'MEC Press' December 2019 Publication 1. Newsletter December 2019 Vo 7 | Page 3

TY October Paris Tour
This years TY Tour was a four day trip to the city of love; Paris. The action packed tour included a
trip to the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, Disneyland, the Louvre and much more between the 15 th and
18th of October 2019 .
By TY Students Isabel Doherty, Caoimhe Bashir and Eva Gaffney
The first day we had an early start. The school buses arrived at the
airport. Everyone was ecstatic for the journey ahead. After a short flight,
a bus brought us to the heart of the city. We had free time to enjoy the
city’s landmarks and shops, such as the Arc de Triomphe. An hour later
we visited the Eiffel Tower and took some great group photos. We were
then taken on a bus tour of the city and we saw many famous buildings
such as the Louvre and Musee d’Orsay. The Aqua Boulevard was then
our next destination. After getting dinner at MacDonald’s, we went into
the pool and had fun on the slides and other water attractions. The
tiredness of everyone after the long day was palpable. Thankfully we
were soon on our way to the hotel. We were mesmerised by the Disney
themed hotel. It’s fair to say everyone slept well that night!
The second day we had breakfast and quickly explored the hotel, then
we travelled to Versailles to see the palace. We walked through grand
hallways, dining rooms and bedrooms which were filled with ornate
furniture, paintings and sculptures. In addition, we visited the beautiful
gardens outside, full of neat hedges and beautiful flowers. We went back
to the city to visit the Sacré-Cœur Cathedral, located at a high point of
the city and lending incredible views of the city. This free time allowed
us to explore the shops below. We bought many souvenirs and ate
lunch. After this, we went to get a boat ride along the river Seine. Despite
the weather, everyone had the best time on the open roof of the boat,
enjoying the views of the Eiffel Tower, the bridges and buildings of the
city. We then ate a big dinner and headed back to our cosy hotel.
The third day was the day that everyone was most excited about:
Disneyland Paris! We arrived early at the park before the queues were
too long. We rushed straight to the castle to take pictures of and enjoyed
the Disney shops and characters in the park. We then headed towards
all the rides such as ‘Hyper Space Mountain.’ We had so much fun on all
the rides. Towards the end of the day, we had dinner in one of the
restaurants in the park before enjoying the show. Lights and animations
were displayed on the castle along with fireworks and music to make a
magical show. It was certainly an amazing experience to share with our
friends.
The fourth day was sadly our last day in Paris but we were looking
forward to visiting the Louvre museum. I was extra excited as I love art.
We explored the many rooms of the museum seeing many famous
sculptures and paintings such as the ‘Mona Lisa’ and ‘Venus de Milo.’
We also bought some souvenirs in the gift shop and took pictures of the
famous glass pyramid. We were then given some free time to have lunch
and go shopping. After, we returned to the buses and drove to a bowling
alley near the airport outside the city. I had a great time bowling with
my friends. We then headed to the airport as our trip drew to a close.
Everyone was sad to leave France but it was one of the best trips of my
life and I will never forget it.
Next Years Tour: Our TYs will embark on a trip to the breathtaking city
of Venice in Italy next October. Notable highlights of this four-day trip
will include a visit to Gardaland amusement park, an epic boat trip
around Lake Garda and an excursion to the lakeside town of Sirmione.
TYs will also visit Verona the home of Romeo & Juliet to see a Roman
arena. There is no doubt this will be another magical trip!