My Journal
Tuesday, July 4: Philadelphia, PA, USA to London, England
After a slight delay, we finally took off. We hit some turbulence early in the flight, but everything seems to have calmed down. I don't plan on sleeping. How can I sleep, anyway? The flight is only seven hours. They just fed us dinner at ten o'clock! Which is now three in the morning, England time, I guess. It was a pretty decent sight to see fireworks going off below us for Independence Day. Kind of ironic where we're headed on the Fourth of July, I think.
Wednesday, July 5: London to Essex
Well, well, well, we are here. I am dead tired. I didn't sleep on the flight, but I shoulda. We landed around 9AM local time, 4AM back at home. We were picked up at the airport by Tim, a People to People Delegation Manager. He isn't ours, ours went to pick up the Rhode Island group. Tim brought us to Windsor castle, which is an occasional residence of the Queen. Inside the castle, I saw a table used for dining that was at least twenty-five feet long, no joke. It was huge! Afterward we went to lunch and met the other part of our group. We met our delegation manager, her name is Corrina. I am rooming with Bradley for the next two nights. Which is good, 'cause I know him from the meetings. We actually had a chance to relax after dinner this evening. In the UK, the TV's have a little button where you can get news and text on screen! How cool. I checked out some news, and there is a heat wave in Turkey. It's 40 degrees. Which is about 114 degrees fahrenheit, pretty hot. Tomorrow we have to get dressed up for our tour of London. Well, it's bed time. I've been awake for about 36 hours, so I'm just a little tired!
Thursday, July 6: London
I had trouble sleeping last night. I miss home already! Today was spent in London. We stopped for photos at St. Paul's Cathedral. i missed most of the ride, 'cause I fell asleep. I was so tired. We parked at Bankside House, where we were getting our "Parliamentary Briefing" from former member of Parliament Sir Andrew Bowden. Before the speech, we took a walk down to the River Thames. it is rather large, and rather dirty. We headed back for our briefing, and we were the first ones there. Bradley, Sean, Chris, and I had front row seats. Sir Andrew used to be an International Chairman of People to People. He talked about a lot of things, like the relationship between the US and the United Kingdom, and how we were doing our part as ambassadors to promote world peace. Afterwards, we had a traditional fish 'n chips lunch. I enjoyed the fish, after I finally got a piece. I almost had to hold the chips hostage. We rode around town with our guide, Alec, then went to the Tower of London. It looks more like a castle, but originally it was a single tower. Sir Walter Raleigh, among others, was once imprisoned there. Many members of the Royal Family were beheaded there, such as Lady Jane Grey and Anne Boleyn. After we left the Tower, we made photo stops at Big Ben, London Bridge, Westminster Abbey, & Buckingham Palace. We learned that Big Ben is actually the bell inside St. Stephen's Tower, at the House of Parliament. Then we had dinner at Planet Hollywood, where I had one of the driest hamburgers that I can remember. Then it was time to head to The Garrick Theatre for "An Inspector Calls". Personally, I didn't get it totally, but it was well performed. Tomorrow we are going to our British Homestays in Boston, England. I'm a little nervous about it, though. I don't know what i'm worried about.
Friday, July 7: Essex to Boston
Oh my. Interesting day, to say the least. We were looking at a five hour drive this morning. We stopped off in Cambridge. We were allowed to walk around and shop amongst the stores and colleges in the town. It seems the kids from the two groups are blending nicely into one delegation. The Rhode Islanders are rather friendly, however they are sometimes hard to understand with their New England accents. I guarantee by the end of the trip, I will have a mix of a New and Old England accent. I just know it. Anyway, we were ahead of schedule on our ride, so we stopped to pick some strawberries at a farm. I bought some as a gift for my homestay. Well, it turns out that the girl who lives at my homestay is in Italy for the summer. So I have no student. We went to a "hog roast" at the high school at night. Most of the group was sympathetic. Others laughed. I got invited to visit the town of Lincoln tomorrow with Chris and his homestay. It's apparently got a castle and shops, but really, where over here doesn't have a castle? I started my postcards tonight. This fundraiser will be my downfall, I can tell. I'm no writer, and I have about 100 to do for the trip. My hosts are Beryl and Barry and they seem nice. I've noticed that it stays light here until ten o'clock. The sun rises at around four. I'm up at seven thirty tomorrow, so good night.
Saturday, July 8: Lincoln
Beryl drove me 30 minutes this morning to Mareham-le-Fen, where Chris is staying. I went to Lincoln with Chris, his homestay student Rachelle, her sister Michelle, and her friend Holly. Lincoln has many shops. We ate lunch at McDonald's. We walked up a hill called "steep hill". The name was more than appropriate. We checked out Lincoln Castle, then took a walk to Lincoln Cathedral. After that, we made our way to the bus stop to ride back. After we got back to Rachelle's house, all of us kids had a little barbecue. We had fun talking, and we (Chris and I) explained-well, we did our best to explain baseball. The girls did their best to explain cricket, which I have seen every night since arriving. After dinner, we played a little basketball. Chris and I defended the pride of the United States by puttin' a hurtin' on our hosts. They were killin' us at the beginning, but us American boys adjusted to their rule changes (all of them made up), and went on a 28-6 run to end the game, 30-14. They did everything they could, clawing, scratching, grabbing, but we emerged victorious. Afterwards, Beryl & Barry picked me up. We talked on the ride home, and it turns out that Barry is playing in the local golf club championship tomorrow. Then Monday night, they're going to take me golfing for a bit. This will be fun. Instead of going home, we went to the "Party in the Park" that is in Boston. It is a huge concert with a bunch of people performing. Beryl's niece lives across the street, so we stopped over and hung out for a little. We had some decent chicken wings, too. We got back after twelve, so I am really tired. I don't know what's on tap for tomorrow, hopefully it starts late!
Sunday, July 9: Boston
Well, today I woke up at...well I don't know, but I woke up late. Beryl took me to Kirton Holme Golf Club, where Barry was playing. We ate some lunch at the club (burger and fries-not bad), then watched a little bit of Wimbledon. We soon left and headed back to the house, after a short shopping excursion. We watched the Wimbledon men's final, but it was delayed by rain. I fell sound asleep. When I woke up, the match was just starting. I slept through another rain delay, then eventually headed upstairs with everyone else and watched TV for the rest of the evening. By the way, Pete Sampras won Wimbledon. Again. He beat Patrick Rafter, who gave him a run early. Tomorrow we get reunited with our group, and we have a boat ride of some sort.
Monday, July 10: Blakeney Point/Sandringham
This morning, we had a bus ride to Blakeney Point Conservatory, were there are real live seals in their natural habitat. Unfortunately, it POURED. So we were crammed into this tiny boat with a cold, driving rain at our backs. My neck got all red I've been told. Anyway, we saw some seals, and then the rain lightened up dramatically. We had a good time for the most part. Afterwards, we headed to Sandringham, the Queen's summer home. She obviously is not in residence now, but she will be here in a couple weeks. We got to walk around the estate and the house. They have turned part of it into a museum of sorts. I wandered around with Sean, Bradley, Alyson, and Danielle. There are some very ornate gardens there. We returned to Boston, and as I had figured, we couldn't go golfing because of the heavy rain. Instead, Barry took me to the driving range. I hit some balls, and I have to admit, my swing is getting better. I drilled a three iron 150 yards with the wind in my face. However, I also hit a driver 40 feet up and 50 feet out due to the wind. Not a very good weather day. In fact, this isn't a very good weather country. Every day, it has rained at least a little. I turned in early tonight. Well, I went to bed around twelve, but I went upstairs early. I had tons of packing to do.
Tuesday, July 11: Boston, England to Edinburgh, Scotland
We had a L-O-N-G coach ride today, over five hours. We made a couple of rest stops along the way. Our bus driver, Wayne, looks like he's 12. When we saw him at the school this morning, I thought he was one of the English girls' brother. We stopped in Gretna Green, which is right over the England-Scotland border. This is where English runaways traditionally went to get married. In our group, Adam and Dana were selected to tie the knot. We then continued on to Edinburgh, where we are staying in dorms at the University of Edinburgh. After dinner in the school cafeteria, we trekked up an 823 foot hill called "Arthur's Seat". It was definitely difficult after a long day of riding a bus. Tonight I called home. I miss all of my family, but I'm starting to settle in with the group now. There are a few people who I know I can hang out with when we have free time in hotels and stuff. I was afraid that I wouldn't have many friends on the trip, but it seems I might not have to worry about that. Well, this is our second country, and it doesn't really look all that different from England. But it does sound different. The Scottish have a very heavy accent, making it difficult to understand them at times. I guess I can manage for a few days. Hey, it didn't rain today!
Wednesday, July 12: Edinburgh
Just to clear something up, it's pronounced "Ed-in-burra". I know my dad will butcher it when I get home. We spent the first part of the day at Edinburgh Castle, where we had an hour or so to explore. After lunch, we had a couple hours to check out the Museum of Scotland. Then it was time for the required shopping spree. We had a couple hours along Edinburgh's main shopping street. I have been in just about every record store I've seen with different members of my group. After dinner, we went on a "ghost walk" of Edinburgh. It wasn't too scary. It was hilarious! Our guide, Alexander Clapperton, has been "dead" for over a hundred years. Another guy was involved, and he played a number of different characters. It was awesome! Well worth the four pounds. Speaking of money, I have been doing pretty well budget-wise, and should be fine for the duration of the trip. It hasn't been a problem adjusting to the change in currency. I still like paper money better than a bunch of coins. There is no one-pound note, only coins. Actually, there is a one-pound bill, but it is only accepted in Scotland. I'm keeping a couple of those, I know Mom'll like one. Tomorrow we go to St. Andrews, the world famous golf course that will be host to the British Open in a week.
Thursday, July 13: St. Andrews
Today we started with a coach ride to the Scottish Secret Bunker, which would have been used in case of a nuclear attack. It is underground, and above ground it looks like a simple house. Underneath, it is a massive war headquarters. I found it rather interesting. Afterwards, we headed to the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, and the Old Course at St. Andrews. We had a picnic, and had a graduation party for Corrina. She missed her graduation to be with us. I thought that was nice. Then we had our "putting competition". This was the only reason I came. Not really. I started off shaky, as did everyone else I played with. Kymy finished fourth, and Bradley was beating me until he blew up on the last six holes to finish third. Alyson was two shots ahead of me on the last hole, I don't know how I blew it. I almost got the hole-in-one I needed, but almost isn't good enough. I lost by one measly shot. I will not hear the end of this for the next ten days. An embarassment, because I was winning for awhile. Anyway, we had an opportunity to shop and walk the course. I bought a hat from the upcoming British Open. I took lots of pictures of the course, and it was wierd being there after seeing it on TV so much. After dinner, we did some Scottish dancing. I am surprised that I had a good deal of fun, because I am not a dancer. Some of my partners had death wishes, as the people in the crowded room were crashing into each other left and right. No one was seriously hurt. When it ended, everyone went running to the showers, myself included. I did my laundry. I'm not finished, so I have to get up at like 5:30 to finish it. Too early. I gotta get someone to call me.
Friday, July 14: Edinburgh, Scotland to Caernarfon, Wales
We did a grand total of nothing today. We had an extremely long coach ride, across Scotland, the entire length of England, then into Wales. I was asleep on the bus and twice woke up to find myself asking "What country am I in?" That has never happened to me before. Alot of things are happening on this trip that I haven't expected. For example, I have made a whole bunch of friends, and everyone seems to like me. I figured I'd have four or five friends to hang with, not twenty. I thought I would stay relatively quiet, like at home. But I am glad that it's all working out. Actually, I lied. We did do something. Shopping. Jen (my sister) must be havin' a blast in whatever country she is in right now, because she loves to shop. This is the first time I've roomed with anyone in over a week, and it feels nice to have some buddies to chat with at night. Tomorrow we go to see slate.
Saturday, July 15: Caernarfon
Today we had a late start, and it helped. We rode the coach to Llechwedd Slate Caverns, and rode into a slate mine. We toured the damp underground caverns. They were a little chilly. We ate lunch at the Caverns, then made our way to the Welsh Slate Museum. We saw someone cut slate, and he did it perfectly. We got to see some houses of slate workers from different time periods. Afterwards, we went to Greenwood Center. We had the chance to try archery, and there were a number of things to do on the little playground there. I actually walked on a sort of stilts and did well. After we got back to the hotel, I went down to a phone booth with a few people to call home. Well, it was sort of eventful, kinda. It felt like Sean was trying to tip over the phone booth, but he wasn't. Then Megan and Alyson squeezed their way into the phone booth and start saying stuff to me. I was talking to my parents! So Alyson grabs the phone and tells my parents about the putting thing at St. Andrews. I get the phone back. My mom says, "You lost?". My dad laughs. I am going to be haunted by this for, I'd say, forever! I am afraid to go home now. Tomorrow we take the ferry to Ireland and meet our second homestays.
Sunday, July 16: Caernarfon, Wales to Killiney, Ireland
First, we went to visit Caernarfon Castle, right down the street from our hotel. After that, we visited the train station with the longest name in the world: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyllllantysiliogogogoch. Ouch. Then it was off to get the ferry to Ireland. We arrived a little early so guess what we did? Shopped! We met our homestays. I am staying with Adam, and our house is right across the green from Corrina, and right around the corner from Michelle, Kathy, Bradley, Andy, and John. The green is this area of grass that all of the kids play soccer on. We played a little soccer, and ten of us got torched by three Irish guys who really play for serious teams. At our homestay, there was already a Spanish girl there, and later at night two Italian girls arrived, so the table will be crowded at meal time. We will not be spending entire days with our host families like in England, but we will be with the group from nine to five or so, just like a work day. We'll be back in plenty of time to eat dinner and play in the green.
Monday, July 17: Glendalough/Blessington
Today we visited St. Kevin's Monastery in Glendalough. Glendalough means "valley of the two lakes". The scenery was beautiful with the water and the green hills. The monastery is over a thousand years old. There was one round tower built entirely out of stone that was pretty tall, I don't remember exactly. The we went to Blessington Land and Water Sports Center. I chose not to take part in kayaking, I wasn't in the mood for the water. I should have. I did okay in the archery part, but my feet were too big for the footholds in the rock climbing area. Instead of kayaking, I did orienteering. I ended up stepping in mud, and getting it all over the back of my leg. I managed to clean up, but I was not very happy about it. We went back to our homestays, and we had some delicious spaghetti for dinner. The Italian girls brought it with them from Italy. After dinner, we played some ultimate frisbee in the green. We taught the Irish kids how to play. A few people from our group got rides over to the green, so they played too. It was cool to have like twenty people who two weeks ago didn't know each other playing an American game in Ireland, with Irish kids. We have one week until we go home, and I'm having mixed emotions about leaving this group. I have had the time of my life on this trip, and I'm gonna miss it when I go home.
Tuesday, July 18: Dublin
This morning, we checked out the Gaelic Athletic Association, which is a museum in Dublin dedicated to the history of the GAA, and the stadium where the national championships are played every year, Croke Park. The GAA governs the two national sports of Ireland, hurling and gaelic football. I bought another hat, this time of the Dublin team logo. I like the colors. After the GAA, we went on a guided coach tour of the city of Dublin. We saw St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the Guinness brewing plant, along with a drive through Phoenix Park. It is much larger than Central park in New York, and it houses the home of the President of Ireland. Then we had a quick stop at the Michael Collins Museum. After lunch, we had an obscene amount of time for shopping. My feet still hurt eight hours later. After dinner at our homestay, nine of us rode the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) to a bowling alley. I didn't bowl too well. Michelle bowled a real high score but I forget what it was, she beat everyone handily. Alyson beat me again. This is the pits, I can't even win at two of my favorite things, miniature golf and bowling. Tomorrow we leave for Waterford and the crystal factory.
Wednesday, July 19: Killiney to Waterford
This morning we left our homestays for the ride to Waterford. We made a quick stop at the Powerscourt Waterfall and took some pictures. I felt strangely adventurous, so I climbed some rocks to get a good shot. Then we headed to Enniscourthy for a lunch and shopping break. Then it was off to Waterford, the home of the famous Waterford Crystal Factory. We got a tour of the factory, and I don't think my pictures will come out because we couldn't use flash. It would distract the workers, who were handcrafting the crystal into vases, glasses, sculptures, and other items. I bought my mom a snowman sculpture, but the lady at the desk said it would take four to six weeks to ship it back to America. I would bring it, but I'd probably break it. After dinner, we went Irish dancing. There were nearly a hundred people jammed in to the upstairs of a recreation center, and it was a hot, humid mess up there. The lady wasn't all that nice, either. I'd definitely say that Scottish dancing was better. We got on the bus and were told that wake-up calls would be made at 5 AM so we could get an early start and catch an express ferry back to Wales. Not good, considering I had 25 postcards to write. I crawled into bed around 3:00 last night, for a quick two hour catnap. I didn't even have a chance to do my journal, I'm writing this on the bus Thursday.
Thursday, July 20: Waterford, Ireland to Cardiff, Wales
We woke up today at five in the AM. That is ridiculous. I would rather sit on the ferry for three hours than get up at five AM. But it is done, I cannot change the past. I am so tired now, 18 hours later. We packed the coach in seven minutes this morning, our best time yet. Every time it's the guys packing it while the girls watch. C'mon, we could use the help. Actually, Mr. Messina is a luggage packing guru, so we can get the job done quickly. We rode the ferry to Wales, where we picked up the coach. We went to a farm and saw a real live sheep shearing. There are 36 million sheep in Wales. No one else seems to have a problem with that except me. I think it's odd, to say the least. We had a rather easy evening at the hotel, and I called home for the last time. I told my mom that I was running out of time on the phone card, so I was gonna finish it and talk to them Monday when we got back. I hadn't called since last Saturday, and I wasn't going to, but I thought my parents might get a little worried. I am having so much fun, I don't know if I wanna go home now. I was lucky that I got put in a good group. Tomorrow it's another castle on the list.
Friday, July 21: Cardiff
We visited Cardiff Castle, which was amazing inside. The 3rd Marquess of Bute bought it in the 1860's, when he was reputed to be the richest man in the world. He added towers and decorated the inside with gold and made it look absolutely stunning. Then we shopped. Again. It was off to the Museum of Welsh Life, where we could see different buildings from Welsh history. We heard a story about a farmer and his wife switching jobs, and we got ice cream at the ice cream shop. Good stuff. We, as a group, have all eaten more ice cream here than during any three week span at home. After the museum, we went to a park outside of Cardiff for our group talent show. I considered doing some standup comedy, but I didn't have any time to write anything. Then some members of our group got married. It was all in good fun. I was in both weddings, but I didn't get married myself. Didn't want to ruin my reputation. Actually, I didn't even think of it. Anyway, we had the evening free, and I had lots of repacking to do, plus some postcards to write, but I managed to have some fun and get work done. Only two days left...
Saturday, July 22: Cardiff, Wales to London, England
Today was basically a travel day. We rode for a long time until we got to Bath in England. We spent a few hours there touring the Roman baths, and of course shopping. After lunch we got back on the bus for the ride to London. We played a quiz game on the bus. I was on a team with danielle, Stephanie, and Alyson. They came up with the name "3 little lambs and a big sheep". It won by a three vote to one margin. Mr. Big Sheep didn't like it. I think we won though, we'll hopefully find out tomorrow. I'm too good at trivia not to win. It would be the first thing I've won the entire trip. For dinner, we were served salmon that totally reeked, not to mention tasted horrible. A few of us went to the pizzeria in the hotel for some decent food. The price was a little high, but well worth it. Tomorrow we go to the Millenium Dome, which is in Greenwich. I should get free admission, it being named after me and all. Tomorrow is also our last day here. I kinda want to stay a little longer, because I've had so much fun these last two and a half weeks or so.
Sunday, July 23: London
Today we went to the Millenium Dome. We took the "Tube", the London Underground, which is the subway. We had the entire morning and most of the afternoon to wander around and do as we pleased. The group I was with watched the Millenium Show, which was an acrobatic display. There was a story, but I didn't get it. I filmed a sportscast in the SkySports area outside of the Dome. I saw a film starring Rowan Atkinson, who played Mr. Bean, and he played a character named Blackadder. Blackadder went back in time and ended up changing history, so he had to go back and change it again. My favorite part was when he bumped into William Shakespeare. Blackadder told him "this is for every boy and girl for the next 400 years" and then punched him out! Bradley and I high-fived at that one. I have an obvious discontent with Shakespeare, but I will not get into that now. We met up and then boarded a boat for a cruise of the River Thames. They served us some sandwiches on board, but no one ate them really. After the cruise we went to a pizza place, and had some of the best pizza I've tasted in a long time. After dinner, we took a ride on the London Eye, the world's highest ferris wheel, reaching a height of 450 feet! I managed to get a picture of the London skyline as my last picture before I ran out of film. A perfect way to end my photos of a wonderful experience. Upon returning, we all brought our yearbooks down to a room in the hotel, and we just hung out there for a while saying goodbye. I found my sister in the hotel (she's staying here too). She came down for a quick visit, and everyone wanted to meet "Little Greenwich". That name irked her. Everyone always associates me as "Jen's brother", but this time she was "Joe's sister". I have yet to write a bazillion postcards, so I will do that now. Good night, for the final time overseas.
Monday, July 24: London, England to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Well, I am currently on the plane ride home, about four hours from home. I miss the group already, and I can't wait to get home and email them. I stayed up 'til 4:15 this morning writing postcards. It would have been sooner, but I was all over the place chatting and having a good time with all my new friends. Jen came down at seven this morning to say goodbye to me. She gave me her stuffed sheep that she bought to bring home as a "reminder that I'm gonna be home soon". She'll be on this very flight tomorrow afternoon. I thought that was nice of her to get up. The Pennsylvania people left first, and the Rhode Island people all looked like they had just lost their dogs or something. Lots of people were crying. It is a shame that they live so far away that it will be tough to see them, but I know next summer I will try. I had a great time, and I would travel with this group almost anywhere in a heartbeat (Almost anywhere-I dunno about the desert). Well, I guess this is it. Welcome home. Goodbye UK, hello USA. But if my mom wants to go shopping...
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