Homer's British Invasion!

Homer's British Invasion!

Popcorn: Donated
Water: Donated
Soda: ?
Pizza:?
Baked Goods: ?

I need T-shirt sizes! No Later than Monday, 3.2.09!
Below is a list of people who have contacted me:

Mary Beth Austin
Peg Phelps (2)

Expectations

Behavior Expectations:

1) Smoking, consumption of alcohol, and use of illegal drugs is completely prohibited!!!
2) Everyone must carry his/her passport at all times. You cannot go on the trip without one!
3) Stay within the designated areas at all times, report to each destination as directed on time, remain in the assigned hotel room from bed check until wake-up call, leave the hotel room and other modes of transportation in excellent condition, and no inappropriate language or behavior.

Adult Supervision: Free Time

• There is one chaperone for every six participants, plus our Explorica Guide.
• The adults are always with the student group, even during free time.
• Free time is conducted under a controlled situation, where boundaries are set.
• Participants are asked to use the buddy system.

Final Payment Update!

This just in from Natalie Irby, our representative at Explorica.


I was able to get you an extension until March 28th. Anyone who is paying after that date will be subject to late payment fees.

Other Notes from 2/24

Roommates: Roommates will be decided approximately one week before the trip. Students will need to provide me with their choices of roommates in groups of threes and fours.

Calling Cards vs. Cell Phone: Please check with your local cell phone provider. Using a cell phone may be a less expensive option than using a phone card.

Money: Travelers Cheques may be the best option. ATM fees are around $5 for loaded credit cards. More information to come later

Shoes: Bring broken-in, comfortable shoes. We will be doing a lot of walking! More information on packing to come

Photo Class: A photo class will be offered to students before the trip. This class will provide an opportunity for students to learn how to get the most from their cameras or just to learn its basic operating functions.

Notes from 2/24 Meeting

Homer's British Invasion (band showcase)

March 20, 7-10 (5:30 - 11 for setup and breakdown) Doors @ 6:30

$5 pre-sale and $7 at the door

Refreshments - water, soda, popcorn, sheet pizza > $1 each

The popcorn will be donated for this event. If you know anyone that would like to donate some of the other items please make contact with them and get back to me ASAP.

Other items that will be needed include: plastic cups, plates, and napkins.

Baked goods (prices?) Item need to be donated! Please tell which items you will be willing to make/ donate.

Swag - Homer's British Invasion buttons $1

I need parents to help setup, breakdown, sit at the event's entrance and refreshment table and as a general presence. The more the better!

T-shirts! - The parents have decided to order (security) t-shirts, at an approximate cost of $5.25 per shirt, for this event. The shirt will be designed by students going on the tour. Please email names and adult male t-shirt sizes ASAP!

Meeting!

Meeting!
BRITISH ISLES TOUR MEETING:
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24th, 2009
6:00 PM at the High School, RM 213


Please email me or post questions to the blog that you would like addressed at the meeting. Thanks!

The Hotels, so far...

As of now, Explorica has posted three of our hotels. Here are names, locations, and pictures of each!


6/29/2009 to 7/1/2009

Whitesands Hotel - Ballyheigue Ballyheigue Killarney x Ireland
Telephone: 011 353 667133102

White Sands Hotel, a family run hotel, offers the ultimate blend of professional service and a welcoming atmosphere for hotel accommodation in Dublin.Our management and staff pride themselves on offering a personal service where we get to greet our guests by name and welcome them back time and time again. All 58 beautifully appointed rooms are furnished and decorated to ensure every comfort, some with spectacular sea views. Located in Portmarnock, on Dublin's golden north coast, White Sands Hotel in County Dublin is ideally located close to Dublin City & Airport.


7/1/2009 to 7/3/2009

City West Hotel
Leisure and Golf resort
Saggart Dublin, Ireland
Telephone: 00 353 14010500

4 star hotel and leisure complex approximately 10 miles from Dublin city centre. All rooms are en-suite and feature multi-channel TV, radio, ISDN/Broadband, internet access (on request), air conditioning (on request), smoking and non smoking rooms, tea & coffee making facilities, trouser press & ironing board and hairdryer.

7/3/2009 to 7/4/2009

The Hand Hotel Bridge St
Llangollen LL208PL Wales
Telephone: 44 1978 860303

Charming family run hotel situated in
the picturesque village of Llangollen in
North Wales.

Student Meeting 2/11

All students interested in fundraising, please meet in rm. 213 before homeroom on Wednesday, February 11th!

Meeting!

BRITISH ISLES TOUR MEETING:
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24th, 2009
6:00 PM at the High School, RM 213


One spot left! If you know anyone interested, please have them contact me, ASAP!

International Travel Plug Adapter

Circuit City in Carousel Centre is going out of business.
I picked up a Kensington - International Travel Plug Adapter there on Friday, February 6, for $18.89. This includes the tax. They usually sell for around $25+. Because the British Isles have a different power outlet style than we do, one of these will be needed if you plan on charging phones/ iPods, using hair dryers, Crockpots...

Just kidding about that last one. If you would like me to get an adapter for you, please have money to me by Tuesday, February, 10th!

- Massenzio

Our Tour!

Day 1 > June 28 > Start Tour Day 2 > June 29 > Hello Killarney

Meet your Tour Director, travel to Killarney & check into hotel

Day 3 > June 30 > Ring of Kerry

Bog Village visit

Day 4 > July 01 > Killarney--Dublin

Stop for a visit to Blarney Castle, the medieval stone structure built on solid limestone around 1466. (The slivers of windows served as a defense, enabling Lord Blarney and his men to shoot arrows at invaders while staying protected from within.) Climb the spiral staircases to the top of the castle to kiss the Blarney stone. Legend promises that if you lean backwards and kiss the stone upside-down, you’ll be granted the “gift of the gab” (the privilege of babbling questionable commentary for seven years). Before you leave, wander the path to Rock Close to ponder the druidic circle of mystical stones. Enter Lord Blarney’s dungeon if you dare...

Blarney Castle

Happany Bridge,
Dublin, Ireland

Day 5 > July 02 > Dublin Landmarks

Dublin guided sightseeing tour

Join a professional licensed tour guide on an adventure to Dublin’s finest attractions. Pass the residence of Ireland’s president, Mary MacAleese, along your journey through Phoenix Park. Within Europe’s grandest enclosed park, encounter 1,760 undeveloped acres scattered with cricket pitches, grazing cows, and red deer. Stop to eye a stone phoenix rising from flames atop the Corinthian-style Phoenix Column. Tour the roads along the River Liffey to 12th-century St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the largest of its kind in all Ireland. Get a glimpse of the neighboring park where St. Patrick (who brought Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century) baptized converts. Continue on to Trinity College, the stone-clad sprawling campus where Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett studied. Stop by the Long Room in the Old Library for a zoom-view of the illuminated edition of four Gospels, the Book of Kells. The original manuscript was penned in Latin around AD 800 by four Irish Monks who used multicolored ink from plants and bugs. Take some time to study the brilliant latticework of curvy Celtic symbols woven with animal figures that enlivens the script.

Phoenix Park

St. Patrick’s
Cathedral

Trinity College
Book of Kells visit

Dublin City Walk

O’Connell Street

Parnell Square

Henry Street

Day 6 > July 03 > Dublin--North Wales

Ferry to Holyhead across Irish Sea

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Snowdonia National Park
Beaumaris Castle visit

A fairytale brought to life. Beaumaris Castle is the ultimate example of a traditional castle: a swan-dotted moat surrounds the lower outer walls, the outer walls surround the towered and turreted castle itself, and the castle surrounds an inner grassy courtyard. Though the bobbing swans, beautiful mountain scenery, and picturesque checkerboard stonework give the setting a sense of serenity, Beaumaris was hardly built for times of peace -- even if invaders somehow made it past the moat and outer wall, they faced eleven more obstacles, including three portcullises, several sets of fortified doors, towers, and “murder holes” used for dropping missiles onto invading troops, before they could reach the castle.

Day 7 > July 04 > North Wales--Edinburgh

Rydal Mount visit

Travel to Edinburgh

Day 8 > July 05 > Edinburgh--London
Guided Sightseeing Tour

Edinburgh Castle, the historical and emotional heart of the city, is just one of the many sights you will see on this tour, led by a licensed professional guide. Make your way along the Royal Mile, the main thoroughfare of the 16th and 17th centuries. (It's actually one mile and 107 yards long--from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyrood House). As you make your way along cobbled streets, you'll see a handful of the several thousand buildings officially protected in Edinburgh because of their architectural or historic importance. The 200-foot spire of the Sir Walter Scott monument soars above the East Princes Street Gardens. Grand figures from Scottish history adorn its heights, make sure you also look down -- the figure below the marble statue is Scott's favorite dog, Maida.

Old Town

Royal Mile

Sir Walter Scott Monument

Edinburgh Castle visit

Edinburgh - Overnight train to London


Day 9 > July 06 > London Landmarks
London Guided Sightseeing Tour

LONDON!

Join a licensed local guide for an in-depth look at London, from the royal haunt of Buckingham Palace (the official London residence of Queen Elizabeth II) to the slightly more democratic Speakers’ Corner of Hyde Park, where anyone can pull up a soapbox and orate to his heart’s content. You’ll see the changing of the guard (season permitting), the clock tower of Big Ben with its 14-ton bell, and Westminster Abbey, where almost every English king and queen since William the Conqueror has been crowned. After a stop at the Houses of Parliament, continue on to the magnificent St. Paul’s Cathedral, the masterpiece of London architect Christopher Wren.

Buckingham Palace

Big Ben and Houses of Parliament

Westminster Abbey

Tower Bridge

Hyde Park

St. Paul’s Cathedral

London City Walk

Step outside your hotel, for a stroll through the streets of the heart of the English-speaking world. In this city of nearly seven million, you'll see everything from 12th-century fortifications to modern skyscrapers, formal parks to punk rockers. Your Tour Director will lead you to some of the most famous sites. Walk along the Thames River. Cross Trafalgar Square. See bustling Piccadilly Circus. Pass trendy shops and cafés in Bohemian Soho on your way to Covent Garden, a 13th-century fruit and vegetable garden transformed into a maze of narrow streets and pedestrian walkways burgeoning with street performers, open-air markets and boutiques.

Thames River

Piccadilly Circus

Covent Garden

Trafalgar Square

Leicester Square

Soho

Day 10 > July 07 > London

London free time

See how the Queen relaxes on this guided tour of the royal weekend estate, originally built as a fortress in the 11th century under William the Conqueror. Tiptoe through the tulips (and other flowers) in the East Terrace Gardens, marvel at the Gothic St. George's Chapel, or peek into the rooms of Queen Mary's doll house with its gallery of pint-size perfect furniture. Get decorating tips for your own country estate (or dorm room, as it may be).

Nothing’s more British than fish and chips—there are eight fish and chip shops (“chippies”) for every McDonald’s in the country. Head to an authentic pub with your Tour Director for a taste of this national food, generally served with malt vinegar.

Day 11 > July 08 > End Tour