— 29 Mar 2014, 17:11 by Maison Claire Fontaine
The boys have had an excellent first day at MCF, packing a lot in! After breakfast they had their first French lesson in preparation for their trip to the market, where they bought their own lunch! Lots of fromage and saucisson consumed! After lunch we headed into the beautiful medieval town of Vezelay and visited the Basilica, completing linguistic tasks on the way. This evening we have been playing boules and trying to defend our title as quickest jigsaw puzzle solvers! Bonne nuit!
Day 2 at MCF began with a language lesson where the boys practised their use of the past tense. Next we followed Mr Studd into the Art Studio and had a go at sculpting the gargoyles they drew yesterday at Vezelay, with some stunning final pieces.
After another delicious lunch (merci chef David!) we went to explore the Chateau Bussy Rabutin, the boys learning the story of how the Marquis was exiled there for 17 years by Louis XIV. Next the boys did a language game in the labyrinth - great exercise and brilliant for their French!
This evening was the reverse of last night - jigsaw puzzle for some and boules for the others. Now all in bed and looking forward to what tomorrow brings - Bonne nuit!
Monday was circus day! The boys went excitedly to a real big top where they received tuition in circus skills from the fabulous Olivier. Tightrope walking, juggling, trapeze and diabolo - everyone found something they were good at. Mr Loader did particularly well climbing a rope to the top of the tent - great strength Mr L! Later on we had a try at archery and littered the peaceful countryside with the sound of balloons being pierced!
The boys all scrubbed up well in the evening as we had a quick shop then went off to the restaurant in Avallon to try some of the local specialities. Délicieux!
The boys were determined to make the most of their last day in beautiful Burgundy, beginning with mosaic making. Mr Studd was very impressed!
After a language lesson and vocabulary competition (which Elodie's teams won!) we went on an expedition to the forest to try out the high ropes activity at Parc Aventure. Every single boy completed at least the green level course complete with zip wire and a few brave ones tackled the red course successfully. A special mention goes to Oscar for his hanging around!
In the evening snails were on the menu and an impressive 37 out of 40 boys had a taste before they tucked into steak frites and une glace au chocolat. After the presentation evening which recognised the achievements of the boys, they all snuggled down into their duvets to watch the Tintin film.
It's been an amazing trip, thank you MCF for having us!
Thank you for a brilliant week Bedford School. Don't forget to keep speaking lots of French and working hard in your French lessons back at school !
From all the team at MCF : Alex, Mark, David, Elodie, Maureen, Lucie, Lissa, Andrew and of course ..... Malcolm x
