church and taking lots of pictures. We then went on a boat tour before beginning to complete a quest around the many sights of Paris. This was side-tracked for some hot chocolate and our visit to the Eiffel Tower! All of us were so excited to go up the tower, clustering together to stay warm as we got snowed on at the very top. The view was breathtaking, and we were all sad to leave. After dinner at the hotel, we gathered around a long table for snacks and chatting.
Our final morning consisted of a trek to the Louvre. We were in awe of the size of the Louvre and the many famous pieces it holds. We sketched art we saw which span many time periods and cultures, and we took lots of photos. After lunch, we made our way to the Eurostar, where we continued to work on our sketchbooks on the way home.
The Paris trip was an unforgettable experience that I will always treasure. It was full of new sights, laughter, late-night sketchbook sessions and so much more.
