Ireland, UK, France & WWI Battlefield Cross – Curricular Tour (Focus on Multiple Subjects)

Day 1

Depart for an overnight flight to Dublin.

Day 2

On arrival meet your Tour Director and board your coach. Enjoy a half day tour with a local guide, well educated and specially trained on the history and culture of Dublin.

You will visit the St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Ireland’s largest church, founded in 1191 near the well where, according to tradition, St. Patrick baptised converts. See the grave of Jonathan Swift, Dean of the Cathedral and author of Gulliver’s Travels, who was laid to rest in 1745. You will also visit the Trinity College to see The Book of Kells. At the prestigious Protestant college established by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592, you will view the Old Library and its best known treasure, the medieval Book of Kells.

You will have free time in the afternoon to rest after the long flight.

Overnight Dublin.

Day 3

After breakfast board your coach and drive through emerald hills to Cashel, in County Tipperary.

Visit St. Patrick’s Rock, an outcrop rising from the Tipperary plain which was once the seat of the kings of Munster. St. Patrick is believed to have come here in AD 450 to christen King Aenghus. The rock is topped by the most interesting monastic ruins in Ireland, which include a cathedral begun in 1235, a superb round tower, and Cormac’s Chapel, a Romanesque sanctuary consecrated in 1134.

Visit the museum located in the undercroft of the Hall of the Vicars Choral, a 15th-century building which now serves as the visitors’ entrance. See artefacts found on the site that illustrate how, for more than a millennium, Cashel served as a symbol of royal and priestly power in Ireland.

Proceed to Blarney, a village in the south of Ireland.

Visit the Caisleán na Blarnan, a medieval fortress with an impressive keep. According to tradition, the gift of eloquence is granted there by kissing the Blarney Stone.

Continue your trip westward through Killarney National Park and its many lakes to the cheerful town of Killarney. The 3,414-foot peak of Carrauntoohil dominates the view to the west, surrounded by heather covered hills.

Overnight Killarney.

Day 4

After breakfast continue your trip. The Ring of Kerry, a scenic route around the Iveragh Peninsula that you will discover today, presents a breath taking overview of Ireland’s geography, including purple mountains, quaint villages, seascapes, bogs, and narrow passes overlooking the sea. View the stark Skellig Michael Island off the tip of the peninsula, medieval monks and Luke Skywalker sought refuge there.

You will visit the Bog Village, the replica of an early 18^thcentury community typical of southwestern Ireland with its small thatched houses. Learn how peat harvested from bogs was used as domestic fuel.

Overnight Killarney.

Day 5

In the morning travel to Shannon, a new town located in county Clare, established on January 1, 1982. Intended as a town to house the workers of the newly built Shannon Airport, it quickly gained in population for the closeness it was to other towns, such as Ennis and Limerick.

Board your London bound flight. On arrival board your coach for a panoramic tour of London. See the city’s main attractions, including Big Ben and the Tower of London, and hear the tales and history of the city.

Optional – London Eye.

Overnight London.

Day 6

This morning the students will separate into a few groups based on their study curriculums and participate in workshops in the field of their interest.

History and Science Students

Bletchley Park & Workshop – Bletchley Park, once the top secret home of the World War II codebreakers is now a vibrant heritage attraction. You will also take part in an interactive workshop session in which students will use practical problem solving and team work skills as they begin to understand the scale of the task faced by Bletchley Park’s codebreakers during World War Two II.

Literature and Drama Students

Shakespeare’s Globe Lively Action Workshop – This tour is led by a Globe Education Practitioner and includes a tour of the theatre and a workshop. The workshop is based on a Shakespeare play of your choice. Through practical exploration, students will be encouraged to develop an understanding of Shakespeare’s characters and stories, and to engage with the text as a script for performance. Different dramatic techniques are used to explore Shakespeare’s plays and deepen your group’s critical understanding. Alternatively, students at a higher level may concentrate their workshop time on the performance conditions at the Globe, by exploring how this shapes playing style and language and by making connections between time and literary traditions.

Art and Design Students

Saatchi Gallery and Workshop – The Saatchi Gallery, is the world’s number one museum on social media. The gallery aims to provide an innovative forum for contemporary art, presenting work by largely unseen young artists or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. Students will participate in a workshop where they will be asked to create a 3D mind map combining both words and illustrations. Each table will be given a piece of paper and in response to a theme (e.g. animal), will begin to fill the paper with words and images. Once filled, the students must then make the paper into a 3D shape (this could be as simple as a tube or more ambitious students might try origami inspired shapes). After every table has done so, each group then brings their pieces together and amalgamates the individual 3D pieces into one large piece.

After the workshops, all students will meet and enjoy a free afternoon in London.

In the evening all students will enjoy a Thames River Cruise, see the House of Parliament and cruise through to The Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Return to The London Eye and absorb the spectacular views over London’s skyline on a 30 minute flight.

Overnight London.

Day 7

This morning the students will again separate in few groups based on their study curriculums and participate in workshops in the field of their interest.

Science Students

L’Oréal Young Scientist Centre and Workshop – The L’Oréal Young Scientist Centre (LYSC) is an imaginative laboratory space for young people and their teachers to experiment and explore science and technology outside the classroom. In the L’Oréal Young Scientist Centre workshops, students become a scientist for the day, testing their own ideas by designing creative experiments. The whole experience ignites a passion for scientific discovery and encourages curiosity driven learning. Students can enjoy an environment in the LYSC that will not constrain them to producing the ‘right’ results in a fixed period of time, as they often must do within the boundaries of the school curriculum. Instead they’ll be able to be creative and to experiment in response to their observations, just as professional research scientists do. And just as in the best research laboratories, students have access to advanced technology and experiments outside the remit of the normal school curriculum.

History Students

St Paul’s Cathedral and Workshop – With its world famous dome, St. Paul’s Cathedral is an iconic part of London’s skyline. After being destroyed four times throughout history, the current cathedral, designed by Christopher Wren, has lived through three centuries. Its dome is the second largest in the world at 366 feet high. See a 60 minute workshop exploring how the cathedral survived the Blitz and still serves the city as a venue for remembrance and reconciliation. Students will be taught the Fire Watchers drill by a volunteer fire watcher and are taken on a journey around the Cathedral, being shown where bombs fell and view a demonstration on how to deal with the dreaded Incendiary bomb and gas mask.

Literature Students

Charles Dickens Museum and Workshop – Charles Dickens lived in this house now museum, from 1837 until 1839 and wrote Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby whilst living here. This museum offers students the chance to experience what Dickens’ home would have been like, as well as learn more about the life and works of the great novelist and social commentator. Here, you will find one of the most important collections of his artefacts in the world. There are few workshops available that can be customised to meet your school objectives. An example of a workshop is – Dickens’s social conscience: Oliver Twist and poverty in Victorian Britain. Whilst living here at 48 Doughty Street, Dickens wrote one of his most famous novels – Oliver Twist. In this session students will explore this celebrated book as well as excerpts from his non-fiction writing, in order to explore poverty in the Victorian era and Dickens’s life and work as a social reformer.

Art and Design Students

Design Museum and Workshop – The Design Museum offers students and educators world class design education facilities supporting a vibrant and relevant programme connected with the wider ecology of design practice, networks and communities. Take your group on a guided visit to the Design Museum, to view designs from around the world including architecture, fashion, furniture, graphics, product and transport. Design is a continually evolving subject which the Design Museum explores through its exhibitions programme, permanent collection, learning and research activities.  There are a few workshops available that can be customised to meet your school objectives. An example of a workshop is – Solar Powered Design.  The theme of sustainability will be introduced in a playful, interactive and fun way. Participants will learn how to use solar panels to power light and movement, getting a taste of creative thinking, material experimentation, and hands-on building. At the end of the day, take away a model home generated by renewable energy.

After the workshops, all students will meet and enjoy a free afternoon in London.

In the evening you will attend a Medieval Banquet at the Beefeater by the Tower, served by costumed hosts with Falstaffian good cheer. Join King Henry VIII at his royal banquet and be part of 1,000 years’ history at London’s extraordinary dinner theatre experience. Go back in time to the days of kings, queens, knights, acrobats and jesters at this fascinating venue. Shout for your wench or dance with a unicorn at a fantasy adventure set at your table.

Optional – Attend a performance at a West End Theatre. In London you can find anything you’re looking for, from classical drama to Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Overnight London.

Day 8

In the morning check out from your hotel and travel to Ypres. On arrival visit the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 and partake in a unique WWI Platoon Immersion Experience.

After a visit to the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 and an introduction to the events and conditions in which the men at the front attempted to survive, we take to the road. Students will follow the route along the old Ypres-Roeselare railway track taken by a platoon from the 3rd Australian Division during the major assault of 4 October 1917.

All the students are fully clothed and equipped as an Australian unit from that time, including uniform, kit and rifle. They will get details of the military story of 4 October 1917, but personal involvement is the most important element. As each platoon member will step into the shoes of an Australian who was actually there and they will walk in the footsteps of their predecessor from 90 years ago. On the way, students will learn more about the person and at the end of the day, at Tyne Cot Cemetery, you will find out what finally befell your soldier. It is a sobering confrontation!

To continue the theme, your lunch will consist of a warm Tommy Tucker meal.

This cross curricular approach focuses on the landscape, literature, techniques and morale, as well as on the history. The project itself was realised in close partnership with the Belgian and Australian Veteran Institutes and the Municipality of Zonnebeke, which converted the former front office of the chateau into an educational room for this purpose.

Later in the afternoon enjoy some free time in Ypres.

Overnight Ypres.

Day 9

This morning board your coach and travel to the Messines Ridge, a key section of high ground that overlooked the fields south of Ypres and was tightly held by the Germans for 3 years until losing control at the Battle of Messines, June 14th 1917. Evidence of trenches and bunkers remain scattered throughout the landscape and farmland. Students will learn in detail the manner in which Australian and New Zealand troops supported their Allies to regain this crucial high ground, and it is considered one of the great successes of the Allied Forces during WWI.

Afterwards you will visit the Flanders Fields Museum. Commence your tour of this moving memorial focusing on the human experience of war, highlighting the personal testimonials of the locals during this time.

Tonight you will have an early dinner as you will need to wake up early tomorrow for the ANZAC Dawn Service.

Overnight Ypres.

Day 10  (25^thApril)

Every year, ANZAC Day pays tribute to the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who fought during WWI. It marks the anniversary of the landing of troops from Australia and New Zealand (ANZAC). You will attend a full day program.

Dawn Service – 6 AM, Polygon wood, Zonnebeke 

ANZAC Day commemorations begin in Zonnebeke bright and early at 6 am with the traditional Dawn Service at Buttes New British Cemetery at Polygon Wood, where many soldiers from Australia and New Zealand were laid to rest.

Tyne Cot Commemoration service – 9.30 am, Tyne Cot Cemetery, Zonnebeke – Traditionally, the Australians and New Zealanders killed in battle are remembered with prayers, blessings, and the Ode to the Fallen. Students will lay wreaths on the graves. A volley by a firing party resonates as a salute, but there is also music, the various national anthems, reveille and, of course, the Last Post.  

Nightly Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate – 8 pm, Ypres – The Last Post is the traditional final salute to the fallen. Buglers from the Last Post Association have sounded this nightly act of homage at the Menin Gate since 1928. They have done so to honour the memory of the soldiers of the former British Empire and its allies, who died in the Ypres Salient during the First World War.

Overnight Ypres.

Day 11

After breakfast, board your coach and meet your guide. Your guide will take you to Hill 60 and Caterpillar Crater, where there is a moving memorial to the Australian Tunnelling Company, and you will learn about the incredible danger these men faced in extreme conditions. The area is completely untouched for the last 100 years, the remains of German bunkers are still visible amongst the trees and on the hill.

Your guide will then take you onto Polygon Wood and explain in detail the involvement of the 5th Australian division who captured the wood on September 26th 1917. The cemetery contains the graves of 2,108 Commonwealth servicemen, and a memorial to the 378 New Zealand officers who died here with no known grave. On the hill is the memorial to the 5th Australian Division, and is the location of the annual Anzac Day ceremony in Flanders.

Afterwards board your coach and travel to Paris. Stop along the way to visit the Franco-Australian Museum, the Australian National Memorial and the Sir John Monash Centre in Villers-Bretonneux. This memorial marks the 10,982 names of missing Australian soldiers from WWI.

On arrival in Paris enjoy a dinner at your accommodation.

Optional – After dinner, head off to climb the Eiffel Tower to the second floor (subject to availability) and enjoy the magnificent evening view of Paris.

Overnight Paris.

Day 12

After breakfast embark on a half-day walking tour of Paris. Experience Paris with a knowledgeable private guide on this half-day sightseeing You’ll see the city’s major landmarks, from the Eiffel Tower and Champs Elysées to Notre-Dame and the Louvre. Make several photo stops, and visit Montmartre, Paris’ legendary bohemian quarter where you have time to walk around and see its hilltop Basilique du Sacré Coeur

In the afternoon there will be some free time in Paris for teachers’ supervised activities.

In the evening enjoy cruise on the Seine River to view the sights of Paris from a different perspective.

Overnight Paris.

Day 13

This morning the students will again separate into a few groups based on their study curriculums and participate in workshops in the field of their interest.

Science Students

Cité des Sciences (Science City) and Workshop – 

The largest science museum in Europe, the Science City is packed with exhibits exploring man’s experiences with science and maths. Students can explore the varied and interactive exhibitions in Explora to discover more about themes such as light, sounds, genes and movement. Watch daily demonstrations and explore the universe with the planetarium, presented by astronomy specialists.

The museum also has a hands-on maths exhibition which includes a special section on the geometry of shapes, transformation of geometry and Euclidean geometry, in addition to new theories of mathematics. Here is an example of a workshop at the museum – Space Training– During this day, you train like a real astronaut, experience the physical laws that you must apprehend during a space trip and be introduced to the life of the cosmonauts. To prepare, you carry out experiments of location in space via an inertial carousel with calculations and experiments of weightlessness. Students will also experience survival in a hostile environment as they embark aboard the armchair 3 axes! After this training, all the rules of daily life aboard a space station will have no more secrets for you!

All other students

Louvre Museum and Workshops – Probably the most famous museum in the world and home to some of the finest collections of antiquities, sculpture and art. It is the ideal place for students to see the prominent role that art plays in French culture. Students will also participate in a curriculum tailored workshop (History, Art, Design, and Literature). Primarily led by artists (visual artists, storytellers, set designers, etc.), as well as art historians, architects and performing artists, workshops explore a variety of themes such as “miming sculpture”, “where light comes from” and “seeing beauty in the ordinary”. They thus enable students to nourish their vision of art and explore the process of artistic research.

In the afternoon there will be some free time in Paris for teachers’ supervised activities.

Tonight become a bona fide French chef with cooking lessons focusing on the national cuisine. Lessons can vary in length and food variety.

Overnight Paris.

Day 14

In the morning after breakfast board your coach and transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Day 15

Arrive home.