From 18th-25th May, 3d and 3f were in Bray for their language week. Alongside lessons at the ATC language School on the Bray seafront, they enjoyed various activities and excursions. Here is a brief overview of the week:
Monday 25th May:
This was a travel day and after our Aer Lingus flight to Dublin we arrived safely in Bray at around 3.15 pm. The school kindly organised some pizza for us, as we had to wait for the host families to pick the pupils up from around 5 pm onwards – most of them were working, of course, so they couldn’t arrive any earlier. It seemed like a long wait for the kids, as they were nervous about meeting their host families, but at the end of the day everything went well and there were no problems.
Tuesday:
During the morning break we celebrated the Twins’ thirteenth birthday with cakes and other treats. It may not have been all that healthy, but it certainly all tasted good!
After the morning lessons we all took the Dart (the local commuter train) up to Dublin for a guided walking tour of the city. The weather was a bit changeable, but we managed to stay pretty much dry. The search for a toilet proved to be quite challenge, though…
Wednesday:
On Wednesday it was time for the pupils to try out the ultimate in culinary enjoyment – fish ‘n’ chips. We all congregated outside a local chippy, where Mr Shepherd had kindly organised 40 portions and soon we were stuffing our faces with the best food you have ever tasted. Heaven! The location we selected for eating it was pretty top, too, with a great view along the entire beachfront.
After that it was time for some ridiculously expensive ice-cream before almost the entire group went to the Marine Life Aquarium. Meanwhile, two adventurous boys decided to go for a walk up Bray Head with Mr King. As anyone who was in one of his classes will testify, Mr King’s “walks” are invariably much longer and harder than he claims they will be, and this one was no exception. However, both boys lived to tell the tale and were even smiling (bravely) at the end of it.
Thursday:
On Thursday afternoon the pupils finally got to do the one thing all pupils crave more than anything else in the whole world – go shopping. The destination of choice was Dublin’s Henry Street, a pedestrianised street with pretty much every kind of shop a teenager could ever need.
Friday:
Friday was Swimming in the Sea Day, Mr King having promised in a foolhardy moment that he would go in the water if the pupils did. It was FREEZING! Congratulations to all the girls who were brave enough to get wet – unfortunately all the boys “forgot” their swimming stuff…
Saturday:
There is always a whole-day excursion on a language trip and this year we went to Powerscourt Gardens and Glendalough. The weather was perfect and their were countless Instagram opportunities for everyone to exploit. Who knew that it could be so hot in Ireland?
Sunday:
At 3:15 am we congregated in front of the language school and were soon on our way to Dublin airport for the 7:15 flight back to Vienna. There were no holdups and after a couple of minor boarding pass scares the perfect week ended with a perfect flight.
Many thanks to Mrs Lattinger for organising the week and to all the parents for letting us take their children with us!
