Taith America 2006

Cyflwyniad powerpoint o'r daith / A Powerpoint presentation of the visit

Llythyr taith America 2008 / Letter outlining the Visit to America 2008

The American Experience 2006

After a long, full day of travelling from Heathrow to Dulles airport, Washington DC, 70 pupils from Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni finally arrived at their destination, on their long awaited trip to the USA.

The week in the United States was split in half – the first three nights were spent in Washington DC. The second half of the tour was spent in the ‘Big Apple’, also known as New York!

After the stress of sorting out rooms for everyone at the hotel, all pupils and staff headed for Union Station on the underground network system just for a short browse and to get some food. Then it was back to the hotel to get a good early night’s sleep in preparation for an exciting and interesting tour of the Washington memorials the following day.

Jurgen was our tour guide for the day and he us on a fascinating tour of the city, which began at the White House. As luck would have it Mr.Bush himself was in residence on the day, but unfortunately he was too busy to invite the pupils in for a quick ‘cuppa’! The tour then continued at the extremely tall monument, known as the Washington Memorial. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed the design and craftsmanship of all monuments and memorials they visited, which included the Lincoln Memorial and the ironically tranquil Second World War Memorial. In the afternoon all pupils went for a visit to Washington’s large Holocaust Museum. This was quite an emotional and thought-provoking two hours. The second evening was spent having great fun at the ESPN Zone – recommended for all arcade sport fanatics!

The following morning was spent with a tour of the city’s government buildings, such as Capitol Hill. Before going for lunch everyone paused for a group photo on the steps leading up to the grand building that is Capitol Hill. There was an optional afternoon on this day, where pupils had the choice of either visiting a variety of museums or going for a shopping trip to Georgetown. Shopping was a popular choice (throughout the trip) but many also enjoyed visits to the Spy Museum, Museum of Modern Arts and the Air anD Space museum. The evening followed with a chance to watch a film at the cinema in Union Station.

On the final day in Washington everyone went to the Arlington War Cemetery. From the top of the hill at the cemetery there were great panoramic views of the entire city. Following that it was back to the hotel to collect the cases, get back onto the bus and make our way to New York. However New York was pushed to the back of many people’s minds as tensions were mounting over the ‘big race’ between Mr. Steffan Philips and Mr. Sydney Webb at the one and only, world famous Rocky steps in Philadelphia. Due to a slight hesitation at the final set of steps by Mr. Philips, victory was awarded to Mr.Webb, who coincidentally resembles the same build as Rocky Marciano himself. And just as you thought that was enough excitement for one day, then think again as this was followed by a full three hours of shopping at Franklin Mills outlet. A shopper’s utopia that stretched for over a mile and a half!

After a memorable sing-a-long on the bus the jaw-dropping sight of New York’s nighttime skyline came into view, one, which I’m sure, will remain with many for the rest of their lives. We arrived at the hotel and after checking in we set off for a short walk to Times Square just to soak up a little atmosphere before returning for a good night’s sleep.

Our first full day in New York began with a tour of the mid town area. The group did very well in managing to stay together throughout the morning amongst the hectic streets of the city and I’m sure many fellow pupils would agree that it was good to have a brief rest from the madness of the city streets in the wonderful place that is Central Park.

The afternoon followed with a boat tour of the Manhattan Island, which gave everyone a chance to see the city and appreciate how spectacular all the enormous buildings actually are. The boat trip also enabled us to go right up close to the Statue of Liberty – such a fine and proud statue that it is. As it was Hallowe’en on this day, we took advantage of the opportunity to be part of the celebrations and got the chance to dine at the Jekyll & Hyde restaurant, which not only had fine food but also gave a very entertaining night. After food we made our way for what was to be many people’s highlight of the whole trip – a chance to view the city and beyond from the top of the Empire State Building. One cannot describe the view, it has to be seen to be fully appreciated, however breathtaking seems appropriate (especially when the wind blows as hard as it did the night we were up there!)

Our final full day in New York gave us the opportunity to tour Lower Manhattan, where all the city’s finance buildings are located. Also along the way we visited Little Italy and China Town. It was an interesting tour, where we got to see Ground Zero. This sight I’m sure will be another never to be forgotten. After the tour we went to Pier17 where we could have lunch and a look around some shops. The afternoon was optional, either a big shop at Macy’s, a museum or Madison Square Gardens.

The big evening had arrived, the night where everyone got the chance to shine in their best clothes, sit back to enjoy a smooth ride in a stretch limo and arrive at a Broadway show. This again was a truly memorable night, as we all fully enjoyed the amazing voices and acting of the Broadway performers in the production of ‘Hairspray’, a fun and humorous show with very tuneful songs. To complete the evening it was off to the Pig and Whistle Irish Bar for some food then back to the hotel to rest after a fantastic night. The following morning began bright and early yet again with a tour of the United Nations building. After an interesting tour we made our way to Grand Central Station for lunch and some last minute shopping before stepping onto the bus and making our way to the John F. Kennedy airport.

The flight home reflected the intensity of the measure of the enjoyment of the tour. As the majority slept almost all the way back to the UK it showed how much had been done in a week, how much had been experienced and how many of those experiences will be treasured for the rest of every pupils’ lives.

It was a very special and memorable trip, where excitement and breath taking scenery erased the thought of tired legs. A trip recommended to all!!

Ben Price

Adroddiad y Daith i America

Ar ol misoedd a misoedd o aros yn amyneddgar, ar bigau’r drain eisiau i’r wythnosau symud yn gyflymach, o’r diwedd fe ddaeth y 27fed o Dachwedd gyda’r profiad mwyaf arbennig erioed i’w ddilyn. Erbyn 2 o’r gloch (hanner awr yn gynnar) mi roedd pawb fwy neu lai yn eistedd llawn cyffro ar y bws, yn ysu i’r gyrrwr ddechrau gyrru er mwyn dechrau’r daith fythgofiadwy. Er fod pawb yn brin o gwsg, mi roedd pawb, llawn bywyd, yn barod i fynd.

Ar yr awyren, wrth lanio yn yr U.D.A, mi rwyf i’n cofio gweld y tir am y tro cyntaf a dyna pryd sylweddolais mawredd y sefyllfa. Roeddem ni wedi cyrraedd America. Fe ddeffrodd pawb o’u trwmgwsg ac fe ddechreuodd bwrlwm y bws unwaith eto. Doedd y merched hyd yn oed ddim yn pryderu am eu gwallt na’u colur (er ein bod ni’n edrych yn weddol ‘rough’), roedd pawb yn barod i fwynhau wythnos o flasu bywyd Americanaidd, (a’r bwyd wrth gwrs).

Fe gyrhaeddom ni’r gwesty yn Washington D.C, pawb yn ddiolchgar i gael seibiant a phrofi pa mor gyfforddus oedd y gwelyau. Ond, yn nodweddiadol o’r daith i gyd, nid oedd gormod o amser i fod yn ddiog. Fe aethom ni i’r Food Court yn Union Station ar y metro, lle phrofais i Coca-Cola ‘large’ americanaidd (bwced o hylif) am y tro cyntaf, a lle roedd cyfle i brynu tocynnau sinema am y diwrnod canlynol. Yna, yn ol i’r gwesty er mwyn cael noson dda o gwsg haeddiedig (opsiynol), neu gymdeithasu. Fe ddewisodd pawb yr opsiwn gyntaf wrth gwrs!

I fyny am 6.30 y bore wedyn, fe leddfodd y brecwast blasus y blinder ac roedd pawb yn barod i weld y golygfeydd gyda chymorth ein tywyswr gwybodus - y Ty Gwyn a’r cofebau i gyd. Roedd lot o gerdded ond nid oedd yr un cwyn, sy’n adlewyrchiad o’n mwynhad. Yna fe aethom i Agueddfa’r Holocost lle gawsom flas ar hanes a chawsom y cyfle i gael gwybodaeth ychwanegol ar gyfer ein gwaith cwrs lefel-A. Ar ôl prynhawn eithaf afiach, roedd noson hwyl o chwarae gemau yn ESPN zone, cyn mynd i wylio ffilm yn y sinema.

Gyda diwrnod 3 fe ddaeth taith o amgylch adeiladau llywodraethol Washington lle gawsom ni lun tu allan i’r Capitol Building. Roedd y tywydd yn braf ac fe fwynhaodd pawb y profiad. Ar ôl cael Pizza ENFAWR yn Yr Hen Swyddfa Bost, roedd modd i ni ddewis pa amgueddfa ddiwylliannol oedd well gennym ni i ymweld. Fe ddewisiodd y rhan fwyaf o bobl i fynd siopa (surpreis, surpreis) ond fe aeth eraill i’r amgueddfa Ysbio, Celf a’r amgueddfa gofod. Ar ol diwrnod llawn o gerdded roedd pawb eisiau bwyd. Fe aethom ni i Chinatown i gael pryd o fwyd Tseiniaidd. Blasus.

Ar ddiwrnod 4, roedd rhaid i ni ffarwelio â Hotel Harrington yn Washington a dweud ‘Hylo’ i Efrog Newydd. Ond nid yn syth. Stopiodd y bws yn Philadelphia tu allan i grisiau Rocky, lle drechodd Mr Webb y bwrsar, Mr Phillips gan osod llwyfan ar gyfer ei bryfocio am weddill y daith. Treulion ni 3 awr yn Franklin Mills shopping mall, lle roedd bargeinion di-ri ar gael a chyfle i brynu anrhegion, a dillad i ni wrth gwrs. O’r diwedd, yn teithio tra’n canu i Frank Sinatra, New York, fe gyrhaeddon ni westy moethus y Beford, yn Efrog Newydd . Wrth i nos ledu dros y ddinas, fe aethom ni I’r Hard Rock café, yn cymryd i mewn mawredd y lle wrth gerdded yno. Rhyfeddol.

Nid oedd unrhywbeth yn medru ein paratoi ar gyfer heddiw. Y daith gyntaf o amgylch golygfeydd Manhattan lle gwelon ni’r Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Centre a nifer o lefydd eraill. Yn ystod y prynhawn, yr oedd gennym y cyfle i weld Efrog newydd ar y Circle Line Cruise – cyfle arbennig i gymryd lluniau. Gan mai heddiw oedd diwrnod Calan Gaeaf, fe drefnodd yr athrawon noson anhygoel yn nhy bwyta Jekyll & Hyde, lle roedd adloniant addas. Ar ôl hynny, fe aethom ni ar ben yr Empire State Building a gweld Efrog Newydd o’r 86ed llawr. Er fod gen i ofn uchderau, roedd yn brofiad ysgubol.

Ar ôl llond plat o frecwast yn Scotty’s Diner, fe aethom ni i gwrdd â’r tywyswyr cyn mynd ar daith gerdded o amgylch Lower Manhattan. Fe stopion ni mewn café yn Little Italy lle roeddent yn gwerthu cacen gaws Americanaidd (maint bric). Blasus iawn. Yna aethom i weld Ground Zero a oedd yn brofiad Trawiadol. Yr oedd cyfle unwaith eto yn ystod y prynhawn i siopa a chael rhywbeth bach i fwyta wrth edrych allan ar Bont Brooklyn o Pier 17. Yn ystod y prynhawn roedd dewis unwaith eto, ond y dewis mwyaf deniadol oedd siopa yn Macy’s. Fel uchafbwynt i’r noson, fe drefnodd yr athrawon Limousines i gymryd ni I Broadway i wylio’r sioe, Hairspray. Fe deimlon ni fel pob enwog wrth deithio trwy Times Square mewn rhes o Stretch Limos. Yr oedd y sioe yn fendigedig. Ac i orffen y noson yn berffaith, cerddodd pawb i Dy Bwyta Gwyddelig er mwyn trafod y sioe a mwynhau pryd o fwyd.

Heledd Brooks-Jones

America 2006

From beginning to end, the America trip was unforgettable. Everyday was action packed, with plenty of walking and sight seeing. The fun was never ending with nights out to the cinema, Broadway, Chinatown, the Empire State Building and many more besides.

Having learnt and heard about America over the years it was surreal to be in the places that are talked about so much on the television and in the newspapers. The hotels were comfortable, with good facilities, and it was nice to be able to relax in the evening with our friends. It also gave us the opportunity of making friends with year 12, which I believe was hugely successful. The trip was planned extremely well, with every day bursting with new and exciting activities, even the long bus trips were filled with sing-alongs complete with song sheets!

Washington was a beautiful place, filled with glorious memorials. Visiting the Vietnam memorial was emotional, seeing the thousands of names of people who had died, as was the Second World War memorial with hundreds of golden stars representing all those who lost their lives, not forgetting the moving Holocaust museum. Whilst travelling to New York we stopped in Philadelphia and attempted the famous Rocky steps where Mr Webb thrashed Mr Phillips in a race. We then enjoyed an intense 3-hour shopping trip before continuing to New York. In contrast to Washington, New York was filled with people, traffic and skyscrapers. Times Square was amazing; with bright lights and busy shops with people moving around constantly, it truly was the city that never sleeps!

Everything was bigger there than it was at home: the buildings, the shops and especially the food! For me, the best nights were in New York and travelling on the Metro gave me a taste of what life is like in America. The meals out together as a group were delightful with nights out in the Hard Rock Café, Jekyll and Hyde and The Pig and Whistle. Experiencing Hallowe’en in America was exciting, everyone was dressed up in the shops we went into and streets were decorated especially for the occasion. I also enjoyed the New York Circle line sightseeing cruise where we saw the Statue of Liberty and were taught about New York and its buildings. Shopping was also an important part of the trip, and many hours were spent looking carefully for the best deals and being amazed at the low prices, many people literally shopped until they dropped! The highlight of the trip for myself was Broadway, travelling by limousine to the theatre and spending the last night as a large group with all the new friends we had made.

Without the hard work of Mr Thomas and the other teachers the trip would not have been half as successful, and for that we all truly grateful. Going to America with the school was more than a history trip; it was a trip of a lifetime.

By Bethan Foweraker

America 2006

Yn ystod hanner tymor, aeth disgyblion chweched dosbarth a staff o Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni ar daith anhygoel ar draws cefn-fôr yr Iwerydd i'r Unol Daleithau. Mae'r ysgol wedi cynnal y daith ers y flwyddyn 1998 a dyma'r pumed taith o'r fath.

Hedfannodd y criw i Faes Awyr Rhyngwladol Dulles yn Washington D.C. lle arhoson ni am dair noson. Cafodd y parti eu tywys o gwmpas mannau enwog a chofadeiliadau y ddinas, gan gynnwys Amgueddfa Cenedlaethol yr Holocaust,

henebion yr Arlywyddion Lincoln, Washington a Jefferson, cofgolfnau Rhyfel Viet Nam, Yr Ail Ryfel Byd, Rhyfel Korea ac yn olaf cofadeilad yr Arlywydd Franklin D. Roosevelt, Capitol Hill (roedd Rhys Williams yn siomedig i ddarganfod nad canolfan siopa oedd hyn) a'r T Gwyn.

Ar ôl tridiau yn Washington, teithiodd y grwp i'r gogledd tuag at Efrog Newydd. Yn druenus, doedd y radio ar y bws ddim yn gweithio, felly doedd dim cyfle am sesiwn gan yr adnabyddus, DJ Barmy Mahoney. Ar y ffordd i Efrog

Newydd, stopiodd y bysiau yn Philedelphia ger y "Rocky Steps" er mwyn cynnal y "Ras Fawr" a rhoi cyfle i ddisgyblion gymryd lluniau. Yn y "Ras Fawr", curwyd y Bwrsar, Mr Steffan Phillips gan arwr y daith, Mr Matthew Sydney Webb. Bu'n ras agos, ond yn y pendraw, daeth gwybodaeth Sydney am fuanedd

a chyflymder yn allweddol i’w fuddugoliaeth.

Brysiodd y grwp yn ôl i'r bysiau er mwyn parhau â'r daith i Efrog Newydd. Croesawyd y disgyblion gan olygfa anhygoel wrth iddynt gyrraedd Efrog Newydd fin nos gyda'r holl oleuadau neon yn disgleirio. Dyma olygfa fythgofiadwy.

Roedd nifer fawr o uchafbwyntiau'r daith yn Efrog Newydd. Rwy'n siwr bydd pawb wastad yn cofio mynd i ben yr Empire State Building ar noson Galan Gaeaf. Hefyd, ymwelodd y criw â Times Square nifer o weithiau a'r Cenhedloedd Unedig. Uchafbwyt llawer o'r disgyblion oedd mynd i Broadway ar y noson olaf i weld y sioe gerdd "Hairspray." Am sioe wych! Yn ogystal â'r siopa a'r llefydd gwych ag ymwelodd y disgyblion, uchafbwynt arall i lawer o bobl, oedd yn cyd-ffurfio gyda'r traddodiad cryf Americanaidd o fwyta oedd y prydau o

fwyd ANFERTH pob nos. Aethon ni i sawl bwyty gwahanol yn ystod yr wythnos, gan gynnwys bwyty Burmeaidd yn Chinatown, y Hard Rock Cafe yn Efrog Newydd, bwyty unigryw "Jekyll and Hyde" ar noson Galan Gaeaf a thafarn Gwyddelig.

Dyma'r math o daith sy'n aros yng nghof pobl am weddill eu hoes. Mae gormod o atgofion doniol a gwych i'w rhestru. Dyma'r daith hanes mwyaf hwylus erioed. I ddweud y gwir, mae'r disgyblion wedi'u siomi braidd i fynd ar daith i Sain Ffagan yr wythnos nesaf!

Rwy'n sicr bod yr athrawon yn cyfri'r dyddiau hyd nes y daith nesaf yn 2008!

Owen Evans