By Leo Hession 

The group of students who travelled to France on the Erasmus trip at the end of May 2023 had a few main aims: to see the sights of Paris and of Brittany; to visit the village of Guiscriff and strengthen the links between it and its twin Glenamaddy; and to improve our knowledge of French language and culture by immersing ourselves at Collège Châteaubriand in Gourin. It is safe to say we succeeded in all these aims.  

In just a couple of days in Paris, we fitted in sightseeing, a boat trip, a segway tour, a day in Disneyland, and of course some crêpes. The TGV high-speed train brought us to Quimper, where we were based for the remainder of the trip. We attended various classes at the school in Gourin for the week, mixing with the students there and practising our French. Other activities included walking from Gourin to Guiscriff, where we received a warm welcome from the town twinning committee and performed some Irish song, dance and music; a cycle all the way from Quimperlé via arty Pont Aven to Concarneau, where we visited the beach and the old walled town; and a school trip to the Vallée des Saints. We rounded it all off with a look around Nantes, from where we flew home, on Saturday the 3rd June. 

A “merci beaucoup” is due to Ms Lyons, Ms Griffin, Ms McDermott and Bernard Mahe who all helped make the trip the best it could be; Erasmus who provided funding; the town twinning committee in Glenamaddy who provided us with pocket money; the people of Guiscriff who were so welcoming and drove us back to our hotel late at night; and the staff and students of Collège Châteaubriand, Gourin, who welcomed us into their school.  

By Davog Kelly 

It's a day or so after my arrival back home from France and the excitement has died down. In a now unfamiliar moment of clarity, I look back and realise the sheer multitude of activities and experiences created during this. Since it's all now mostly fresh in my memory still I'll take this time to recap the 2023 Glenamaddy Community School Guiscriff Tour.  

Our departure from Dublin Airport involved the standard struggles of security checks, baggage claims and whatnot. This was all rewarded upon stepping foot outside of Beauvais Airport and being greeted with the rarely seen blazing sun and blue sky. From here, we took the bus into the heartland of Paris. Among many things we did in Paris, like boat rides and general sauntering, the two highlights were the Segway tour and Disneyland Paris. Both provided picturesque landscapes of the city, one historical and one crafted into fantasy, not to mention the exhilarating feel of both the Segway and rides alike.  

Beginning on Monday we took our residence in the Quimper, a medieval wonder of architecture and Breton charm. The calm refuge of the Appart'Hotel contrasted well with the Herculean bike ride, which passed through the Expressionist Pont Aven and the summer champion seaside city of Concarneau. We may have slaved on those bikes in the sweltering heat, but the cool oceans were more than worth it, although the calming walk to Guiscriff is probably favoured by many students instead.  

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the central focus of our tour; that being the school (or should I say collège) of Chateaubriand in Gourin. To speak individually of any aspect of the days we spent there would be doing a disservice to just how enthusiastic and dedicated that school was to make us feel at home. It's safe to say that my level of French has improved considerably since, and the warm faces of both student and teacher alike is inspiring.  

However, like all other good things, our trios had to come to an end. Rushing through the departure gates of Nantes Airport, we made it onto the flight bound for the homeland. Looking out at an increasingly shrinking France, the last reminder of our presence there, it was hard not to be taken aback by everything we managed to accomplish there. From the testing of our tongues is the Francophonic Gourin, or the honouring of the 30th anniversary of the town twinning of Glenammaddy and Guiscriff, I can proudly say that I was more than glad to have been part of this trip, and I would wholeheartedly recommend anyone else on the fence to go and experience a once in a lifetime opportunity.