Augustine of Hippo once wrote, "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." For 15 students, 11 parents, and three chaperones from Unity Composite High School (UCHS), we've now read at least one chapter.
The UCHS Travel Club met at the Saskatoon Airport March 31 to depart for 10 jam-packed days in Europe. The group flew to Calgary where we met up with our 22 traveling companions from Montrose Junior High School in Grand Prairie, Alta., and continued on to London, England.
British weather proved to be slightly chillier than anticipated but, with the daffodils in full bloom everywhere and no snow in sight, it felt like spring. As soon as we landed in London we were off for a full day of riding the tube (subway) to visit Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery and St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church, followed by a walk through Green Park to Piccadilly Circus and the first chance to buy some souvenirs. Dinner was a Turkish meal and, after a stop to buy snacks, everyone was ready to sleep.
The second morning the group had a wonderful full English breakfast that included eggs, bacon, ham, tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes and many other foods and was something that was not repeated on our trip.
A bus tour of central London let us see the contrast of The Staple Inn, the oldest wooden building which dates from 1585, and the glass London City Hall which opened in 2002. We also had a chance to view the Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Parliament Buildings and had an opportunity to visit St. Paul's church before watching the end of the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace.
The afternoon had our group scattering to tour Windsor Castle, ride the London Eye, visit the British Museum, grab some lunch, do some shopping and ride the tube. My group attempted to visit the London Zoo, an excursion that proved to be a lot of walking with a prohibitively expensive entry fee. All was not lost as we did see some squirrels in the park.
Dinner was fish and chips and the evening concluded with one group seeing the musical Wicked and the other enjoying a Jack the Ripper Walk.
Morning came at an early hour our third day, as we were off to the train station at 5:45 a.m. to start our journey to Paris. The train went under the English Channel but most people slept through the journey.
On arrival in Paris we took a bus to our hotel and after checking in and a quick lunch, we rode a train into downtown Paris to visit Notre Dame. Our tour director, Lindsey, had several people act as support walls in a cathedral recreation and then added more people as flying buttresses to show the added strength of this architectural design, used in the Notre Dame church. While Quasimodo was nowhere to be found, the elaborate carvings on the outside of Notre Dame illustrated how the teachings of the church were shared in an era when most of the population couldn't read or write.
Supper was followed by a short metro (subway) ride to the Eiffel Tower. A Seine River cruise gave an overview of the downtown area of Paris and afterwards most of our group either rode the elevator or climbed the stairs for a view from one of the three levels of the Eiffel Tower. Built in 1889, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution, the Eiffel Tower was originally disliked by the French and almost demolished before its height made it useful as a radio antenna tower. This was a favourite spot on the tour for many, especially when, already lit up at night it twinkles at 9 and 10 p.m. It was a beautiful sight indeed.
Day four started with a quick bus tour of Paris and an introduction to French traffic. Our bus driver was amazing in eight lanes of traffic circling the Arc de Triomphe. The UCHS group proceeded to visit Versailles, the palace of Louis XIV and other royals until the French Revolution. This was our first experience with Whispers, electronic earpieces through which our tour guide delivered her tour in the midst of dozens of other tour groups. The Hall of Mirrors is a particularly beautiful room and was where the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919, officially ending the First World War between Germany and the Allied Forces.
After a supper that included quiche as a starter, we traveled to Sacre Coeur church and then had a chance to wander Montmartre, an area full of tiny shops, art galleries and cafes. Several people took advantage of the local artists to have portraits or caricatures made of themselves. The night ended with our bus meeting us in front of the Moulin Rouge nightclub.
After a typical continental breakfast of croissant, roll, yogurt and hot chocolate or coffee we were off to the Louvre. According to Lindsey, if you spent one minute in front of every work of art in the Louvre it would take over four months to see it all. Many in our group chose to see the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo while we were there.
Then we had free time to explore and shop. My group explored the Pont des Arts, a bridge covered in padlocks. Heather Wood and her dad, Neil, bought a padlock to add to the bridge to attest to their family love, and Jayden Akerlund and Emily Mabbett purchased one to commemorate their friendship. The padlocks have names and dates engraved or written on them in permanent marker and, once they are locked to the bridge, the keys are thrown into the Seine River. Many couples bring a lock to the Pont des Arts to symbolize their everlasting love.
Another popular stop was the Shakespeare and Company Book Store which, since 1951, has hosted many famous authors. If you buy a book, new or used, they will stamp it with a special stamp to attest you bought it there.
That night after supper - an all you could eat affair of flammekeuche, a thin bread dough covered in cream sauce and toppings both savory and sweet, a speciality from the Alsace region of France - we boarded our night train for Venice.
It didn't take long for our train couchettes to be converted from six seats to six beds, three bunks on each side. Then pyjamas were donned and all attempted to sleep. Some slept soundly lulled by the rocking of the train, or Dramamine. Others spent a fitful night interrupted by stops at several stations and a police drug raid, complete with a sniffer dog that caught two drug smugglers sharing Lindsey's compartment. Everyone was more than ready but not prepared to depart the train when it arrived eight minutes early at our destination.
A bus picked us up at the station and we were treated to another masterful display of driving prowess when our driver ended up on a street blocked by construction and had to back up one full block on a narrow lane with trees on one side and cars on the other.
After a trip to the hotel and back to the station, we took a train and a water taxi to the Murano glass factory. We had a short demonstration where an artist turned molten glass into a vase and a rearing horse while we watched. Then we had a chance to see spectacular works of art including: a variety of animals, chandeliers, vases, wine glasses and jewelry, which ranged in price from a few Euros to thousands of Euros.
Next it was another water taxi to the downtown core of Venice, which is one of 118 small islands joined by bridges. Here we visited St. Mark's Square and grabbed a quick lunch before heading off on a gondola ride through the saltwater canals of Venice. After a quick walking tour of Venice that ended at the Doge's Palace it was a few hours of free time before another water taxi, train and bus ride to dinner. That night we celebrated Morgan Sloboda's 18th birthday. It is not everyone who gets to spend his or her birthday in Italy.
The next morning we were off to Rome on board a high-speed train, which went 300 kilometres an hour for some of the journey. In Rome it was a sunny 22C, which was a pleasant change.
Our first stop was the Trevi Fountain. It is said that if you throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain it guarantees your return to Rome. Several coins found their way into the water. We continued on to the Pantheon which sits at the end of the Piazza della Rotonda, originally a temple built over 1,800 years ago to all the Roman gods. In this square we found Italian restaurants serving pizza, bruschetta and, of course, gelato (ice cream).
Our afternoon ended with a tour of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. It was quite the experience to walk in a structure built during 72 to 80 AD. Although all of the Colosseum's decorative marble and sculptures were removed or stolen, to build or be used in other buildings, it is still a magnificent site.
Our hotel was about an hour out of the city and that night we enjoyed a lasagna supper and a quiet night. The next morning, due to a public transportation strike, we headed into Rome at an early hour to beat the traffic. Our first stop was the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's church. The buildings are amazing and every ceiling, wall, doorway and even floor seemed to have an artistic element. There also were many opportunities to buy books and souvenirs throughout our tour. Afterwards we headed to a shop where you could have items blessed. Outside, the ever-present street vendors made quite a few sales of scarves.
Our day moved to the Piazza Navone, where we enjoyed another Italian lunch which many ended with a traditional ice cream dessert called Tartufo. The afternoon was free to wander and visit areas such as the Spanish Steps, the Victor Emmanuel Monument in the Piazza Venezia or just visit the many shops in the downtown area.
Our last meal in Rome consisted of a personal pizza and custard-like dessert before we headed back to our hotel and packed. Amazingly, everyone's suitcase was underweight, which made the 3:30 a.m. departure to the airport more palatable. Then it was a 31-hour marathon of flights from Rome to Munich to Toronto to Calgary to Saskatoon.
One of our parents used the word holiday when discussing our trip with Lindsey who replied "This is not a holiday, this is a tour," and she was correct. The pace was definitely fast but the itinerary gave you a taste of four major European cities and an idea of where you'd like to return.
When quizzing the students about their favourite parts of the tour the highlights included: London, the Eiffel Tower and the Colosseum. However, you know the trip is a success when, halfway through the tour, one of your Grade 10 students asks, "So, where are we going in Grade 12?"
