Week 13

This week of school was rather insignificant as I couldn't concentrate all week. The reason being I was going on the Senior Choir trip to Paris at the weekend!
It honestly was one of the best weekends of my life and definitely in Fourth Year!
We were all told to meet in the school at 3.45 a.m. to get a bus to the airport for our flight at 7. It was extremely early but I was far too excited to be tired!! We flew into Paris and were at our hotel at 11 o'clock. I was sharing a room with Ella and so I knew I wasn't going to get much sleep! We then went out to the Arc de Triomphe on our first excursion. This was incredible but the stairs to the top and down were very, very, very narrow and twisted around all the way up......my claustrophobia was not happy! It was worth it though as we had an amazing view right across Paris!
Then we walked to the Eiffel Tower and walked around that area. Unfortunately, I didn't think the Eiffel Tower lived up to its reputation and I was quite unimpressed! The surrounding area was incredible though and we were allowed go off on our own to look around and get something to eat. I managed to convince my friends not to go to McDonalds because I wanted an authentic Parisien meal! We ended up going to a gorgeous little creperie down one of the side streets......very authentic and Parisien!
We then met the rest of the choir and the teachers for a boat cruise down the River Seine. This was one of the highlights of the trip for me because it was an amazing way to see the sights of Paris, despite the freezing temperatures. In the evening we went to a little Italian restaurant in the heart of Paris which was beautiful inside and had incredible food! To end the first day we went to a workshop in the chapel of the Irish Cultural Institute with a soprano named Lena. This was fun at the beginning but we were all exhausted after out early start and busy day so we all just wanted to go back to our hotel!!
The second day began with a trip to the L'Orangerie Gallery to see Monet's waterlillies. I absolutely loved them!! They were incredible! We then crossed the park to the Louvre Museum where we were given four hours of free time to look around the Louvre and to make our way to Notre Dame. I loved the Louvre, mostly because of the stunning architecture! Myself and a few others went shopping after a few hours and, after Aaron got us very lost, we made it to the Notre Dame which, again, had breathtaking architecture.
We then returned to the Irish Cultural Institute for a Carol Service in the Chapel which was really fun and very festive.
The best part of the trip for me was that evening when we went to see the West End production of West Side Story! I had never seen it live and it is now my second favourite musical (just behind The Phantom of the Opera!).
The next day was really sad because it was our last day in Paris. However, we definitely made the most of our final 12 hours. We spent the morning in Monmatre on a guided walking tour and in Sacre Coeur Cathedral. This was incredible and made me want to live in Monmatre in the future! After that culturally enriching morning, we then made the two and a half hour bus trip to Disneyland! I thought this would be the best part but it's not really my thing! I was too scared to go on Space Mountain and Indiana Jones with the boys so I sat outside! I then made them come up the Princess Castle with me and go on the Carousel so it was alright in the end!!
We then flew back to Dublin and got back to Wesley late that night.
It was an absolutely incredible weekend and definitely one of the highlights of Fourth Year so far!!