Several Riverside Academy students went abroad this summer to Ireland and England. Former RA teacher Geniveve Gomez planned a nine-day trip to Ireland and England with EF Tours. Several of RA’s students and chaperones signed up including: Madison Olezene, Jordan Johnson, Kallie Bourgeois, Loni Bourgeois, William Carpenter, Sophia Cruz, Cameron Galvez, and Veronica Galvez.

The group left on July 11 for their nine days in Europe. The first day was spent traveling on many flights from New Orleans to Boston to Dublin. When they arrived in Ireland, the group met up with their tour director and the two other schools they were sightseeing with. On day two and three, they traveled through Killarney to visit the Kerry Bog Village Museum and the Blarney Castle and watched a sheepdog demonstration. 

On day four and five, the group visited Dublin, taking guided tours with an expert local guide to visit Georgian squares, O’Connell Street, St. Stephen’s Green, Phoenix Park, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. On day six, the group’s final day in Ireland, they took a ferry from Dublin to Holyhead, England to visit Conwy Castle. 

On day seven, they took a tour of Stratford-upon-Avon to visit Shakespeare’s birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s cottage. On their final day they took a guided tour of London with their local guide to see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Piccadilly Circus, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. On day nine, the group departed back to Louisiana. 

RA senior Madison Olezene said, “My experience was great. I got to meet new people from Europe and people in our tour group. I would love to go back to see the greenery of Ireland as well as the amazing cities.”

The last trip abroad that Mrs. Gomez planned was to Italy and Greece in 2019, but it was cut short due to the first lockdown of COVID.