Day 9 - Talent Show Pictures

Here are some pics from the Talent show.

Day 9 - Ghleann Da Loch and Country Wicklow

We started this morning with a short drive to Ghleann Da Loch (Glendalough). Ghleann Da Loch is home to one of the most important monastic sites in Ireland. This early Christian monastic settlement was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century and from this developed the ‘Monastic City’. The ‘City’ consists of a number of monastic remains, and the most impressive being the Round Tower which stands 30m high. The main group of monastic buildings lies downstream near the Round Tower. The grounds were entered through the Gateway, which has two round headed granite arches. Beyond St. Mary’s Church is the Priest’s House, a 12th Century building in Romanesque style, with an interesting carving of a much earlier date on the lintel of the doorway. Just beyond the Priest's House is a large granite cross (sixth or seventh century) and the "Cathedral", the largest church on the site, with a nave, chancel and sacristy (11th and 12th C), and St Kevin's Church. St Kevin’s Church is commonly known as St Kevin's Kitchen. This is a barrel-vaulted oratory of hard mica schist with a steeply pitched roof and a round tower belfry (12th C). Today, the church graveyard is still in use today.

From there we took a short trip up the road to the Wicklow Gap to take a look at the view and have a photo op.

Back on the bus, we headed to Kildare for lunch at Silken Thomas. The kids all enjoyed their meals and were able to choose from several different selections ranging from fried chicken, lasagna, pork chops, fresh vegies, and cajun chicken with chips.

Back on the bus we continued our journey to Limerick. While on the ride, we challenged the kids to some limericks. They took this challenge seriously and came up with some seriously funny limericks and none had to do with a man from Nantucket. Below are some examples:

There once was a dog named Chow

Who had a very large bow-wow

Her owner dressed in bows

and painted her toes

Until she got squished by a cow.

There once was a prince from Prague

The truth was he was a frog

He asked for a kiss

From a beautiful princess

and he ended up in a bog

There once a tree that stood tall

Not even through storms did it fall.

A bird called Coo-coo

A ghost said Boo

And suddenly the tree was a mall.

Tea this evening was chicken, chips and salad with chocolate cake for dessert. After tea, we had a talent show. I have to admit, I knew our students were talented, but they were talented, funny, poised. It was a good release from a long day of traveling and learning.

Tomorrow we are off to explore County Clare and the region known as the Burren.

Day 8 - Dublin

Today we all got our Sports on at Croke Park, the home of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). This stadium is in the heart of Dublin and is entrenched in Irish history. This can be seen by the way they have named their stands, Cusak (for the founder of the GAA), Davin (the first president of the GAA), Hogan (the only athlete killed on Bloody Sunday in 1920) and Hill 16 (named after the Uprising of 1916). In the early 1900's Gaelic Games which are traditional to Ireland such as Gaelic Football, Hurling, Camogie and Handball, were dying out. In order to preserve the Gaelic Heritage and these sports, the GAA was formed. The only games that are played in Croke Park are traditional Gaelic games. No soccer or rugby is played there. Mohammed Ali actually visited Croke Park twice, once in 1972 for a fight against Al "Blue" Lewis and then again for the Opening Ceremonies of the Special Olympics in 2003. He remarked that nothing in the stadium was named after him during the 2003 visit and in response, a tunnel in the stadium is now named "Ali" tunnel.

After trying our hand at a few of these new sports, we made our way to Flanigan's on O'Connell Street (where the uprising of 1916 took place) and had Irish stew for lunch. Some of the students really enjoyed it, others really didn't care for it, but all at least tried it.

After lunch, it was a walk down to Trinity College where the Book of Kells is housed and the Long Room of Harry Potter fame was based on. We were told that in the dining hall on campus, the students would have to dress up and upon entering, would have an assigned seat. Once the head of the Departments arrive in their gowns and colors of what they studied, all are seated. By the time the fork is set down for the last time at head table, every has to be done eating. The students thought this was a strange tradition.

Trinity College also has the old bell t1979ower from when the campus was a monastery and according to superstition, if you walk under the bell tower, then you will fail your end of year finals. Unfortunately 75% of our students decided to take that chance, so parents beware.

We participated in a Statue scavenger hunt between Trinity College, up Grafton Street to St. Stevens Green. It was a nice walk and the students were able to watch some of the street performers (a couple of really excellent bands) and talk with some locals and do a bit of shopping (although we stayed out of most stores as they were just like what we have here and rather on the expensive side).

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped by Phoenix Park where the President of Ireland lives in a smaller replica of our White House. Down the street from her, the American Ambassador, Daniel Rooney, lives. Phoenix Park also was the host for a Papal Mass given by Pope John Paul II in 1979. A cross was erected for this mass, which 1.5 million Irish attended, and is still in the park today. At the base of this cross, our students played a little game of soccer. After a long day of learning about Ireland's history, this was great fun for the kids.

Once back at the hotel, we had a good ole American dinner of hamburgers and chips (french fries). After dinner, everyone settled in for the night and either were working hard in their journals (journal checks tomorrow) or working on their "talent" for the talent show tomorrow night when we reach Limerick. Good night all.

Day 7 - On the Road to Dublin

It was quite the early morning in order to make our 9:30 ferry to Belfast. We loaded onto to our coach at 5:00 a.m. and started the drive. Most of the students were back to sleep within minutes of our departure for some more much needed rest. We stopped along the way at a small park to have a bite to eat and walk down to the beach along the Bay. As all 5th and 6th graders, the made a run for the water, but we stopped them before they got wet.

After a short stretching period, we loaded back on the coach and made our way to the ferry. They all thought it was pretty cool to be able to drive the coach onto the boat. We were under way crossing the Irish Sea at about 9:30. We had breakfast on the ferry which consisted of eggs, sausage, bacon, baked beans, soda bread, toast and sugar bread. It was quite the meal and enjoyed by all. We spent our time on the ferry walking around, enjoying the scenery or just relaxing. At 12:30, we had arrived in Belfast.

We all counted down to the first touch of Northern Ireland soil. We even were able to see Belfast Castle in the distance. Our driver, Jim, took us on a short tour of the area where he lives in Banbridge.

We soon arrived in Dublin and had to say good bye to Jim as we were getting a new driver. It was a sad moment as the students were fond of him. It is strange that in such a small amount of time, we have become like a family. He will be missed and we are hopeful that our new driver will reach the high bar that Jim has set.

Once in Dublin, we were able to settle into our rooms and then went for a walk along the canal and take in some of the local scenery and then it was off to dinner and then time to rehearse for our talent show (which we will have in 2 days). Everyone is now tucked snugly in bed and are looking forward to tomorrow's adventures in Dublin.

Day 6 - Edinburgh

Bright and early this morning we headed off to Edinburgh and Edinburgh Castle. What a beautiful site as we headed up the hill to the castle.

Once we arrived in Edinburgh, we had lunch at Merchant's. They served us a beautiful roast beef lunch with potatoes and vegies. Everyone enjoyed the meal immensely.

Once we arrived at the castle, we broke into our groups to explore the castle. The students were able to learn about the Scottish Military, the history of the castle, where the prison of wars were held and the dungeons. We also were able to view the coronation stone and the crown jewels of Scotland. The crown jewels were actually buried in David's Tower in an oak chest for many years before they were rediscovered. This action probably saved the jewels.

After our tour of the castle, we headed down the Royal Mile for a Murder Mystery (Clue style) scavenger hunt. As they searched for clues, they were also able to do a bit of shopping.

After a full day in Edinburgh, we headed to our hotel for the night in New Lanark which is an old mill which is quite spectacular view. For dinner, the students tried poached haddock in lemon juice. We also got to celebrate our bus driver, Jim's, birthday. The students really enjoyed showing what an American birthday is like.

Tomorrow we must say goodbye to Scotland and head over to Ireland. It will be a long day of traveling, up at 4:45 a.m. to be able to catch our ferry.

Until next time....

Day 5 - Loch Ness

Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties with posting it didn't post.
Short rehash of the day's activities in the 7 minutes left of internet time:

1. Loch Ness in search of Nessie: No one won the 1 million pound prize for getting an authentic picture.
2. Scottish Heritage Folk Museum: Learning to write with ink and fountain pens by a 1937 teacher, thatch houses from 1800s, and Sweet Shop.
3. Working sheep farm: Dogs, puppies, sheep.
4. Shopping: Need I saw more???

Kids having fun. Tomorrow we are heading back to Edinburgh and should have better internet access and we will elaborate more on our days adventure. Sorry for the briefness.

Day 5 - Loch Ness and More

With visions of winning one million pounds, we headed in search of Nessie this morning, even though the weather was a little damp. Upon arriving at NessieWorld in Drumnadrocit, the students were able to watch a short documentary on Loch Ness and the myth around the mysterious creature that lives in its depth. At Loch Ness' deepest point, it is 812 feet and 23 miles long. According to the captain of our research vessel, if the Loch was completely emptied, it could fit the population of the world 3 times over. Maybe he recently went to Blarney and got the gift of gab and was telling us some fish tales. The students were able to see how Sonar worked and were able to spot fish in the murky waters, but unfortunately, Nessie was no were to be found. Maybe the rain was too heavy for her to come out and play. We had our first opportunity to shop and the kids had their first chance to work on their budgeting skills.

From there we headed off to Newtownmore and the Scottish Heritage Folk Musuem. The kiddos attended a handwriting class in 1937 and learned how important penmenship was. It was the concensus was that this was something we all needed to work on - especially with traditional ink and fountain pens. They were able to buy some sweets at the 1930's Sweet Shop. They had all sorts of period houses, including a thatched roof house from the 1800s, some from the 1700s and tailor shops, workshops and the like. They all seemed to enjoy the experience.

Our last activity for the day was a trip to a working sheep farm to see how sheep dogs are trained. We were all amazed at the talent these dogs had and the skill of the shepherd. Neil explained how each dog was individually trained and had their own whistle and words to tell them what to do. We saw a demonstration on sheep shearing and some were even able to give it a try. Other activities included bottle-feeding baby sheep and playing with the border collie puppies. Nothing is better than children and puppies together. It was not easy to get back on the coach without a few puppies in tow, but somehow we managed.

Once back at our hotel, we had dinner of bangers and mash with vegies or meat or meat lasagna and then for dessert we had sticky toffee pudding. YUMMY!!!

Off to bed now. Tomorrow we are making our way back to Edinburgh, so we should be back in cell reception and hopefully have better internet access to be able to post some pictures. We have some great ones to share. Until tomorrow...have a lovely evening. :-)

Day 4 - Forest Adventure Park

Greetings from Aviemore Scotland!

Today has been a fun-filled day full of adventure and learning. After breakfast we headed into Pitlochry to learn about Scottish Warriors, weapons, kilts, clans and dancing. Emilio model the latest fashion in kilts - which traditionally was a 6 yard piece of tartan that was handed folded each time into pleats and then tied and belted. Alan, our storyteller, told us how they were able to fold the fabric in different ways to make the kilt more useful, adding pockets large enough to carry game they had caught for meals. We were taught about what it took to be a Highland warrior and why the Scots liked to fight so much and why they were good at it. We learned about the 3 line strategy that Scotland utilized and the weapons of each line of attack. Much to the boys surprise, they found that one of the highest qualities to be a front line warrior was their ability to dance! I bet all the boys will be taking up dancing when they get home. :-)

From their we headed further north into the Highlands and visited the Forest Adventure Park near Aviemore. Here the students were able to have fun and challenge themselves on rope courses, water slides, roller coasters, and rock climbing. I can say that I was really proud of the students. Some thought there were things that they couldn't do, but tried anyway and most of the time accomplishing the task at hand. I'm sure this built confidence in them.

We are now at our next hotel for the night and the kids are all fast asleep, or at least quiet in their rooms. It is half eleven (As they say on this side of the pond) and still light outside. Tomorrow is another big day - off to Loch Ness first thing in the morning. Sorry for no pictures this evening. There is not WiFi up here so I can't upload photos since this is not my computer. As soon as I can, I will post pictures again. Also, we have no cell phone reception here, so if calls go unanswered please be understanding. Until tomorrow evening then.

Day 3, Part III, Play Time

After the gorge scramble, we made our way back to our hotel at Loch Rannoch for tea. BBQ pork ribs Scotland style (very little BBQ), homestyle chips (steak fries) and salad. The vegies in the group had a Chinese stir fry with noodles and then ice cream or banoffe (a banana tart with toffee and Chinese gooseberry). Everyone seemed to have eaten well.

Since we are so far north, it stays light much of the day and night (gets dark around 11:30 p.m. and sunrise is around 3:30 a.m, after dinner we took a walk into town to the playground to have some good ole American fun. The kids had a blast playing on the swings, teeter-totter, sandlot and such. I think they just enjoyed to be able to run free and burn off some energy.

Tomorrow is another big day, up early 5:45, load the bus, have breakfast and then over higher into the Highlands. At last check, everyone was tucked up soundly in their rooms trying to get some rest.

Day 3, part II, Gorge Scrambling

After lunch today we headed to the Dunolly Outdoor Adventure Center to get ready for our gorge scambling, walking upstream. After getting our scrambling "kits" on, we headed on about a mile hike to get to the gorge and then into the water. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. It was only cold for a minute or two until we adjusted and then it was steady and slow up the Glassie burn. As they put it, scramble, clamber and climb. Some slipped, some fell, some were vertically challenged and were wetter than others, but it was a fun day. The gorge was absolutely stunning. Everything is so green up here in the Highlands of Scotland.

Our guides gave Kenzie a birthday wish all their own - a helmet full of water over her head. :-) Big shout out to Kenzie for a Happy Birthday. What a cool way to celebrate.

The students had a blast and really rejuvenated them for the rest of the evening.

Day 3 Service Project

What a busy day we had today after a rather leisurely morning. We didn't have to be at breakfast until 8:30. After the kids had their fill of cereal, pastries, breads and some had tried hot tea with milk and sugar, we were off to our service in Killroch. We walked around the town cleaning up trash. They students were all surprised at how little trash was about compared to the States. You can see from the above pictures, we sported the best in Scottish garbage collector attire! Many of the students are bringing these home as a souvenir.

From their we headed off the Aberfeldy for lunch at McKays. Most students had a traditional beef pie with mash and vegies (the vegies in the group had a mac 'n cheese type dish). The kids all enjoyed the meal and were looking forward to our gorge scrambling that was coming next.