While many people in Poplar Bluff were still sleeping, or perhaps just starting to rouse from their sleep, a charter bus pulled away from Three Rivers College at 5 a.m. on June 10 with staff, students, alumni, and community members headed to St. Louis Lambert Airport. The first leg of their trip was the beginning of a 15-day excursion to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales as part of the college's yearly Classroom Abroad, led by Tinnin Center Director Tim Thompson.
Normally the trip is New York bound, but a decision was made to plan a trip abroad to a foreign destination every other year. Tinnin Director Thompson felt that the Great Britain excursion was appropriate this year.
Starting in early August 2016, informational meetings and mailings went out to staff, students, and stakeholders outlining the potential trip's itinerary. The initial response yielded about 30 interested participants, which over the course of the fall and spring semester dropped to actually 17 members. Participants were able to make monthly payments in order to make the trip affordable and manageable.
Leaving St. Louis later that morning, the TRC group flew to Dallas, Texas, and then started their flight to London's Heathrow Airport, landing at 6:30 a.m. the next day, Sunday, June 11. Group members had the ability to explore London's sights and sounds, including a river cruise down the Thames, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, Piccadilly Circus, and The Tower of London and London Bridge. Several group members had tickets to see shows in London's West End theatres. Although this trip came shortly after the recent London terrorism, the group never experienced any unsafe situations or felt in danger.
The tour was led by an experienced Irish tour guide, who made sure the group had very full and safe excursions each day.
Group participants from TRC included Thompson, Jim Moeller, Jackie and Gary Thornton, Dwayne and Virginia Brannon, Mark Brannon, Matt Brannon, Diane Bui, Sherry Wilson, Tara Elliott, Cindy Boyers, Judy Duncan, Vicki Taylor, Julia Galloway, Janice Duffy, and Linda Dowdy. Of the 17 member TRC group, 11 have taken trips with TRC previously.
The remaining days in England included stays in and exploration of Oxford, Sheffield, York, Durham, and Newcastle. Most of an afternoon was spent at Stratford-Upon-Avon, William Shakespeare's birthplace. Three Rivers group toured Shakespeare's home, his wife's (Anne Hathaway) cottage, the Shakespeare Museum and gardens.
Highlights in Scotland included the destroyed abbey at Jedburgh, Edinburgh Castle, Rosslyn Chapel (featured in the Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code book and movie), the Royal Yacht Brittania, a sightseeing tour of both "Old Town and New Town Edinburgh", Hadrian's Wall, Scotland's Crown Jewels, and a traditional Scottish Highland Night with the ceremony of the Haggis. Scottish music and dance was a highlight for the group. No one will forget the beauty of the Northumberland National Park along the coach route through Scotland.
Once the group left Edinburgh, they were able to experience Gretna Green (where the local blacksmith was the only one to be able to wed runaway couples, Lake Windermere, the Roman historic town of Chester, the Roman ruins, and the famous "Rows" tiered shopping arcades. Continuing over the border, members saw the majestic landscapes of Wales, including Snowdonia National Park, Llanberis Pass, Holyhead, and the Britania Bridge.
Day nine the Three Rivers Tour boarded a roll on ferry that took their coach across the Irish Sea to Dublin, Ireland, a four-hour crossing. Exploring the Irish capital was a true highlight. The Irish National Art Museum, World War I Museum, Guinness Brewery, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Irish Woolen Mill, statue lined O'Connell Street and many other sites. Galway, a seaside destination was full of colorful shops and busy cafes and bar culture. Crossing the limestone plateau, called The Burren, the group took in the amazing 668 foot Cliffs of Moher before stopping for the night at Ennis and a medieval banquet at Knappogue Castle. Traversing the fishing coastline, members were able to enjoy the thatched cottages and monastic ruins of Adare, the 100 mile road known as The Ring of Kerry, Lakes of Killarney, and later the famous village of Blarney and the Blarney Stone known for its magical stone of Eloquence. Villages that offered great memories included Dungarvan, Tramore, and Cork. An Irish Music and Dance night made the whole trip worthwhile.
Day 13 had the Three Rivers travelers crossing the St. George's Channel back to South Wales to Cardiff and Cardiff Castle, Cathays Park, Millenium Stadium, and a Welsh evening of food, wine, and music.
Departing Cardiff, the tour turned to Bath, home of the famous Roman aqueducts and baths. The engineering of the entire facility is still as functional and effective today as it was centuries ago. Rounding out the day was an afternoon at the mystical and mysterious Stonehenge before returning to London for a final night of festivities and a West End musical of either Kinky Boots or Dream Girls.
Additionally, the group from the college joined another group signed up for the same tour, bringing the total group to 48 participants. The additional members were a multi-cultural group made up of people from Australia, Singapore, The Philippines, and members from Chicago, New York, and Springfield, Missouri.
Based on the positive reviews from our group following the trip, and the support of college President Dr. Wes Payne, Three Rivers College will continue offering these global classroom trips. Plans are underway for New York in June 2018 and Greece in Summer 2019. These cultural and educational trips are open to faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community stakeholders who want to travel economically and safely. For more information, contact Tim Thompson at the college, tthompson@trcc.edu 573-840-9648 or Edie Dilbeck, Executive Admininstrative Assistant at edilbeck@trcc.edu, 573-840-9688.