RATHFRILAND HIGH SCHOOL VISITS LONDON
At 6:00 am on the morning of Tuesday the 13th of May, some lucky year 9's and 10's from Rathfriland High School ventured out on a trip to the city that never sleeps: London!
After arriving at Belfast City airport, the now wide awake pupils got checked in, boarded the plane and set off on their hour and a half flight to Gatwick. On landing, they eagerly grabbed their luggage and immediately set off for their first stop, Wembley Stadium! It was amazing. Year 9 pupil, David Blakely said, "It was one of the best experiences I have had in my life! I loved being there and can't wait to go again!" After an excellent tour, the pupils headed to the hotel where they quickly ate the meal provided, before heading to the West End Production of ’The Sound Of Music’. The scenery and music used was superb, with the Von Trap children being the highlight. Following this it was back to the hotel where everyone settled down for the night.
The penultimate day was jam packed! After breakfast the pupils headed to The Houses Of Parliament, where they received a tour and were lucky enough to meet Northern Ireland politicians: Nigel Dodds, Geoffrey Donaldson, Peter Robinson, William McCrea, David Simpson and Eddy McGrady, all in parliament for Northern Ireland Question Time. Not only this but the pupils were amazed to see the one and only Bruce Forsythe and his wife, who were also having a tour of the Houses Of Parliament! Lois Bingham, a Year 10 pupil, said, "Meeting all those famous people was just the icing on the cake!" Next on the agenda was the London Eye. The London Eye took fifty minutes to do a complete lap, however it was well worth the time as the views from the top of the Eye were outstanding! It was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone! After spending some time in the London Eye shop, it was time for the River Thames cruise, where pupils were able to view some of the major sights of London. Year 9 pupil, Jordan Shilliday said, "I liked the cruise. We saw a lot of interesting things, plus the tour guide was really hot!" Sounds like the sights weren't the only thing Jordan was looking at! The next stop was the Tower Of London, where the pupils had the opportunity to explore. Here, the pupils saw the crown jewels, but also the actual tower where Queen Elizabeth was locked up and held hostage! For the evening meal, the pupils headed to Planet Hollywood. The food was top class and the pupils had great fun requesting songs to the DJ! The day concluded with a trip to Piccadilly Theatre where everyone thoroughly enjoyed ‘Grease’! Both Lauren Bennett and Grace Malcomson from Year 9, commented, "The dancing and acting were brilliant. I enjoyed every second of it!" The long bus journey home, seemed significantly shorter thanks to the brilliant craic and conversation about the show. There was even the odd song experidenced along the way! Back at the hotel however, the chatter quickly stopped, and as soon as the worn out heads hit the pillow, everyone was out for the night!
On Thursday, everyone woke up feeling slightly sad at the prospect of going home, however that quickly changed when the group got out to Oxford Street and hit the shops! ‘Hamleys’ was the main store visited and with all six floors, there was plenty of room for the pupils and teachers to browse through the store. To finish the trip they went to the world famous Madame Tussauds, where they had brilliant fun posing with all the well known celebrities. However, as they progressed to the ‘Chamber of Horrors’, not only did the laughter end but so did the wax! The people brave enough to enter the ‘Chamber of Horrors’ were confronted by real zombies and many more scary creatures! There were quite a few sore throats by the end of the experience! Kirsten Donaldson form Year 9 commented, "The chamber was really scary! It really got my adrenalin pumping, but was really fun and exciting!" After leaving Madame Tussauds, the group boarded the coach for the last time and set off for the airport. For Linda Cochrane and Rachael McMinn, "The best part of the trip has to be the people! It was great to get to know people who I never usually got the chance to talk to. Everyone was brilliant craic and there really never was a dull moment!" On arriving home, in Rathfriland, all the tired faces slowly emerged of the coach, and collected their luggage. It was a brilliant trip, and everyone cannot wait to return next year!
A special thanks must go to Mrs Wilson, who arranged the whole trip and to Miss Wilson, Miss Wells and Mr Robinson, who made it the success it was!
