On April 12th, 2019, thirteen students left the United States to spend their spring break traveling to Ireland and the United Kingdom. Chaperoned by English teachers Randolph Koetzner and Kanika Chopra, they visited several cities in the U.K..
 
The first day was spent departing from the United States and after several hours, the group made their first stop at Dublin, Ireland. At the airport they met up with their American Council for International Studies (ACIS) tour manager and stopped by their hotel to drop off their luggage.
 
With a lot of jet lag and a lot to see in the next two days, they spent the first day walking the streets of the capital city, going to places like Oscar Wilde’s childhood home and Stephen Green’s Shopping Centre. Their sightseeing continued on day three in the morning, and they learned and practiced some Irish dancing in the afternoon. They also took an evening stroll around Trinity college and the surrounding area.
 
On the fourth day, the group spent their morning journeying on a ferry across the Irish Sea to Wales. They made a brief stop in Conwy and then traveled by bus from North Wales to England’s Lake District, an area home to sixteen lakes and famous poets.  
 
The group started out their fifth day visiting Grasmere, a village home to English poet William Wordsworth. The group visited Dove Cottage, where he resided. Afterwards, the group traveled to Hadrian’s Wall,the Roman empire’s northernmost defense against northern Britain. The group reached Edinburgh, Scotland in the afternoon, going on another evening walk around the city after dinner.
 
Day six came around and the students continued their sightseeing with a visit to a historic fortress known as Edinburgh Castle. In the afternoon, the group split: While one spent their afternoon continuing their sightseeing, the others shed their blood, sweat and tears as they embarked on a tiring, but memorable, hike with their tour manager. The group rounded off their day with a ghost tour in the evening.
 
The group left Edinburgh on day seven and journeyed into York before heading to Alnwick Castle. Most widely known as Hogwarts, the site was used for the wizarding school in the Harry Potter films. The group did more sightseeing later in the day.
 
The next day, students made a quick stop at Stratford-up-Avon, visiting Shakespeare’s Birthplace and walking around the town before setting back on the road for London. Arriving at London, the group had dinner, and set off for the London Eye afterwards, in which they took in breathtaking views of the city.
 
More sightseeing continued on day nine as students learned more about London’s past, as well as stopping by places such as Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square. They also got a tour around the inside of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
 
The students returned to American soil on April 21st, which was the tenth and last day of the trip. Although their journey came to an end, it was experience these students will not forget.