Two weeks. 39 middle-schoolers. Two of my favorite co-workers. One nasty cold (still recuperating). That’s about all I have to say about the trip I just returned from. Nah, just kidding. I have some things to share, but I will try to be brief here. No one wants to read my entire travel journal, do they?

The trip that our students signed up for was centered around the highlights of Paris and London, with a little bit of Caen (France) and Oxford (England) thrown in. I’ll show some of my best photos and experiences here:

Below is an example of one of the delicious meals we had in France. These pasta tubes were fried and filled with ricotta and bolognese. We finished the meal with an equally yummy pear/almond tart.
glorious pasta tubes
A favorite moment was eating frog legs and escargot (and convincing almost every kid to try both!) at Cafe Montmartre.
Frog Legs

Escargot

There was HEAVENLY cappuccino at every turn in France. Liz and I made it a goal to get high quality espress at least twice or three times daily. This plan worked quite well in France, but disintegrated upon arrival in England.
cappuccino time
There was true joy in finally getting off the overnight ferry from Caen to Portsmouth. We had shared a cabin with our other leader from Florida, and due to our large bags, found that we had to store our luggage in a locked room. This was one of the lowest moments because it was a complete surprise and we were all exhausted from the homesick phone calls that the students had made just before boarding. This night on the ferry involved sleeping in our clothes, no brushing of teeth, and hardly any sleep due to a strange beeping sound that came from the walls.
After the Overnight Ferry
Sitting across from me in Oxford were Liz and Melissa as we went punting (in other words, sitting in a low boat while a standing man at the back pushes you along, using a long pole).
Punting
Here’s a photo I snapped in the flower garden outside the birthplace of William Shakespeare. It had been raining all day, which was a welcome change from the heat wave that we had previously tolerated.
Rose Cluster
Riding the London Eye (largest Ferris wheel in the world) was a bit terrifying for a girl who doesn’t appreciate heights to the fullest, but I didn’t let that stop me from enjoying the scenery.
London Eye

These don’t seem to completely tell the stories I would to like without the kids in them, but just try and imagine 39 students, ages 11-13, in these photos.

If you’d like to see more, please visit my photos page.

To conclude, I saw a lot of wonderful things in both France and England. I grew to appreciate England more than previously. I saw a lot of things that I couldn’t do with the kids, but would like to experience the next time I visit (for example, the little sidewalk cafes in Paris; the complimentary bottle of wine that comes with a punting trip). Even though I was on-duty 24 hours a day, for 2 weeks straight, and I never quite got 8 hours of sleep, I am glad I had this experience. I think that the kids we took with us learned a lot and were able to get out of their comfort zones to see that they enjoyed things that they never thought they would. So the trip was certainly a success.

Next blog post: the most horrific London West-End musical ever!