School Journey to Paris, 1959
Alan Weyman
Weather was good during trip and pretty sure was during school time. Also pretty sure it was during first 2 years at Eden Grove, Sept. '58 to July '60.
Remember the sleeping accommodation was an experience for many of us - many of us slept 2 to a bed!
Remember one special thing about trip. When having our evening meals, one of the teachers complained about the quality of food we were given. We were supposed to be given English food. The restaurant gave us steak, which sounds OK, but the teacher complained that it was horse meat, and in England we do not eat horse meat. Not sure if many of us realised, but the teacher did. Apparently the restaurant thought this was standard English food.
Think on this trip a lot of us tried our first French cigarettes. Remember trying on boat and not feeling too well after.
Think most boys had cameras. Think a lot of old Brownies.
Paul Tully
I was on the school journey to Paris. A few things stick in the memory: the food was appalling, We ate at a 'restaurant' nearby. Every evening we had macaroni - absolutely vile - and we had the same garbage every day as I remember.
We must have walked 5000 miles which must have been the inspiration for the Proclaimers song.
The journey was like something out of a comic. At the rear of the ship (The Blunt End) there was the ships steering wheel in front of which there was a smaller wheel with a 180 degree direction indicator. A couple of us operated the small wheel shouting instructions to those operating the larger wheel. e.g. 180 degrees to starboard would be called and those on the big wheel would spin it to the right. 50 degrees port would be called and the big wheel would be spun to the left. This went on for some time during which the ship developed a distinct list and looking behind us the ship's route was zigzagged. We realised that something was wrong when about half a dozen sailors were spotted running towards us. We did the only thing we could do - we scarpered at speed.
Weather was good during trip and pretty sure was during school time. Also pretty sure it was during first 2 years at Eden Grove, Sept. '58 to July '60.
Remember the sleeping accommodation was an experience for many of us - many of us slept 2 to a bed!
Remember one special thing about trip. When having our evening meals, one of the teachers complained about the quality of food we were given. We were supposed to be given English food. The restaurant gave us steak, which sounds OK, but the teacher complained that it was horse meat, and in England we do not eat horse meat. Not sure if many of us realised, but the teacher did. Apparently the restaurant thought this was standard English food.
Think on this trip a lot of us tried our first French cigarettes. Remember trying on boat and not feeling too well after.
Think most boys had cameras. Think a lot of old Brownies.
Paul Tully
I was on the school journey to Paris. A few things stick in the memory: the food was appalling, We ate at a 'restaurant' nearby. Every evening we had macaroni - absolutely vile - and we had the same garbage every day as I remember.
We must have walked 5000 miles which must have been the inspiration for the Proclaimers song.
The journey was like something out of a comic. At the rear of the ship (The Blunt End) there was the ships steering wheel in front of which there was a smaller wheel with a 180 degree direction indicator. A couple of us operated the small wheel shouting instructions to those operating the larger wheel. e.g. 180 degrees to starboard would be called and those on the big wheel would spin it to the right. 50 degrees port would be called and the big wheel would be spun to the left. This went on for some time during which the ship developed a distinct list and looking behind us the ship's route was zigzagged. We realised that something was wrong when about half a dozen sailors were spotted running towards us. We did the only thing we could do - we scarpered at speed.
