Ten Bladen Community College students and their instructor attended a portion of the Golden Jubilee celebration of Queen Elizabeth II in London, England, as part of their study-tour of Europe earlier this month. The group also toured Paris and Rome.

BCC's World Cultures class studied the history and culture of England, France, and Italy during the spring semester. On May 30, the ten class members and instructor Barbara Morrison left for an 11-day tour to personally visit the countries. The group's tour scheduled them to be in London during a portion of the four-day celebration marking the 50th year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

While visiting Buckingham Palace, the group watched as some of the units of the British horse guards and military bands practiced their role in the formal processional scheduled for Tuesday, June 4.

On Sunday, June 2, they were at Windsor Castle for the Sunday service. Seated outside St. George's Chapel, the group received programs of the service, which was broadcast to the outside audience. After the service, the queen and Prince Phillip walked down the street a short distance and stopped within a few feet of the BCC group as the queen spoke to one of her subjects.

Other experiences in London included visiting Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, and the Tower of London. The group also rode the London Eye (a 20-story ferris wheel), and attended a performance of Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream" in the rebuilt Globe Theatre.

Leaving London on Monday, June 3, the group traveled across the English Channel to France and spent the next four days in Paris seeing all the traditional sites, including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, Louvre Museum, Trocadereo, Arc d'Triumphe, Champs d'Elysses, Place de la Concorde, and a Seine River cruise. The group spent an afternoon touring the Palace at Versailles.

An overnight train ride from Paris took the BCC group to Rome, where they visited various historical sites, including St. Peter's Cathedral and the Vatican Museum. They each tossed a coin into the Trevi Fountain to "ensure their return to Rome."

The students in the group were: Greta Pait of Bladenboro; Jules Cain, Kelly Nance, Cassie Thomas, Robin Thomas, Miranda Welborn and Sarah White, all of Elizabethtown; Sara Brown of Harrells; Brent Underwood of Tar Heel; and Nancy Lane of Winterville.

The BCC World Cultures study-tour class is open for credit or audit for anyone who holds a high school diploma or equivalent. Prospective students can check BCC's spring schedule for the itinerary of the trip planned for May, 2003, or contact Mrs. Morrison, a history and political science instructor at the school, to get on the mailing list for information on the next class.