The London metro, Eiffel Tower and a Mediterranean beach amazed Bob Jones High School during their 12-day tour of Europe.

Lesa Clough, world languages department chair at Bob Jones, organized the tour. She led Brian Bradley, Kathryne Bradley, Patrick Bradley, Chandler Clough, Alexandra Davis, Emily Ford, Meghana Gaini, Alesia Ginn, Madalyn Jenkins, Gabriella Jones and Laura Stephens. Gary and Betty Jones chaperoned.

They stayed two days each in Madrid and Barcelona and half-days in the Mediterranean seaside village of Collioure, medieval French Carcassonne and Toulouse. Their trip ended with three days in Paris, two in London.

On tour, students “used what they have learned in the classroom in authentic ways — language, culture, history,” Clough said. They spoke in native tongues to ask directions, order lunch and communicate with guides and hotel staff.

The students especially enjoyed the Eiffel Tower. “There were audible gasps as the lights began to twinkle on the stroke of midnight,” Clough said. The Beefeaters at the Tower of London led an animated guided tour.

In Coulioure, they swam in the Mediterranean, “a much needed respite after large and bustling cities,” she said.

Chandler Clough was enthusiastic with Madrid and London’s Arsenal Soccer Stadium. At six feet, three inches, Chandler was surprised by the lack of personal space in restaurants, hotels and elevators.

Students navigated the London Tube (metro) in two groups to the stadium and London Eye. They saw Queen Elizabeth during the Jubilee celebration.

They compared modern gothic architecture at Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia Cathedral with traditional gothic at Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral. After visiting Versailles, students re-created scenes of the French Revolution as peasants, the Bourguiosie and the King.

Students expected the “Mona Lisa” to be larger. Gaini was amazed to view actual paintings by El Greco in the Prado.

In Madrid, they cooked dinner at a cooking school, following chefs’ instructions for traditional Spanish cuisine. They ate tapas, tortilla espanola, paella and chocolate mousse.

However, a duck cassoulet in France was disastrous. “I told them it was chicken, but they didn’t buy it,” Lesa Clough said.