Rachel's trip to Chartes France

The weather today was a boiling 28 in the shade with clear, bright blue skies! The children went in small groups around the Cathedral with some wonderful tour guides and had the amazing opportunity to actually sing within those hallowed walls – how glorious! They sang “Panis Angelicus” from the hymn Sacris solemniis written by Saint Thomas Aquinas and also “Oh for the Wings of a Dove” by Felix Mendelssohn - two songs that brought tears to many of our eyes when the children sang them at the school concert last month.

They had lunch in a nearby park followed by a very long play and then back to the Cathedral, where they all climbed the 302 steps to the top of the tower for some magnificent views of Chartres. They took a trip on a land train (a train and carriages that are driven on the road) and were given a wonderful tour by a chap who has been doing this for 20 years! The rest of the afternoon was spent in drawing various aspects of the cathedral and then they were all treated to an ice-cream –

Catherine said it was hilarious to see 40 children crammed into a tiny shop, each carefully deciding which particular ice-cream they were going to have.

Once back at the centre, they had an hour’s free time to spend in their rooms, which they very much appreciated (spending most of their time visiting each other’s rooms for a chat!) They had a fine supper and then out onto the field for a game of rounders – girls against boys. The girl’s just won, which they were very pleased about!!

Catherine said that, when she went to one of the rooms to check that they were ready to sleep, the girls whispered “we’re telling each other scary stories!” Hmm .....

Anyway, tomorrow they are off to Rambouet (sorry, probably totally misspelt!) forest to see some birds of prey, to have walks in the forest and, as Mrs. Pickles keeps on insisting, to go hunting for wild boar !