This summer I was given the opportunity to travel to Europe for over a month. The first two weeks of my trip were spent with the choral department in Eppelheim, Germany. During the trip the AHS students stayed with German host families. Many of those who did host students were familiar with the AHS kids from when they visited Annandale. The students were so gracious and kind. They welcomed us into their homes with kind hearts. While in Eppelheim, we became immersed into the Germans’ every-day life. The experience was amazing, and one I will never forget. My last night in Eppelheim, my family met me in Germany! I was so happy to see them again and continue on my excursion through Europe.
The next day we left and were off to Munich! We visited a Hofbrauhaus, where they served us bratwurst and sauerkraut, which are traditional German foods, and they were delicious. I loved Germany, and learning more about my German heritage. Then we moved on to Italy. Venice was very romantic and picturesque. There we rode gondola boats, and toured every inch of the city. Florence was the Mecca of art. One thing I really enjoyed enjoyed there was visiting the Accademia museum and seeing Michelangelo’s “David” . Rome was spectacular. There we toured the Vatican. The museum is the second largest museum in the world with 53 billion $$ worth of artwork, not to mention donated art work form endless artists. The Sistine Chapel of course, was just gorgeous and left me speechless. The tour ended with St. Peters Basilica which was also an amazing work of art. After that, we went to the Colosseum and the forum. which were incredible.
Greece was my absolute favorite. We arrived to the airport and everything seemed as if it was one big dream. Santorini was gorgeous. Every where you looked you could see views that left you breathless . Here we got to sail on a catamaran and even visited sites where the movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was shot. We also visited Athens, the capital .The city was huge! Leaving Greece was hard. Off we went to Paris where we visited the Eiffel tower, and the Arc de Triumph. We also got to experience the excitement and crazy crowds from the “Tour de France.” We caught the racers their last day of the race and cheered as they finished through the beautiful city.
These are just some of the many things we did in Europe and I loved every second of this trip. I feel as though I really grew as a person this summer and I encourage everyone to see the world! I was lucky enough to do so with the ones I love and it was the trip of a lifetime! I’m going back as soon as possible! This was an incredible summer vacation!
Victoria Huenemann
Special to The A-Blast
