La Biennale di Venezia and Paris
During the July holidays 23 art students and four staff set off on our first ever Visual Arts Trip.
We spent seven days in Venice and six days in Paris. Both these extraordinary cities offered a wealth of art and culture to explore.
In Venice La Biennale di Venezia, essentially the ‘olympics of art’, presented us with a very avant-garde view of contemporary art practice. This huge international event and all the supporting collateral events offered a rich context for analysis and discussion. Venice is the most beautiful old romantic city, a stunning environment in which to view and consider art.
In Paris our emphasis shifted to more historical and established practice as we viewed exhibits in venues ranging from the Louvre to the Pompidou Centre. We went to a performance at the Opera Bastille and visited all the usual haunts including the Musee National D’Historie Naturelle, Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. In temperatures in the high 20s to mid 30s we viewed a huge range of art, architecture, and design and took time to get to know the inner centres of both cities. Some people were even mistaken as locals!
Sauvestre, Gaudi and Extra Cheese.
The 2009 European languages Trip
It turns out that in Europe you do not often see a group of 24 lovely girls walking the streets, led by a quadrant of inspirational leaders.
Despite the impressive map reading skills of Mrs Mabin, we often ended up crowded in doorsteps and in the middle of the street.
Needless to say we got a lot of attention in Europe… and Europe got a lot of attention from us. We visited many amazing sights – in particular the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Being in Spain and France meant being completely immersed in the language and culture of the countries. From learning how to ask for a sandwich with extra cheese to navigating the Parisian Metro, it was certainly an experience to learn from.
It is hard to cram three weeks of incredible moments into one paragraph, so to find out for yourself sign up for the next Languages trip – we can guarantee you will have an amazing time.
By Jessica Cole, Siobhan Kennedy and Ana Reid
The Iron Curtain Meets the Sound of Music
The theme of this year’s Y12 and Y13 History trip to Japan and Europe was ‘The Iron Curtain Meets the Sound of Music’.
Thirty students, Mrs Lisa Mavé, Miss Angela Smith and Reverend Carolin Telford visited places that were significant to World War II and Communism in Eastern Europe as well as the sites where The Sound of Music was filmed.
Some of the highlights of the trip included the beautiful temple in Tokyo, the majestic and spectacular buildings in St Petersburg, the magical garden in Poland, the picturesque King Ludwig’s castle in the German Alps and charming Salzburg in Austria. They also visited very poignant places, including the Jewish memorials and Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany. “We went to amazing, enlightening and unusual places, we learnt so much and made so many new friends. It was a truly unforgettable experience,” said Mrs Mavé.