Fair / 72° F
People to People
Published 11:50am Wednesday, July 18, 2012Emma Bennich of Hartselle and Cason Brown of Eva experienced the “trip of a lifetime” last month when they visited the United Kingdom as fifth and sixth grade delegates of the People to People Ambassador Program.
Their tour group, which consisted of 40 students and five chaperones, left the U.S. on June 6 and returned June 24. In the interim, they visited 45 attractions in four countries, including the Loch Ness and Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, the Cliffs of Moher and Blarney Stone in Ireland, St. Fagan’s Castle in Wales and the Tower of London in England.
They also cruised the River Thames, spent the night with an Irish family, kissed the Blarney Stone, watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and rode on the Eye of London—the world’s largest Ferris wheel.
[nggallery id=563]
“I liked London a lot,” said Emma, daughter of Dan and Christy Bennich. “We got to see a stage production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at The Paladium. We also saw Big Ben, rode the London Eye, visited Westminster Abbey and watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. We ate lunch at a fancy restaurant. They served roasted peacock; it tasted like chicken.”
The Hartselle Junior High sixth grader also pointed to a school visit in Scotland as a highlight of the trip.
“We were surprised to learn that their schools are privately owned and leased to the government,” Emma pointed out. “The students wore matching uniforms. The girls wore navy skirts and long-sleeved white shirts with a top and the boys wore navy pants and a long-sleeved white shirt. They all wore ties.
“Fish and fries were served for lunch and we were invited to participate in an art class. We made post cards to send home. We also played basketball and soccer.”
