A group of Lakeview students ventured out of Cortland, Ohio, this past summer to see the world. Around 2020, Lakeview teacher Kelly Prokop presented students with the opportunity to leave the country to visit Scotland, Ireland, and England. Finally, last summer that group were able to see fantastic sites and make endless memories for two weeks in June.

Students left Cleveland, Ohio on June 17th and arrived in Kilkenny, Ireland the following day. The valley of two lakes, Cahir Castle, the Waterford Medieval Museum, and Titanic Experience were all seen in the span of two days. Kilkenny is a popular tourist attraction known for its medieval buildings and castles. Before students left Ireland, they took in Dublin’s unique scenery.

Senior Aylah Purdum said, “Dublin was so cool. The buildings were so different and  interesting to look at and take in.” 

Scotland was the next stop. The day in Edinburgh consisted of a guided tour around the city and paying a visit to Conwy Castle.

Senior Taylor Bell spoke about her favorite stop on the tour, “I really liked Scotland. I thought it was cool; some of the roads were almost like cobblestone. Conwy Castle made the visit worth it to. You could climb up these steep steps to get to the very top of the castle. Once you were at the top you were able to see everything, the views were beautiful.” 

The official last stop was the UK. Students were able to ride the famous London Eye. The London Eye is the world’s largest observation wheel that takes visitors 40 stories high into the air.  It holds 32 capsules and allows you to see the wondrous views of the city.

Gavin Dodrill spoke about his experience when riding the London Eye, “You could see everything once you were at the top. It lasted around 30 to 40 minutes, but it didn’t even really feel that long. I would say it was one of the coolest things we did in London.”

Other sites worth mentioning in London included the Big Ben, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Westminster Abbey. One fact most people don’t know about the UK is Indian food is a staple food. The love for the cuisine comes from it’s rich flavor. The tour group was able to join in on London’s love for Indian food by being served chicken curry, different types of naan bread, and pistachio pudding.

Stonehenge was also on the lists of travels throughout the two weeks. Stonehenge is a prehistoric stone circle that was built 5,000 years ago. No ones knows the mystery of Stonehenge and how it got there or who built it. There are numerous guesses onto why it’s there, one of the main being it’s used as a an astronomical calendar.

Over the span of two weeks Lakeview students were able to visit three countries.

When asked of the experience Senior Hayden Rozzo said, “I had a great time. Probably one of the best two weeks of my life. I got to experience so many things in such a short time. I met new people and actually learned new things I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t get to experience them for myself.” 

All the travelers expressed the great time and even a few students are going to be traveling again with Prokop this upcoming summer to Australia.

As someone who went along to Ireland, Scotland, and London I highly advise you to jump on the opportunity to travel with students you to go to school with everyday. I got to know my own peers better and even made new friends from other states who I still keep in contact with from time to time. You learn so much about other countries and cultures in a short time and you even try new foods and get to experience new activities. If you are interested in traveling go speak with Prokop; you won’t regret expanding outside of Cortland.