And a tour it has been, as our trip this year took us to Toulouse, Avignon, Amiens, Arras, Evreux, Paris. 

And true to our Christchurch heritage* we dressed in bright orange and sailed under the title  #roadconesontour#.  It has been an unforgettable experience and an amazing cultural and linguistic learning opportunity.  While our exchange with the lycée Saint Exupéry in Blagnac/Toulouse and the discovery of Avignon and its surroundings (Nîmes, Orange, Uzès,) has been a fixture of our French trips for years,  the itinerary was changed this time in order to accommodate the special focus of our Shared Histories project: Amiens, Arras and Evreux were included in the trip. And you know what? After having visited these places the Somme will never be left out of any future French trips, it presents such a unique and important link between France and New Zealand! 

(*For those NOT from Christchurch, a bit of explanation: our city suffered a series of devastating earthquakes in 2011. Since then it has been in a state of rebuild, and orange road cones are everywhere to mark areas of work)

And here is our itinerary: