Days 15 & 16 - A wee tour of Scotland and The Last Supper

Luke & Donny - mates for life

With a big day ahead of us, we departed Yarm and drove directly for Edinburgh. We had a slightly more interesting border crossing with at least a sign welcoming us to Scotland. Our first stop - a steep climb, reminiscent of Castle Hill, to Arthur's Seat, the highest point for spectacular views of Edinburgh. Arthur's Seat is the remains of a 350 million-year-old volcano, of which Edinburgh Castle is also located on one of its vents. The view from the top was well worth the climb and we all appreciated the yoga poses and further boy band cover shots at the top. Donny also enjoyed the trip up .... Donny the wombat is our mascot who has been the sole responsibility of the youngest touring party member the entire trip. Luke Carnes, despite forgetting him a few times and using him as a footy on several occasions, has otherwise done a good job ensuring that Donny was present for all the exciting moments of tour. If you look back, you might be able to spot him hiding in a few of our group pix.

Having worked up a hunger, Donny and the rest of us were off to our accommodation in central Edinburgh followed by some shopping and lunch time along the Royal Mile. The atmosphere of this restaurant and shopping street, with bagpipe players and other performers, is really fun. Here we were able to stock up on last minute souvenirs and presents, particularly those of us with Scottish heritage wanting to track down clan memorabilia.

Back to the hostel for time to shower and dress up for our final dinner together. Our beautiful and dapper looking group had dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant then we had the tour 'break up'. Both teams were presented with their jersey or bibs from the tour, and were asked to share their favourite experience. It was really pleasing to hear that apart from the obvious ones, like Cardiff & Millennium Stadium, many students commented that their favourite part of the tour was playing sport with their friends for the last time outside of club.

The final awards for tour were presented - MVP for netball awarded to Tahryn Kellie for both her wonderful captaincy and also her standout game play. For the MVP of rugby for the tour, Tom Wright walked away with the nod for his excellent attitude and skill level. For the Best Tourist, we couldn't go much further than Wade Forster, who lifted morale and kept us entertained on a daily basis. His energy levels on and off the field made a huge difference to our touring experience - thanks for the laughs and memories Wade!

And as fate would have it, just like at the start of our trip in France, as we were finishing up our touring speeches, the Ignatius Park College rugby boys appeared in the lobby. A chance for the students - such as our best dressed for the night, Angus Small (embracing his strong Scottish heritage) - to chat and catch up with their mates before turning in for their final sleep in Europe.

The next morning we were up for cooked breakfast - with some (unwittingly) trying haggis and black pudding for the first time (then feeling rather sick from the psychological implications of what they had just consumed), then onto the bus for a stop at Edinburgh Castle on our way back to England. This really is a remarkable place and our very Scottish tour guide did a great job of explaining the historical significance of the different parts of the castle. Albeit a very quick tour, we were able to see the most important parts, such as the Crown Jewels (with the 2nd oldest crown in Europe), the canons, church and the still functioning army regiment. We have been absurdly lucky with the weather this trip - one day of rain in England and Scotland over two weeks is unheard of - and today was no exception; a spectacularly clear and crisp morning to spend on top of the volcanic hill that is Edinburgh Castle.

Very sadly it was time to say goodbye to Edinburgh, but not yet to Scotland. Our lunch stop was the bordering town of Gretna Green. This is a lovely little romantic spot - historically, the legal age for marriage in England was 18 years old, yet it was only 16 years old in Scotland. Young, smitten English couples would run away to Gretna Green, being technically a Scottish town, and elope there. We decided to wait until AFTER our lunch stop in Gretna Green to explain the importance and possibilities of this little place to the students .... Better safe than sorry.

And finally, with Brian at the helm, we embarked on our final leg of the journey to Manchester Airport (with a slight tour of the city as we drove through). We are all feeling the usual mixture of desire to go home to a slower pace, normal food and familiar beds, but obvious sadness that our trip has come to an end. With nervous excitement and anxiety, we have all our fingers crossed that the planes will be airing both the Australia v England World Cup game, and more importantly (for this blogger anyway) the NRL grand final on their live sports channels. 40 rowdy Aussie supporters watching the games at the back of a plane will hopefully be the perfect way to tie up this sport tour.

From the point of view of the teachers, and with some of us having taken quite a few large tours over the years, we genuinely could not have asked for a better group of students to travel with. We are so proud of the conduct, attitude and camaraderie of the touring party, and it has honestly been an absolute privilege and pleasure to travel with them all. I am certain that this extraordinary trip will be one that none of us will ever forget and we will talk about for years to come. A big thanks to Mr Derrett for all his efforts organizing this trip and to Mr Fairley for his continuing support and encouragement of School tours!

Touring TGS staff

 

 

Posted by K Kybus

Days 13 & 14 - GRAND SLAM! York & Yarm School (and Brydie's birthday)

We departed for our trip further north, with the few hours of driving from Uppingham to Yarm School broken up by a lengthy stop in York. This is a beautiful city, with the centre contained inside the medieval Roman walls. Here we visited Betty's Teahouses; a renown and popular parlor café specializing in high tea, particularly their scones. The kids were treated to Devonshire tea and we were delighted to see pinky fingers delicately raised everywhere as the kids enjoyed Betty's specialized tea and scones. As we edged closer to 3pm, we surprised Brydie with a birthday cake for her (Australian) 18th birthday. We then had a couple of hours to walk off our morning tea with shopping and sightseeing. In a case of remarkable time management, several boys managed to track down some turtleneck sweaters and shoot what can only be described as the quintessential boy band album cover. Parents - this one is a keeper.

Back to Brian and the bus to complete the trip to Yarm School. Every school thus far has been incredibly hospitable and impressive for their own reasons and Yarm no different. The school itself has a more modern feel than others we have visited and has classroom blocks set out in a similar manner to back home. Upon arrival, we were impressed to see a group of excited and confident students come forward to individually locate their own TGS billet and give them a warm handshake or hug. This friendliness set the tone for our entire visit to Yarm. Students were immediately off for the night with their families, with later reports of some staying again in castles, some in mansions on hundred of acres of property and others staying with the likes of a former Manchester United player. They have been very lucky indeed with the billeting experiences they have received.

Yarm School cafe

The following day was game day. We began with some training sessions - the boys on the field and the girls stretching in another yoga session led by Susie in their dance studio. We reconvened in the School's cafe - proper barista coffee with tables and couches overlooking the river (which makes rowing very easy with the school's boat house on campus). We debated the possibility of Mr Fairley agreeing to build both a river (preferably complete with squirrels and sheep) and a cafe overlooking it through the middle of TGS, and decided he probably had more important priorities and we had best focus on enjoying the moment here at Yarm instead.

Helping carry an injured Yarm student

We were treated to lunch in the school dining hall and this was another experience of its own. Hot food like fresh soup, pasta, lasagne & vegetables, salad bars, sandwich stations, hot and cold desserts ... Difficult to enjoy all this food knowing there would be a lot of physical activity shortly after.

The boys were up first, with the 10 minute walk to the fields as a good warm up. Australian flag stickers came out and as the touring staff moved through the school it became evident that our Winton boy, Wade, obviously missing home, had been branding some of the locals. As always, their patriotic spirit was appreciated by all.

An unsuspecting branding

With the realization that this would be the last game of rugby ever played together, the boys played hard and left everything on the field. With a tight lead at the end of the first half, the TGS team dug deep and came through with a stellar 47-12 win. It was a very deserved victory and a brilliant way to end the tour. The excitement and happiness with this win was palpable.

The girls up next with a few nerves, having learned that the Yarm netball team is quite accomplished. At halftime the TGS girls had a narrow lead of only a couple of points, though with the boys having joined us to cheer and encourage, they grouped together and with brilliant teamwork and game play, came away with a 23-14, giving the TGS touring netball side a grand slam tour. Congratulations to the girls and their super coach, Prue!

Halftime Captain to Captain pep talk

We were delighted throughout the tour to see host parents come to games to watch, and surprisingly more times than not support their Australian child more than their own. This led to many confusing conversations on sidelines with English parents referring to 'us' and 'we', including themselves on the TGS side. It was lovely to see the support.

With the bittersweet feeling of joy from dual wins and sadness over playing for the last time together, there were tears and celebrating. Ben and Tahryn led the entire touring squad through a celebratory school war cry which made an obvious impression on the Yarm spectators. We were off to our final post-game afternoon tea, with both sets of captains acknowledged and MVPs awarded. Congratulations again to Isabella Dooley and to Sheldon Brennan on their excellent performances. We were all surprised by a beautiful and decadent looking birthday cake organized by the Yarm staff when they heard we had a birthday girl on tour. Happy (European) 18th birthday to Brydie again! A very kind and thoughtful gesture.

This also meant it was sadly time to say goodbye to Dr McEwen, who needed to return to London after our final game. Pete was an absolutely integral and delightful addition to our touring party, and the students' admiration was represented beautifully on the amusingly oversized 'Keep calm, I'm a doctor' shirt they bought for him in York and all signed. I know this gesture meant a lot to him and he meant a lot to this tour - a big thank you to Pete for giving up time from his very busy schedule to take care of all of us.

Back to the final night of billeting with lots of exciting plans with their new friends. The TGS students bonded very quickly with their Yarm hosts, and the following morning there were a lot of hugs goodbye and promises to stay in touch. With the sporting component of our tour ended, it was time for one more tourist 'must do' before our return to Australia. Look out Scotland!

Billet friendships

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by K Kybus

Days 11 & 12 Uppingham School

With our time in London having sadly drawn to a close (but luckily with plenty of souvenirs, clothes, shoes and jewellery to remind us) we made the drive north to Cambridge, our lunch stop for the day. Cambridge is a beautiful little town, which basically exists to service the renown university. Some students elected to wander the small winding streets of the town, play touch footy on the grass in the park, or have a more civilized lunch in a beautiful Cambridge restaurant with a very 1920s Gatsby parlor feel to it.

Lunch Cambridge-style

Meeting billets and opponents

Back on the bus and onwards to Uppingham School, our home for the next couple of days. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the PE department members and Principal with an afternoon tea to meet host students and parents. Uppingham is an incredibly impressive school, but for different reasons from the others we have played. There were no intimidating single castle buildings shadowing the school, or acres of rolling green fields. Simply put, Uppingham School is literally a town. The $40 million sports centre compete with heated indoor pool, badminton/basketball/netball courts, squash courts, lockered change rooms and complete gym is obviously mind blowing. The $30 million Science centre was incredible, and we only saw the full wall fish tank and two story swinging pendulum at the entrance.

Yoga warm up

The rest of the school, which is 400 years old, exists in buildings scattered throughout the town. All students are boarders and there are 16 houses with approx. 10 students from each year level. And when we say houses, this literally means houses - students live in houses throughout the township where they both sleep and eat. Formal lunch is a unique affair - teachers rotate through the houses every day and enter very formally with students standing and waiting silently, and with a very precise process of serving and eating. Every age group table has a teacher guest who they must entertain for the lunch. The manners and social skills alone that this process develops is remarkable and it was such a great experience.

We ventured to the nearby Stamford, a beautiful little cobblestone town, before returning to school for the matches. The boys held their own incredibly well, with a tied score of 7-7 at halftime but Uppingham's fresh legs in the second half running away with a 32-12 win.

Our nicely stretched girls (thanks to a yoga session led by Mrs Ahern) gave another strong performance but with a more tightly contested game, with a 25-15 win. We are now aiming for the girls to have an undefeated tour, though Yarm's netball team expected to be quite strong. The boys are gunning for a win on tour and the Yarm boys certainly have a force coming at them.

Slight height difference in our MVPs

A big congratulations go to Isabella Dooley and Tom Wright as the nominated MVPs for the games - a very deserved achievement.

Students were off to their host families again (some of the boys staying in actual castles and the girls back to their boarding dorm) for a final night in Uppingham. We were lucky enough to be invited to chapel before our departure the following morning, and we could see what all the fuss was about. The stained glass chapel is beautiful and the students do not hold back from singing at a thundering level - it was an incredible service and a lovely way to end our time at this phenomenal school.

Go Grammar!

 

 

Posted by K Kybus

Days 9 - 11: GO THE COWBOYS! (And London)

Go the Cowboys!!!!

We met for our morning goodbyes to Queen's College and host families, buzzing with excitement and, for some (Mrs Ahern and Miss Kybus), anxiety with the knowledge the Cowboys semi-final kick off was only a couple of hours away. We had found a very kind publican in Salisbury who was willing to not only open his pub early for us, but also to pay the £100 pay TV subscription upgrade so that we were able to watch our boys' game. A big shout out to Danny's Craft Bar and Kitchen for their superb hospitality - lunch was delicious and most importantly, we got to (very loudly) yell and cheer the Cowboys to their victory and place in the grand final. This was a fantastic, and again for some (Mrs Ahern and Miss Kybus), an emotional start to our day and we were all so appreciative we got to watch the game. Very sadly the grand final will be while we are in the plane en route back to Oz, but we are working on talking to the airline about the possibility of airing the game on their live sport channel or at the very least, to get score updates. Where there's a will (and die hard loyalty) there's a way!

London Eye

Olympic Stadium, London

Jubilant from our win, we carried on and arrived in London for a ride on the London Eye so we could see the city and get our bearings. We then had just enough time to check into our hostel and get back onto the bus for our Saturday night plans - to cheer Wales to their victory over England in the World Cup, at a fanzone live site at Olympic Stadium. Here a massive screen was erected in the park, with food stalls and rides to keep us fed and entertained. With such a tightly contested game and our obvious support of Wales, it was a fantastic night and another rare opportunity to be involved with the fever of being local for the World Cup.

Big Ben

We arose early to breakfast and a walk into London. We crossed the impressive London Bridge, circled the Tower of London and found our hop on/off tour bus. We were blessed with absolutely perfect weather - brilliant, blue cloudless sky with warm sunshine and a cool breeze. Not always a common occurrence in London and we made the most of it by sitting on the open top of the bus. We went past iconic Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and walked to Buckingham Palace

My fair lady

 

The boys took the opportunity to practice their line-out at the gates of the palace - their dedication to constantly working on their game play no matter their location or circumstance is admirable.

 

We were then back on the bus to listen to our entertaining guide explain the history and significance of locations as we passed them. Finally, finally we arrived at the place the girls had been anticipating for the entire tour - the shining, glittering, bustling, splendid glory of the shops of Oxford Street. We spent an entire 2.5 hours (a long time on a busy tour like ours) lunching and shopping; the boys following Mr O'Dwyer to the sports warehouses and Rugby World Cup shop before hitting some designer stores, and the girls frantically going EVERYWHERE else.

Big Ben and Parliament

 

All of us now weighed down (some more heavily than others), we were off to Trafalgar Square to wander around, watch the incredible street performers or sit on the steps with the Londonites eating ice cream and drinking coffee. Having luckily secured tickets to a West End show, we took off towards Leicester Square to briefly peruse Covent Garden marketplace before finding the Ambassadors Theatre to watch 'Stomp'. This is a high energy show which uses the body and ordinary objects to create a physical theatre percussion performance. The drumming and physicality of the show was incredible.

We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Leicester Square, narrowly missing the premiere of 'The Intern' with Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway just outside the doors of the restaurant. Dinner was incredible but our day in London wasn't over yet ... With Brian having a rest day we had to navigate the Tube over a couple of stops to get back to the hostel. This was an experience for some students who had never used an underground train system before. Luckily, being a Sunday night it was very quiet and we were able to move as a big group easily.

Absolutely exhausted (but for all the right reasons), the youth hostel was a very welcome sight, as was the news that we would have a slightly slower and later start than usual the following morning. After breakfast in the hostel (with surprisingly almost French-worthy croissants) we reconnected with Brian and our bus, loaded up and were off back across the London Bridge to the Tower of London, where we had some time inside. Here we saw the absurdly extravagant Crown Jewels, and visited highly historic place such as the site where Anne Boleyn was killed and the Torture Towers. Not exactly a light-hearted affair but the grounds and castle are incredible and worth the visit, albeit a quick one.

Having said goodbye to Old London Town, we are now back on the bus and en route to Uppingham to begin our back-to-back school visits. As with all big trips, time has had the peculiar way of absolutely flying yet feeling like we have been away forever, as we have done so much. With four more nights with billets and only one night left as a group, we are determined to make the most of our final week away. Bring on the final two games!

 

 

Posted by K Kybus