A Diary Of Our Visit
lundi 27 juin
At 4:45am, on Monday morning, we made our way into the school grounds ready to leave England and head on our way to France. Then, at 5:05am, we left Boston and made our six-hour journey to Dover to catch the Euro Tunnel. On the way, many people fell asleep whilst other sang along to their tunes.
At approximately 11:50am we arrived in France and continued our journey to the Opal Coast. After one very long hour and a half, and Mr Servonat’s awful singing (no offence sir), we finally arrived at our destination. When we arrived we headed to the beach and took a stroll along the sand. After an hour’s long walk, we walked back to our accommodation, where we met our events’ guide Jean-Simon, and set up in our rooms. Then we headed out for food!
For starters we had pizza (yum!), for main we had fish cake, boiled potatoes and carrots, and for dessert we had apple compote (that most of us didn’t really enjoy…). After our meal we played a game called ‘Beret’. Then as the game played on, everyone became tired and we headed to bed.
Mardi 28 juin
At around 7am, everyone woke up for our very packed day ahead. So at 8am, we went down to have breakfast. There was pain au chocolats, croissants, cereal, brioche, orange juice, milk and hot chocolate. It was very filling. Then we boarded the coach and headed to the chocolate factory.
The chocolate factory is called ‘Chocolats de Beussent-Lachelle’. When we arrived, the aroma was filled with that chocolatey goodness. As we walked into the factory, the sights we saw were magnificent. On display, there was lots of different 3D models made out of chocolate and they were masterpieces. Our guide showed us how all the chocolate was prepared and where cocoa beans came from. We even got samples!
After buying gifts for our family back home, we went out into the market. We were given a challenge where we were in groups of 4, 5, and 6. And with 3€ each, we had to buy the ingredients to make a sandwich for our lunch. Many of us bought bread, ham, cheese, fruit, and salad ingredients. It was very nice. Once we had all finished lunch, we headed to the war memorial cemetery. We walked around the graveyard, looking at all the names of people who lost their lives in WW1. We even found the tombs of two soldiers from Boston, England! It was quite emotional.
When we finished at the cemetery, we headed to the snail farm. This is where we learnt about how the snails are bred, what happens to them when they prepare them and what they like and don’t like. Then, we went to look at the snails, and many of us held them. Everyone said that it was slimy. We then walked back to the shop and sat down under a canapé. This is where we tried snail pâté and snail in a crispy shell. Personally, I wasn’t a fan, but many people loved them, especially Mr Servonat.
After we had been to the gift shop, we went to dinner. For starters, we had vegetable soup, for main we had sausages with rice and tomato sauce and for pudding we had doughnuts! Yummy! We then walked back to the hotel, where we had a quiz (in French). My group got 8 out of 16; not bad I guess. We then headed to bed for our next exciting day in France!
mercredi 29 juin
Once again, most people woke up at about 7am. And at 8am, we went down for pastries and cereal. When everyone had finished their yummy breakfast, we headed out to go the sea life centre!
When we arrived, we were all amazed at the size of the aquarium but when we walked into the building, everyone’s mouths were wide open. There were jellyfish, crabs, lionfish, an octopus, shrimp, clownfish, seals, sharks, turtles and much, much more. Everyone was loving it! Next on our list was lunch and we all couldn’t wait! We had cheese sandwiches, crisps, vanilla/lemon cake and that same apple compote!
Then, this is the part everyone loved, we went shopping in Boulogne! We walked around to the town and we were allowed to go shopping for souvenirs and gifts. After 50 minutes of pure shopping, we got on the coach and travelled down to another beach in Le Touquet. When we got to the beach, the view was stunning. The teachers even bought us an ice-cream and that was delicious. Thanks Mrs Bell!
After our ice-cream, we all headed back to the coach and we travelled to our diner for our last dinner in France. For starters, we had a cheese pasty, for main we had chicken, ham and cheese kiev with pasta and for dessert we had Greek yoghurt. Once we had finished our meals, we went back to the hotel where we played games in French. After the games, everyone went to bed.
jeudi 30 juin
Like Tuesday and Wednesday, most people woke up at about 7am to get ready for our very last day on the Opal Coast. Like the two previous days, we went down at 8am for our breakfast. After filling ourselves with what was our very last breakfast of our trip, we packed our bags onto the coach and drove down to the coast line to walk along the promenade and go shopping in Wimereux. The beach view was absolutely incredible and indescribable.
We went to a restaurant for lunch an we had the choice of burger and chips, chicken nuggets and chips, or fish and chips. For the vegetarians, there were omelettes. And for our dessert, we had a choice of ice-cream, crème caramel or crêpes. After our very scrumptious meal, it was time for us to go home. So we boarded the coach and set off for the Euro Tunnel.
At about 2:45pm we arrived at the Euro Tunnel and set off for home. At approximately 3:55pm, we arrived back in England. We then started our six-hour journey back home to Boston. We finally arrived back in Boston at 9pm.
Overall, the Opal Coast trip was an amazing experience and I would recommend it to anyone going into Year 7,8, 9 or 10. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity that you just shouldn’t miss out on.
Written by Neam
BHS Newsroom
Editor’s Note: This post previously included a video slideshow of images from the trip. This clip has now been deleted to save space on our website, but you can read all of our newest stories on the home page.
