{"id":726,"date":"2012-02-03T05:00:33","date_gmt":"2012-02-03T10:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/school\/?p=726"},"modified":"2014-07-21T11:08:50","modified_gmt":"2014-07-21T15:08:50","slug":"my-trip-across-the-pond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/school\/my-trip-across-the-pond\/","title":{"rendered":"My Trip Across the Pond"},"content":{"rendered":"

For J Term this year, I was given the distinct privilege of traveling with 16 students and 6 adults to Great Britain for 9 days. \u00a0We met at school early morning January 4th, and the anticipation was tangible! \u00a0We spent almost 24 hours traveling to get to our destination, and the anticipation did not help us get much sleep during our travels.\u00a0\u00a0Needless to say we were wiped out when we landed in Glasgow, Scotland! \u00a0But the fun was just beginning!<\/p>\n

Scotland<\/h2>\n

We were greeted at the Glasgow airport by our tour guide for the trip, Sergio. \u00a0We had a great time over the next 8 days getting to know him. \u00a0He had a very interesting life story to share with the students, and it was fun to watch them build a relationship with him, and even to be able to share the Gospel with him. \u00a0The students enjoyed the opportunity to learn from all of Sergio’s knowledge — historic, artistic, and life. \u00a0God blessed us with a great tour guide, and I hope we were not only a blessing to Sergio, but representatives of Christ.<\/p>\n

From the Glasgow airport we started the approximately 5 hour drive to a small city of Inverness. \u00a0Sergio tried to make it an exciting drive, but the majority of us were working on 36 hours of no sleep, so we did a lot of sitting and staring! \u00a0But what we were seeing was absolutely breathtaking! \u00a0It is hard to put into words the beauty of the Scottish Highlands! \u00a0God’s creativity never ceases to amazing me!<\/p>\n

After a great night’s sleep, we were ready and raring to go! \u00a0We spent the next three days exploring Inverness and Edinburgh. \u00a0We went to the battlefield of Culloden (the last battlefield in Great Britain); Loch Ness to look for Nessie; Stirling Castle, the Royal Mile of Edinburgh (where we did lots of shopping); the Elephant House (where J.K. Rowling wrote the 1st Harry Potter); and many other exciting places. \u00a0It was incredibly fun to watch the students explore, ask questions, and take in the great history that is Scotland. We did lots of walking, but there is nothing quite like learning by being there!<\/p>\n

England<\/h2>\n

When we got to London, it was a totally different feel than where we had come from. \u00a0In Scotland we were able to explore and learn without feeling like we were in the way. \u00a0In London, we always felt like we were in someone’s way! \u00a0In the three days we were in London, we were able to get a whirlwind look at both the historic and modern history of the great city. \u00a0While there, we took a bus\/walking tour of the entire city, visited the Tower of London, saw Parliament and Westminster Abby in the daylight and at night, visited the London Art Museum, had a fish and chips dinner, became proficient at the London Tube, saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, and visited the many parks that dot the city. \u00a0The students were even able to attend a West End performance of Wicked<\/em>, which was a big hit! \u00a0London was exhausting, but it was great to get to end the tour in a big city.\u00a0 The atmosphere was so electric that it kept us going!<\/p>\n

Right before we headed home, we were able to visit Stonehenge and the city of Bath. \u00a0While in Bath, we were able to do some shopping, but the highlight for everyone was the Roman Bath. \u00a0It was so cool to be able to get to see and walk where the ancient Romans had walked! \u00a0It was also fun to get to see some of the things that Jane Austen writes about in her books when the characters visit Bath.<\/p>\n

Headed Home<\/h2>\n

Leaving to come home was bittersweet. \u00a0We had built new relationships, both as a group and with our tour guide, and so it was sad to leave the “little family” we had become accustomed to. \u00a0Overall, we traveled through 6 airports, rode 5 different buses, stayed in 3 different hotels, and visited 5 different towns and cities. \u00a0All through those crazy travels we never had a delayed flight, lost luggage, broken down bus, impassable roads, or lost tour members! \u00a0God is sooo good!<\/p>\n