I want to thank everyone who had organised this amazing and educational trip that gave students the opportunity to visit the European Parliament. As some of us may have/already are doing politics it was a great opportunity, or for the students who weren’t interested in politics it gave a great opportunity to see what politics is really like .

Before the trip we had 2-3 hours to go around the duty-free in Dublin Airport before our flight which gave us time to talk to the other students. We then had our flight to Frankfurt at 7 A.M.

We landed in Frankfurt at 10:00 A.M, collected our luggage and made our way to the coach we will be using for our 3-day stay. The coach was very spacious and comfortable. Shortly into our journey we stopped at a small service station to get drinks and food, we then continue our journey to the beautiful city of Colmar, France. We had time to explore the picturesque city and the markets there it gave us plenty of time to become more friendly with the others.

We then went back to our coach and continued to the Origami Hotel in Strasbourg. I have absolutely no complaints about this hotel the customer service at the hotel was amazing, the food was fresh and delicious and the rooms were clean and tidy.

The next day we woke up at 7 A.M to leave for a short 13 minute drive to the European Parliament. When we got there we got pictures taken and proceeded to security which was quick and easily done. Our passports were a form of ID and we got given lanyards with badges which were used throughout the day to get to certain places. We then made our way to the Hemicycle which was an amazing site to see.

Our topics were cybersecurity , a good topic to discuss around teenagers who use social media a lot. A good amount of the Irish Parliament members spoke up which was a great opportunity to use their voices. Other topics we discussed was human rights and other topics circulating around the world. It was a great discussion. We also held a debate.

When we left the European Parliament we got given some free stuff including a hat, pencil and a certificate for completion.

When we returned to the hotel for an hour break we got the tram to the Strasbourg markets which gave us 3-4 hours of our own free time, which gave us time to explore the city and its sites, one of these sites was the Notre Dam Cathedral which was beautiful and had amazing architecture.

This also gave us time to have dinner and visit shops , which we had a wide selection to visit.

The next day was unfortunately our leaving day, checkout was at 10 A.M and we left off for the beautiful city of Heidelberg, Germany. We visited Heidelberg castle with a guided tour. We then had 3 hours to get food and have free time.  When our time was up we made our way to the bus.

At Frankfurt airport we checked in our luggage and a few hours after we got on our plane and said goodbye to Germany and France after a busy few days.

It was a good idea to sit near the people we stuck with on the trip which made the flight more comfortable.

When we arrived at Dublin Airport we collected our luggage and each of us said goodbye which was sad but everyone was happy to go home .

The trip to Strasbourg will never be forgotten it was an amazing experience. Before I went on the trip I was afraid to meet new people but this trip showed I shouldn’t have been it was an amazing opportunity to meet new people and speak to them. I wouldn’t of changed anything on this trip it truly was an unforgettable experience.

I want to thank Nora, Aiden and Martin for being amazing leaders throughout the trip I’ll never forget how kind you were .

Thank you so much.