Friday, October 21, 2016

Our Trip to England 2016

This September the seventh class 7.A and some pupils from the eighth classes went to a region in England  that is called Cornwall. We spent there almost two weeks. We stayed there in local families in a town called St Austell. At the beginning we were a little bit worried in which family we would live and if we understand them but they all were really nice to us, so there weren´t any problems.

            We went to an English school every morning for four days. There we learned something about the Cornish history and culture. We also learned some new English games and songs, so we had fun as well. In the afternoons we always went for trips around Cornwall (sometimes also Devon) and we visited some famous places like Tintagel – the castle of King Arthur, the Eden project, Truro – the capital of Cornwall and many other interesting places. We normally came home to our host families at around 7 o’clock in the evening. Our dinner was usually ready at that time. While we were eating and also after the dinner we could talk with our families. We also watched the X factor UK with them. That was really fun.

            An the end of the English course we all got certificates with our level of English and an evaluation from the teachers. For the rest of the stay we had the whole-day trips, so we had more time to go shopping, play on the local playgrounds (the English playgrounds are the best J) and see other interesting places. One of my favourite part of this trip was, when we went to the beach. We threw stones to the sea and simply enjoyed the fresh wind and sound of the waves and seagulls. The best place we visited was the fun park of Flambards. There were really cool roller-coasters and huge slides.

I think we all enjoyed this trip a lot. Thanks to all the teachers that made this trip happen.

Hana Fischerová, 8.A

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Cornwall – 2016

Full of enthusiasm we gathered at the crack of dawn on the morning of our first day to set off from Prague towards our adventure. In the evening we were accommodated at a hotel in the vicinity of Calais.
Having managed to catch the morning ferry in Calais we were rewarded with a breath-taking view of the majestic white cliffs in Dover. On our way to Cornwall we stopped to look at Stonehenge, the best-known prehistoric monument in Europe. After arriving in St. Austell we were given a warm welcome from our host families.
The next day we headed for St. Michael’s Mount, a castle on the hill, which is accessible only a few hours a day depending on the tide. No sooner had the sea fully retreated than we started to cross the wet walkway towards the castle. In the afternoon we travelled to Land’s End and we experienced what it is like to stand on the westernmost point of mainland England. Just amazing.
The following four days our children attended the school in Treverbyn. They surely enjoyed being taught by native speakers. In the afternoons we explored the Eden Project, the largest indoor rainforest in the world, climbed the steep stairs to walk around the ruins of Tintagel Castle that sits on a rocky peninsula overlooking the sea, paid a visit to Lanhydrock House with its magnificent gardens and also peeped into Bodmin Jail – a spine-tingling experience. Believe me!
The next day we devoted a few hours to Plymouth where we visited the Sea Life Centre and afterwards we took a short boat trip around Plymouth. Luckily the weather turned out to be even better than we had hoped for.
The following day we made our way to Dartmoor National Park hoping to soak up the atmosphere of ‘The Hound of Baskerville’, the well-known case of the legendary Sherlock Holmes. There is no doubt that the site has its own individual magic. Subsequently, we were fortunate to admire Exeter and its impressive cathedral.
The last but one day in England we spent in Torquay, a picturesque seaside resort and also saw Babbacombe Model Village where we were impressed with the amazing miniature world.
Having said goodbye to our host families with tears in our eyes we travelled to Bath. What definitely aroused our interest there was the Roman Baths complex, a well-preserved Roman site for public bathing.
Being filled with numerous new experiences we bid farewell to England and set off for our homes.
How about the same time next year again…eh?

Jiří Chrobok

One of the teachers