European Experience: KHS students take educational tour to England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales

Special to The Star Herald

Eleven Kosciusko High School students, one New Orleans student, and two adults accompanied Jamie Sample, KHS biology teacher, to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales for an educational tour in June. The travel was arranged through EF (Education First) Tours, which is home based in Boston, Massachusetts. Those touring with Mrs. Sample were: Shelbi Boudreaux of New Orleans, KHS students: Cassandra Cobb, Jescah Dedeaux, Miles Gullett, Breanna Hall, Blake Harthcock, Phillip Hudgins, Jena Kes, Jana King, Macie Owen and Rebecca Patterson, and adults: Rochelle Jordan, Will Jordan and Sam Sample.

The group departed from Memphis on June 8, and returned on June 18. They were met at the airport in Shannon, Ireland, by their British tour director, Matt Billett, who stayed with the group for the duration of the tour.



Ireland

The group spent their first night in Killarney, Ireland, at the lovely Darby O’Gill’s Country House Hotel. While in Killarney the group enjoyed an early morning jaunting cart ride through the picturesque countryside of Ireland via Killarney National Park. A jaunting cart is a horse and cart with a local tour guide at the reins explaining the sights you encounter. In the park the group saw such sights as lakes, waterfalls, castles, and woodlands. It was in the national park that the sightseers were impressed to see their first castle of the tour, Ross Castle. The jaunting carters also witnessed swans on lakes and deer in the national park. One thing you will not encounter in Ireland is snakes! Legend has it that St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland in the fifth century. Sam Sample quipped to the guide that if Ireland was in need of any snakes, he knew where they could find them! (Mississippi)

Later on that afternoon, the group experienced the mystical beauty of Ireland by journeying by charter bus 112 miles around the Iveragh Peninsula coastline, better known as the Ring of Kerry. They encountered magnificent views of the Atlantic Ocean, the Lakes of Killarney and Macgillycuddy’s Reeks, which are the tallest mountains in Ireland. In fact, the group stood atop the highest point in Ireland! Phillip Hudgins remarked that the beautiful landscapes of the Ring of Kerry were his favorite part of the trip. During the day the group enjoyed fish and chips at a local seaside restaurant, and also toured a recreated bog village at Glenbeigh. Another interesting stop was made to see a local farmer put on a sheep herding demonstration with two of his well-trained border collies.

On day four of the tour, the Kosciusko group traveled to Dublin. On the way to Dublin, the group made a stop at Blarney Castle where they all received the “gift of gab” by kissing the Blarney Stone. Kissing the Blarney Stone was no small fete as they had to climb the steps of the castle, and lean backward under the parapet to kiss the stone hanging up-side-down at least 80 feet in the air!

While in Dublin, the group saw sights such as St. Patrick’s Cathedral, built to honor the patron saint of Ireland, who brought Christianity to the country in the 5th century. Jonathan Swift once served as the dean there. Next they went to Trinity College where they viewed the 8th-century Book of Kells, which is the oldest handwritten books of the Gospels, written and beautifully illustrated by Irish monks. During their free time the group had time to tour museums and shop. One interesting thing seen in one of the museums were the remains of several bog people, which are people who were preserved in the peat bogs of Ireland and are several hundred years old.



Wales

The group left Ireland by way of a three-hour ferry ride across the Irish Sea to Wales. The ferry looked more like a cruise ship and had six levels for parking on which their tour bus parked. Inside the ferry were a movie theatre and several restaurants. While in Wales the sightseers toured Edward I’s medieval masterpiece, Beaumaris Castle which dates from the 13th century. The students were amazed to see the chapel that still stood inside the castle and the grand courtyard where jaunting matches were held.



England

On day seven, the group visited Rydal Mount, which is the family home of celebrated poet William Wordsworth. Wordsworth lived in the beautiful Lake District of England until 1850, and his descendents still call it home today. The gardens surrounding the house were absolutely out of this world and afforded many beautiful photo opportunities!



Scotland

That evening the group arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland, and stayed at a stately old hotel that was supposedly haunted by a woman named Flora. Fortunately, no one had an encounter with Flora, but it was exciting just to be aware of the possibility! After dinner, Mr. Billett led the group in a game of capture the flag on the beautiful courtyard behind the hotel. Miles Gullett said that playing capture the flag in Scotland was, in his own words, “pretty awesome and the most epic part of the trip.”

The next day the group was treated to a tour of Edinburgh. The trip included a visit to Edinburgh Castle which is situated atop an extinct volcano. Mary, Queen of Scots, gave birth in the castle to James VI of Scotland, who would later rule England as James I. They also viewed the crown jewels and the Stone of Scone, which is the coronation stone that was returned to Scotland in 1997 after 700 years of English possession. Also during the guided tour, the group passed by the homes of Alexander Graham Bell and Robert Louis Stevenson.

In the evening, to the delight of the young ladies in the group, they encountered a group of young men singing, playing guitars and a bongo on the streets of Edinburgh. The group has made its debut on You Tube and could do an eerily good impression of a southern accent! For dinner, the group was treated to delicious dinner at Jimmy Chung’s Chinese Buffet. When Mrs. Sample asked the tour director, Matt Billett, why the group was not being exposed to the local cuisine, he responded that EF Tours had not had good experiences with their travelers eating the local delicacy of haggis. After Mrs. Sample learned what haggis is made from, she understood why: sheep’s lungs, liver, heart, kidney fat, blood, oatmeal and various seasonings boiled inside the sheep’s stomach and served like meat loaf. Yuck! Instead, Mr. Billett challenged Blake Harthcock to an eating contest at Jimmy Chung’s. Blake bragged that he could eat ten plates of Chinese food, and the bet was on. However, Blake succumbed after consuming a mere four plates. After enjoying dinner, the group boarded a night train with couchette accommodations to London and arrived in London the next morning.

As soon as the group got off the train the next morning, they boarded a charter bus for a panoramic tour of London by a local guide. The tour began in Grosvenor Square, which is sometimes called “Little America” because it is the site of the U.S. embassy and the house where Eisenhower once lived. The group observed Hyde Park Corner and Piccadilly Circus, where some members of the tour group enjoyed their lunch. The group viewed the House of Parliament and of course Big Ben! They also saw St. Paul’s Cathedral and a wonderful view of it from the awe-inspiring Millennium Bridge.

Later on that afternoon, the group encountered the majestic Trafalgar Square with its beautiful fountains and sculptures such as George Washington who stands outside the National Gallery. Trafalgar Square is Britain’s version our Time Square. At the National Gallery, some members of the tour viewed such paintings as The Umbrellas by Renoir and The Sunflowers by Van Gogh. The group enjoyed an afternoon cruise down the Thames River with close up views of the Tower Bridge, which has stored the Crown Jewels since 1303, the London Bridge, and the London Eye. After the river cruise, as the group walked over for a “flight” on the London Eye, they were amused by the street performers or “buskers” as they are known in London. The London Eye is a 32-capsule observation wheel which offers a 360-degree view of the city as far as 25 miles in each direction. It takes thirty minutes for the wheel to make one revolution, and Mrs. Sample’s entire group of fifteen people easily fit into the capsule. The view of the city from the London Eye was extraordinary!

On the last day of the tour, the group enjoyed a free morning to shop and eat lunch in London. That afternoon the group visited Windsor Castle, built by William the Conqueror in 1070, which is the Royal Family’s retreat. The group was thrilled to see that the Queen’s flag was flying over the castle, which meant that she was on the grounds. Jescah Dedeaux said she especially loved Windsor with all the treasures and architecture that can be seen there. The group had never seen such a collection of armor, weapons, and treasures under one roof! Legend holds that the castle’s Round Tower was built on the site where King Arthur sat with his Knights of the Round Table. Indeed, the armor of the Knight’s of the Round Table was mounted on the walls of one of the rooms. The final resting place of King Henry VIII was also seen by the group in St. George’s Chapel.

The group was served dinner that evening at Hummus Brothers. There they enjoyed delicious pita bread and hummus with an amazing chicken topping. After dinner the group experienced the highlight of the trip, which was a going to the Apollo Victoria Theatre to see a performance of Wicked, which is the prequel to The Wizard of Oz. Wicked tells the story of how the witches in Oz became who they were. It was absolutely delightful, and the group felt as though it was the perfect ending to a wonderful tour.

The group especially enjoyed London. Jana King remarked that she especially enjoyed traveling on the London Underground Tube transport system. It is comparable to the subways of New York.

Of London, Samuel Johnson is quoted as saying: “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life: for there is in London all that life can afford.”

Mrs. Sample has already reserved next year’s tour for June, 2010. Next year’s travelers will be going to Honolulu, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. Spaces have been going fast for this tour, so if you are interested in traveling to the South Pacific, please call Mrs. Sample at 662-472-2698 or email her at jamiesample58@yahoo.com by August 31, 2009.

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