Caledonia Argus

Local students are "ambassadors" to Europe/b

Posted: 9/3/02

By Shannon McKinney
Argus News Reporter

Twenty one days in Europe and Stephen Sheehan of Caledonia didnít want to come back.

For Anne Ellingson of Caledonia it was a dream come true to visit the Eiffel Tower and see the Mona Lisa in Paris, France.

The two went on separate trips this summer but for the same ìPeople to People Student Ambassadorî program.

They became eligible for the program after they were nominated by someone who had also gone on the trip. Planning for the trip began several months in advance and encompassed four meetings where Sheehan and Ellingson researched one of the countries they were going to visit. Both chose to go to Europe instead of Australia.

Sheehan will be in 8th grade at St. Johnís Lutheran School, while Ellingson will be in 11th grade at Caledonia High School.

Ellingson explained that she had always wanted to go to Paris, and Sheehan said that he wanted to visit Europe because he has a European heritage. ìMy parents thought it was chance of a life time,î he added.

Money for the trip was raised by family and friends, both said. The VFW in Caledonia donated $1,000 for Sheehanís trip.

Trip includes six countries

The 21-day trip included seeing Zurich Switzerland, the Swiss Alps, the Schilthorn Mountain and Lucerne, Switzerland; Freiberg and Heidelberg in Germany where they visited the Rhine Valley and the Black Forest. While in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, they visited the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House.

Sheehan saw the English actor Pierce Brosnan about 23 feet away walking through the Van Gogh Museum. He said a crowd was following him with people requesting autographs. ìHe was just walking around casually. He looked a lot taller than he does on television,î he said.

Also, in Amsterdam, they visited windmills and learned how real wooden clogs are made.

In Brugge, Belgium, they visited the In Flanders Fieldís Museum which commemorated WWI and WWII and the part Americans played in the wars.

They went to a chocolate factory in Belgium and visited Omaha Beach off of the coast of France in Normandy. Ellingson noted that the sand was very white. She added, ìPart of it was fenced off because there are still land mines.î

In France, they toured the Palace of Versailles, Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Arc D' Triomphe and the tunnel where Princess Diana died.

In London, they visited Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London.

Switzerland a favorite

Switzerland was Ellingsonís favorite spot to visit, while Sheehan chalked it up as his second favorite place.

Ellingson was surprised at how much she enjoyed the beauty of the Swiss Alps. She took cable car ride up the Schilthorn Mountain. She remarked, ìI though Iíd like France the best.î

She noticed that the people were very friendly and everything seemed to be very clean. She added, ìAll we ate was cheese and Swiss chocolate.î

Sheehan said he too was entranced by the Swiss Alps and enjoyed a snowball fight with some of the members of his group and the locals. Also, on the top of the mountain, he viewed the scenery from a revolving restaurant which gave a 360 degree view of the Swiss Alps. He said it took an hour to see one third of the view.

England

A favorite for Sheehan was London, England, while it made Ellingsonís third favorite visit.

Sheehan already had an interest in England and often watched the BBC (British Broadcasting) at home with his mother, Pat. ìSo, I understood the accent,î he explained.

Meeting a British MP (Member of Parliament) in London was a highlight for Sheehan. The MP spent time explaining Englandís history and how the system of government operated. ìWe found out when the British had a Civil War and how parliament was set up in the 1700s,î he said.

He also really enjoyed seeing the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, which he described as huge and really beautiful.

He noted that the English say ìcheersî instead of thanks. He added, ìThey donít think they have the accent, we do. They call it the yanksí accent.î

Sheehan observed that the English tend to be very cocky and referred to a soccer game some local English boys in the town of Wells initiated with his group. ìWe had 30-some players and they had five to seven and they still beat us,î he recalled.

Sheehan stayed with a family in the town of Wells, England.

Ellingson stayed at Midsummer Norton, England for a few days with an older couple who had grown children. They visited a town called Bath, named for its old Roman baths. The baths were filled with water using a system of aqueducts that brought in water from a higher elevation.

Ellingson was also able to see Stonehenge and go on a large ferris wheel called the London Eye in London, which took 30 minutes to go around once. She said, ìIt was really big, 20 to 30 people can fit in one capsule.î

She noticed that everyone in England drank tea. ìThey served tea with everything. They say, ëItís tea timeí,î she said.

Families in England werenít as close knit as those in the United States, she said. ìThey didnít get together as much. They only go to church once in a while. They couldnít believe we go every Sunday,î explained Ellingson.

France

Paris, France was a second favorite place for Ellingson who was thrilled with all the art and history it had to offer. The Mona Lisa in the Louvre Museum was smaller than she had expected. It measured about 10'' x 10'' and was encased in glass. Flash photography was not allowed. ìIt looked like she was smirking, but it looked like she was sad. She has kind of a weird face,î Ellingson recalled.

The Palace of Versailles left an impression on Ellingson. ìThe ceilings were all big murals of art. There was a hall of mirrors. Everything was gold; the statues were gold,î she said.

She took an elevator up 900 feet in one of the four legs of the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately it was misty that morning so the view wasnít as far reaching.

She noticed that the French werenít overly friendly nor were they rude. She observed, though, that they were always dressed up. ìEven if they are just going for a walk. You never see them in jogging pants.î

Because parking in Paris is so congested, many people do not use the parking brake, ìSo you can push the other car to get out,î she explained. She said she was surprised to actually see this happen.

Their bus driver took them through the Arc D' Triomphe, which is known for car accidents occurring every 12 minutes. Sheehan said he saw an accident there, ìA guy on a motorcycle accidentally flipped over a car coming at him. He jumped off his bike before he went with it.î

Germany

Germany was Sheehanís third favorite place to visit.

He enjoyed seeing the Black Forest. ìWhile up there, I got to plant a tree. It reminded me of Northern Wisconsin and southern Canada, a lot of Spruce and Pine trees,î he said.

Then, while taking a boat ride on the Rhine River Valley, Sheehan marveled at the medieval castles along the banks and the vineyards that were planted at 110 degree angles on the hillside. He explained that the vineyards were planted like that to stop the erosion of crops below it. The grapes were actually harvested by using rock-climbing equipment attached to fences next to the plants.

Glad to live in America

Ellingson and Sheehan said being in a foreign country made them appreciate the freedoms they have in America.

ìItís totally different,î said Ellingson, ìTheyíre fighting all the time and weíre free.î

Sheehan noted that they enforce their laws with a higher punishment. ìItís real easy to get a life sentence. They donít have a second thought about not giving parole,î he said.

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