At the start of the Easter break, the LEH Lower and Upper Sixth History students set off for a trip to Paris to visit some sites of the French Revolution, as well as other landmarks around the city.

We had an early start on the morning of Saturday 23rd March, arriving at St Pancras to get the Eurostar. Once in Paris, we took a coach to Versailles and toured the beautiful palace and gardens, getting an insight into the luxurious lives that the royals had lived. The day had begun with a sunny morning, but we were battered by the wind and rain towards the end of our visit. Fortunately, we were able to quickly arrive at our hostel and have some time to relax and get ready for the evening. After dinner, we travelled into the city to catch a Seine river cruise. There were amazing views of many famous buildings, in particular the Eiffel Tower - we were luckily able to get plenty of photos and videos of it sparkling!

On the following day, we had a three hour guided walking tour of Paris, seeing many sites related to the French Revolution, from La Bastille to the Conciergerie. We also saw many preparations for the Olympics, as well as admiring the magnificent Notre Dame. After lunch, we visited Les Invalides, which is home to Napoleon’s grand tomb as well as the army museum. It was really interesting to follow the timeline through the museum exhibits to see the development of the military throughout the time of the French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte. We again returned to the hostel for dinner, and then headed back to the city for a walk along the Champs Elysees. We had free time to do some shopping and, of course, take pictures of the iconic Arc de Triomphe.

On our final day, we visited the Pantheon and saw the tombs of many more famous figures - not only key individuals from the French Revolution, but also other well-known historical figures such as Marie Curie. Later, we went inside the Conciergerie and saw the cell where Marie Antoinette stayed. There was a surprising amount of information about other people who had been detained; one room contained a list of all those who had been put on trial and the results of each case. Afterwards, we had a short amount of time to do some last minute shopping before returning to the hostel to gather our luggage.

Finally, it was time to get the Eurostar and head home. We all had an incredible time and made so many great memories. Many thanks to the teachers and TCBC school trips for organising everything!

By Sonya (L6F)