On April 3, 2014, twenty-eight TCCHS students and teachers enbarked on the journey of a lifetime. Traveling through EF Tours, the group met up with other students from Crete, Illinois in London, England and never looked back. While in London, the group toured various key points in the famous city including Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Eye of London, Piccadilly Square and took a bus tour through the city. In addition, the group was able to take a guided "Jack the Ripper" tour in which they traveled to the sites of his infamous late 19th century murders. From London, the group traveled on the Eurostar train under the English channel to Paris, France. In the City of Light they experienced the awe of the Eiffel Tower, the grandeur of the Louvre, the magnificance of the Arch de Triumph and the beauty of the Palace of Versailles. For some, the rich history and architectural beauty was enough to make Paris fantastic. For others, however, the innate beauty of Paris lay not in its aesthetic wonder, but in other aspects of the city. As Justin Knapp, a junior on the trip put it, "I was initially quite disappointed by Paris. I looked around and saw homeless people and dirty streets and thought 'Is this it?' However, I soon discovered that Paris' true beauty lies instead in the richness of its customs, the simplistic beauty of its winding side streets and its tendancy to make even the most cynical person feel the glimmer of hope that perhaps our world is not as divided, prejudiced and ethnocentric as we think." Returning late on the evening of April 9, many of the group had not only seen new things, but had also gained a new perspective. In the midst of learning about buildings and monarchs and wars, it seems these students found a way to learn just a little about both themselves and the world.