Europe Trip 2010


On the Plaka in Athens	Learning the Sousta during Greek dancing lessons	Miss Bell, Mrs. Avery and Mrs. St. Jean having lunch on the island of Capri (pictured with the restaurant owner)

After the pizza making session at the cooking school	At the Roman Colosseum	Gladiator School

13 WBMHS Seniors and Juniors had a fabulous time over April school vacation touring through Greece and Italy: Matt Baker, David Blake, Andrea Borge, Joe George, Jennifer Godbout, Devin Hart, Cayla Kneeland, Becky Matias, Laura Owanisian, Mike Passmore, Kristen Peterson, Fletcher Viders and Brittany Zendzian. Chaperoning this crew were teachers Mrs. Tina Avery and Miss Nanci Bell. Also accompanying us were Rosann St. Jean, Patricia Kneeland, Jody Barnard and Whitney Barnard.

We began in Athens on April 16^th. We were fortunate that the volcano in Iceland did not affect our flight in any way, as we were far enough south. Our fantastic Tour Director, Osciri Chageg, met us at the airport. In Athens we visited, among other sites, the Acropolis, Parthenon, and the Parliament with changing of the Guard and wandered through ancient marketplaces (Plaka). We had Greek dancing lessons and tried out the dances at a tavern in the evening. Huppa! Evidence of recent protests could be seen in the broken plate glass windows of the store next to our hotel. (Nothing of the sort happened while we were there.) We traveled from Athens to Delphi to consult with the Oracle. We also visited the ruins of Olympia, site of the original Olympic Games. Several students conducted races of their own – backwards. As I write this today, thousands are protesting in Athens about Greece’s economic situation. The Athens airport is closed as are the tourist attractions. We were fortunate to experience what we did in Greece when we did, without any safety issues, and then exit on cue. Hopefully none of the historic sites will be damaged during this tumultuous time.

From Greece we journeyed by ferry to Italy. What was to be a 14 hour ride turned into a 19 hour ride due to a 5 hour delay in port as we waited for a delivery to the ship. Such are the vagaries of travel. When we finally arrived in Italy we had a long bus ride to Sorrento, which turned out to be almost everyone’s favorite place on our trip. Warm, friendly, casual – Sorrento had wonderful food and a great hotel waiting for us. From our home-base of Sorrento we visited fascinating Pompeii and the resort island of Capri. One of our evenings there we visited a cooking school and learned how to make our own home-made Italian pizzas, baked in an open, hearth-style oven. Molto bene! Delizioso!

Finally we were off to Rome – Andiamo! Our local guide took us through the Colosseum, and the Forum. Osciri, a native of Rome, took us to the Parthenon, Trevi Fountain, Plaza Navona and a superb Gelateria (place to get gelato) among other places. On our final day in Rome we visited the Vatican including the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. Truly awe-inspiring! Following the Vatican, the students attended gladiator school, learning all the moves necessary to compete against the best in the Colosseum. Our graduates earned certificates proclaiming them Citizens of Rome.

The next day we flew back to the U.S., thus ending our fantastic trip. We’ll have wonderful memories to last us a lifetime!