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European Trip Inspires Saint Leo Students

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By GEOFF FOX

gfox@tampatrib.com

Published: December 17, 2008

ST. LEO - Whatever happens in Dublin, stays in Dublin.

That was Jonathan Bellot's story, and who could blame his hesitance to elaborate on the pub crawl he participated in recently while visiting the Emerald Isle?

An English major at Saint Leo University, Bellot, 21, was surrounded by professors Elisabeth Aiken, Karen Bryant and Shawn Bingham. They had recently returned from a nine-day trip to the British Isles, where a group of about 40, including 25 Saint Leo students, visited museums, castles, historic landmarks and homes of famous figures.

"I've been to London before and left the country a number of times," said Bellot, a Cincinnati native. "But I've never been to Ireland and I wanted to see it."

He didn't just see the pubs, either.

Aiken, an English instructor, and Bryant, who teaches fine arts, ensured that students got to see the sights that inspired the works of William Shakespeare, William Butler Yeats, Geoffrey Chaucer, Oscar Wilde and others whose works they have studied.

As Aiken said before the journey: "It's better when you can actually see the landscape that inspired the writing and get a sense of who these people were."

In Dublin, the group strolled through brick-lined streets, viewed St. Patrick's Cathedral and visited Trinity College, where playwright Samuel Beckett and satirist Jonathan Swift studied, and where the Book of Kells, written by Irish monks and found buried in 1007, is displayed.

Food Gets A Bad Rap

At one stop, there was even a portrait of Bono, lead singer of U2, the wildly popular band from Dublin.

Bellot also toured the factory where Guinness beer is made.

"You could see all of Dublin from the top," he said.

Unfortunately, said Bingham, a tour guide "arranged some of our food stops."

"That included Jimmy Chong's Chinese Buffet in Dublin," he said. "It was worse than here."

However, Aiken and Bryant said they also encountered "lots of good pub food."

"There was great Irish stew, fish and chips, sausage and onion sandwiches, shepherd's pie," Bryant said. "The wine sold on the street was awesome, especially since it was drizzly and cold outside.

"The reputation for bad food wasn't earned. It was pretty good."

On the trip, led by EF Educational Tours, the group went from Dublin to North Wales by ferry across the Irish Sea. In North Wales were historic castles and Snowdonia National Park.

Also in Wales, Aiken met some of her cousins, who live in nearby Llangollen.

"I had heard of them throughout my life," Aiken said of her cousins. "They brought pictures of my grandparents when they went to visit."

In London, Bingham, a sociology professor, said it was amusing and rewarding to watch the students navigate Europe's largest city.

"They were trading money on the subway system," he said. "They were taking cabs and buses and public transportation. They were wide-eyed at first."

"But they got their sea legs," Bryant said. "Then they broke off on their own."

In London, the group saw the Houses of Parliament, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and London Bridge, and strolled along the Thames River.

An 'Amazing' Journey

Student Penny Freeman, who is completing a master's degree in business administration, said she went on the tour because she had never been out of the United States. The trip cost between $2,300 and $2,700.

"Everything was amazing to me because I've never even flown," she said. "It was eight hours over and 10 hours back."

She said she most enjoyed the scenery and architecture.

"I saw a lot of things I'd never seen before and probably will never see again," she said.

Not that Freeman is done traveling.

Inspired by the journey, she said she would someday like to visit Costa Rica or Taipei.

Professors and students seemed to agree that the trip was as educationally relevant as it was fun.

"Especially when we were at the churches and castles," Bryant said. "Several of the students said they recognized what they were looking at, and they were using terms we used in class."

Reporter Geoff Fox can be reached at (813) 779-4613.

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