Visit London, Paris, and Normandy in a Week
February 15, 2016
For several MSMS students, Spring Break will be filled with a walk through the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles where the Paris Peace Conference was held to negotiate the terms of the treaty that ended World War I. Another day will be spent exploring the D-Day beaches where thousands of Allied soldiers fought for their lives and turned the tide of the second World War.
The March 12-20 trip to London, Paris and Normandy is planned through Education First Educational Tours; local sponsors are MSMS Social Sciences Instructor Julie Heintz and Performing Arts Instructor Dawn Barham.
While this trip is not a school-organized venture, attending students will have the opportunity to visit many historical landmarks they have learned about in the classroom or read about in textbooks.
Heintz and Barham have been organizing MSMS’s Education First tours for many years now. Last year’s trip was to Italy and some current senior students attended.
Senior Ali Otondo said, “The most memorable landmarks we visited were the Colosseum, the Florence Cathedral and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. My favorite of these was the Florence Cathedral because of its beautiful designs and colors and because we were allowed to climb to the top of the dome and bell tower to look over the city.” She continued, “I also loved just roaming the cities that we were in. We would split up into groups of three or four and just walk around for a few hours and get to see and do what we wanted.”
Senior Justin Calhoun, who also attended, said, “We traveled through Italy starting in Milan then to Venice, Assisi, Pisa, Florence, and Rome. We visited the Sistine Chapel, the Uffizi gallery, leaning tower of Pisa, and the Vatican.”
His favorite was the Sistine Chapel. He said, “The Sistine chapel is home to The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo. The ceiling itself is breathtaking and depicts the apostles. It also spans over 5,000 feet.”
There are also many MSMS who have already signed up to attend this year’s trip to London, Paris and Normandy.
Angie Harri said, “ I’ve always wanted to visit London and Paris, and ever since I learned about D-Day, Normandy has held my interest. Also, the image of roaming the streets of Europe with my friends made me want to go on this trip. I look forward to experiencing more European culture…and I can’t wait for the food!”
Allen Lin gave similar reasons for going on the trip. “It thought it would be a good experience to travel to other parts of the world with my friends. Also I have never been to London, Normandy, or Paris and wanted to see what it is like over there. I look forward to traveling my friends, learning and trying new food.”
While tasting foreign cuisine is a much anticipated aspect of the trip, students are also looking forward to seeing in person the history they have studied.
