It’s not often that four friends have the chance to visit six countries together.
Four students from Lake Orion High School, all 2004 graduates, got that opportunity this year, as they left on June 20 for a three and a half week trip backpacking across Europe. They returned recently with lots of stories to tell.
Tim Dean, Luke Kendziorski, Matt Engelbrecht and Ryan Lewandowski traveled together to England, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany and Poland (briefly), staying in youth hostels. All four, who will be going off to different colleges in the fall, said it was experience they won’t forget.
‘Matt’s dad thought it would be a good idea,? said Dean. ‘We’ve been planning the trip for a year.?
They purchased plane tickets a year ago, were able to get a reasonable fare, and traveled first class to London for their first stop on the trip. They spent two nights there and then two nights in Liverpool.
‘I thought England was really nice,? said Kendziorski. ‘It was old, but really clean.?
Among some of the sights the boys saw in England were Big Ben, Westminster Abbey’s Cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Buckingham Palace.
One of the highlights was watching a soccer game for Euro Cup 2004 in a pub in Liverpool, with England winning the game.
‘I never experienced a whole nation being behind one team before,? said Engelbrecht.
Dean enjoyed the fish and chips (fries), which is a national dish in England.’They were a lot better than they are here,? he said.
They then took a ferry to Dublin, where they spent one night and visited the Temple Bar District.
‘There were all these bachelorette parties going on,? said Lewandowski. ‘It must have been wedding week.?
Since the legal drinking age in Ireland is 18, the boys were also able to sample some Guinness beer.
‘We also took a bus to the west side of Ireland and visited the Cliffs of Moor,? said Dean. ‘That was one of the best days of the trip.?
‘Ireland probably had the best scenery, except there are no trees in Ireland,? Kendziorski said.
The boys stayed in Doolin, a small Irish town with ‘about five buildings,? in a youth hostel.
‘The people were really nice there,? Kendziorski said, adding that a lot of the travelers they met at the hostel were from Australia, and traveling for two-three years at a time.
‘We expected the hostels to be crummy, but they were actually pretty nice,? said Engelbrecht. ‘Some had game rooms and some had Internet connections. We were able to stay in touch with our parents, and my father kept up with where we were, and was sending us ideas for stuff to do if we got bored.?
From Ireland the boys flew to Paris, France, where they said they ‘met the first challenge of the trip with the language barrier.?
‘They weren’t patient,? Engelbrecht said of the French people they encountered.
‘We had two words, Merci and Bonjour,? added Dean.
The boys visited the Eiffel Tower, saying that seeing the city from a top the tower at night was a trip highlight. They also saw the Arc De Triumph, The Louvre where the Mona Lisa is displayed, the Paris Catacombs, and the Cathedral De Notre Dame.
Engelbrecht said they tried to sample some of the French cuisine, but Kendziorski said that not knowing French made it hard to find a place to eat.
‘Also, the food was really expensive,? he added. ‘Like at McDonalds, an extra value meal was $10.?
After spotting Jackie Chan in England at the premiere for ‘Around the World in 80 Days,? the boys saw Lance Armstrong take off on the start of the Tour de France.
From France they took a ‘high speed train? to Brussels in Belgium, where they spent one night before moving on to Brugge for two nights.
‘When we arrived in Brussels, we must have been in the wrong part of town,? Kendziorski said. ‘It was all trashy looking…we must have got off two stops too soon.?
In Brugge, the boys rented mo-peds and saw the city that way, which they called beautiful, adding that all the roads were paved with brick.
The group prepared to end their trip by visiting Germany, and briefly, Poland.
In Germany, where they stayed for a week, they stayed in Xanten, Cologne and Haagen, where they went go-carting.
‘They were yelling at us ‘crazy Americans,?? said Kendziorski.
They also visited Kassel and Berlin.
‘Halfway between Berlin and Cologne we spent the day at a spa, swimming and stuff,? said Kendziorski.
The boys were in Berlin for two days, and saw Bill Clinton there, doing a book signing for ‘My Life.? They also saw the remains of the Berlin Wall, which they walked.
‘We visited the Reichstag (government building), and the American Embassy, which they wouldn’t let us in,? said Dean.
From Berlin they took a train to Poland, where they stayed just long enough to get their passports stamped.
The boys said they enjoyed their trip but were very happy to be home in Lake Orion.
‘Every night we’d try to find an Internet Cafe to send messages back home,? said Engelbrecht.
In the fall, Dean will attend Grand Valley State University to study psychology, Kendziorski will attend Central Michigan University to study business, and Engelbrecht is going to Valparaiso University in Indiana to study meteorology. Lewandowski is going to LCC to study political science.
‘This was something for us to do before we all go away in the fall,? said Kendziorski.
‘It is good to be home,? added Lewandowski.