Tullamore College student reflects on school trip to Paris
Mary B Finlay Scanlon, a third year student at Tullamore College, wrote this article about her recent science-themed school trip to Paris:
Before the sun was even awake on October 1, a bleary-eyed but buzzing group of third year science students set off for Paris for an exciting and educational experience, combining science, French history and sightseeing.
Our trip started off with visiting the Cité des Sciences, which is one of the largest science museums in Europe. It contains interactive exhibitions covering topics such as space, technology, biology and physics. We were able to explore the exhibits and learn about science in an engaging and practical way.
We then went to the Exploradome, which was completely made up of interactive experiments and demonstrations. It was a fun and hands-on way to learn about science, with plenty of opportunities to get involved and test out the different experiments ourselves.
After, we visited the beautiful Montmartre, one of the most famous and picturesque areas of Paris, where we visited the stunning Sacré-Cœur Cathedral, which sits at the top of Montmartre. Getting there was definitely an experience in itself, as the walk up had us questioning our fitness! However, once we reached the top, the breathtaking views and beautiful cathedral made the climb completely worth it.
Day two was another jam-packed day where first we visited the Air and Space Museum, and we saw a variety of aircraft, spacecraft and other technology, helping us understand how flight and space travel have developed over time, and we also got the opportunity to explore a real-life Airbus from 1987, giving us a fascinating look inside an aircraft from nearly 40 years ago.
We then cruised down the river Seine on the Bateaux Mouches, allowing us to see many of Paris's famous landmarks from the water, the most memorable being our phenomenal view of the Eiffel Tower!
We got to spend the afternoon walking around Paris, visiting the Louvre and shopping in Westfield shopping centre, where we got time to get food and shop before another bunch of activities.
Later, we headed to the Musée des arts et métiers, where it showed how space technology has developed over hundreds of years with so many interesting exhibitions!
We had a gorgeous dinner on the streets of Paris, followed by a very competitive game of bowling to end the night on a high.
On Saturday, we went on a guided tour of Paris, learning more about the city’s history and famous landmarks, and we finished the trip by climbing the Arc de Triomphe, where we enjoyed amazing views across Paris and got one final look at the incredible city we had spent the last few days exploring.
Overall, our trip to Paris was an amazing experience filled with science, sightseeing, laughter and plenty of unforgettable memories. It was a trip we will always look back on and remember as one of the most fun experiences our year shared together.
We would also like to say a massive thank you to our teachers Ms Howlin, Ms Flynn, Ms Burke, Ms Dunne and Mr McDermott for giving up their time, looking after us and making the trip so enjoyable. We really appreciate everything they did to make our Paris trip such a fun and unforgettable experience.