The John Paul II Collegiate Travel Club recently returned from a tour in Europe and the students and staff all agree they had a fantastic time.
The trip began on April 22 as the 11 students and four adults left North Battleford at 1:30 a.m. for a 5 a.m. departure to Toronto. It was exciting for the students who had never flown before, to be getting on the plane. There were several hours to wait in Toronto so they went on a city tour, seeing such places as the Hockey Hall of Fame, CN Tower, City Hall, Rogers Center, and the city skyline.
The group had an overnight flight to London and then caught their final flight to Shannon, Ireland. The bus ride from Shannon to Killarney took them through the green countryside of Ireland.
The next two days in Killarney went quickly. They spent a day following the "Ring of Kerry." This circular drive covers inland and coastal views of Ireland. The scenery was breathtaking and so green. They toured a museum village called the Bog Village which exhibited what life in Ireland was like a couple hundred years ago. Also in Killarney the group was treated to a ride on "jaunting cars," horse-drawn carriages, through a national park where they were able to tour ancient Ross Castle.
The group then headed to Dublin for two fun-filled days. On the way they stopped at Blarney Castle where they all had the opportunity to kiss the "Blarney Stone." In Dublin they were treated to a traditional Irish evening with music and dancing. They also toured many sites including St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Papal Cross in Phoenix Park and Trinity College where they saw the Book of Kells. The last evening in Dublin was spent enjoying some of the sights in Temple Bar district.
The group next took a ferry to Wales where they stopped at a number of places including the town with the longest name in the world. They stopped for a visit to Conwy Castle and had lots of fun climbing the high towers and looking out over the sea. In both Ireland and Wales, the countryside was lush and green and there were fields of grazing sheep everywhere.
From Wales they travelled to England. There they visited Stratford and toured Anne Hathaway's cottage and Shakespeare's birthplace. They then travelled to Oxford to tour Oxford University.
They arrived in London on the eve of the royal wedding and the city was "wedding crazy." The tourists had an exciting evening, gathering with the mobs of people at Westminster Abbey. There was a block-long world media centre with floodlights and cameras everywhere. They got caught up in the "mosh-pit" mob and had a lot of fun.
On the day of the royal wedding they took the tube to Trafalgar Square and joined about 180,000 people watching the proceedings on big screens. The mood of the people was electric. They got caught up in the ceremony, even reciting the prayers and singing God Save the Queen along with everyone else. They cheered for the couple and really cherished this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
With so much royal wedding hype in London, many of the activities had to be altered due to central London being closed for the day. Some things they did get to see were St. Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus and Covent Gardens. They became familiar with travelling on the "tube," the London subway.
From London the group took the "Chunnel" to Paris where they had a city tour that included the Arch de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, Notre Dame Cathedral and Eiffel Tower. They spent an afternoon in the Louvre viewing the Venus de Milo, Winged Victory and the crown jewel of the Louvre, the Mona Lisa. Their first evening in Paris was spent at the Eiffel Tower where, from the very top, they watched the sun set over Paris.
On their second day in Paris they visited Notre Dame Cathedral, Montmartre, Sacre Coeure and had a cruise on the River Seine. Throughout their two days in Paris they became experts at negotiating the Paris "Metro" (subway).
The students say the highlights for them were the Royal Wedding and being at the top of the Eiffel Tower. They also loved the cities of Dubin and London. Many vow to return.
Next year's trip is a tour of Italy that includes Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, and Rome. Students interested in this tour should talk to Mrs. Thompson or Mrs. Daigneau at the school.
