Abingdonian 2017

45 www.abingdon.org.uk Lent Term strategic positioning, the castle had been subject to numerous attacks and sieges. I love history and so I found it really interesting to hear about the political infighting that went on there. It gave me an insight into how difficult life in medieval France must have been – so dangerous that people literally had to have walls as thick as mountains to stay safe. Afterwards, we took a short walk down the hill towards an old stone quarry called Carrière de lumières. Entering the site was disorientating but it immediately plunged us into a new world of music and imagery. The painters exhibited were Bosch, Brueghel and Arcimboldo. Wednesday morning was again sunny and it was a wise choice to wear shorts and trainers for our guided tour of Aix-en-Provence. The city was founded by the Romans because of its water springs and one can find up to 100 fountains in the city, including the famous Fontaine de la Rotonde. After the tour, we met our French exchange partners and spent the rest of the day with them. On Thursday, we visited the Pond du Gard, a Roman aqueduct, a very scenic and enjoyable tour. In the afternoon, we spent time in the Nîmes arena. We were all given an audio guide and could enjoy the visit at our own pace. It was very high at the top and also very windy (as Mr Crisp discovered). If you ever go to Nîmes, don’t wear a lightweight hat… Friday morning was spent at La Nativité and we attended a few lessons. We also watched a film that our exchange partners had done when they came to Abingdon. It was very funny! After lunch, we said goodbye to our exchange partners. We were all very sad to be leaving, but many of us have arranged to meet up again in the summer. After a short bus ride, we arrived at Marseille railway station and got on the Eurostar at 3pm. We all had a lovely week and we certainly have made good friends for the future. Oran Forrestal, 4MP, Fergal Marsh, 4JAM, Henry Pickess, 4JTT, Louis Renouf, 4MRG, Jimmy Strainge, 4AJPE and Lancelot Wilson, 4AJPE