CPHS Takes on Europe!

This Spring Break, some students and Ms. Maks embarked on a trip overseas to Europe. I was lucky enough to be one of the students who took this journey. We explored 4 cities in 4 different countries: Paris, France; Lucerne, Switzerland; Innsbruck, Austria and Munich, Germany. Our journey was along with another high school from South Carolina.

The trip started on Thursday, March 29th as we boarded the plane to Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris. We arrived there at 7 in the morning local time, which is 1 AM here in Cliffside Park. As we arrived, we met up with the other school and our tour guide. She could speak English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Italian and was able to help us get around in France. She took us to the bus and we drove to the hotel in the neighborhood of Malakoff, which is on the outskirts of Paris. While in France, we visited the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, and walked along the small streets. We also visited the Palace of Versailles and had the chance to explore the inside and take in the breathtaking view of the Gardens of Versailles.

On Sunday, the group took the TGV, one of the fastest trains in the world, to Basel, where we transferred to another train to Bern. We ventured around the city for the day before boarding the bus to our hotel in Lungern. The next day, we took the bus to Lucerne, the next city on our list. We strolled down the streets, visited the famous lion monument dedicated to the Swiss Guards that defended the Tuileries Palace in Paris when it was stormed by revolutionaries. We walked along the streets and at the end of the day, we returned to our hotel to enjoy a fondue dinner.

The next day, we left early for Innsbruck. Along the way, we stopped in Liechtenstein for an hour and a half for a tour of Vaduz before heading to Austria. Once in Innsbruck, we explored the city for a few hours before heading to the hotel up in the mountains.

The next morning, we boarded the bus to Germany. First stop before Munich was the Neuschwanstein castle, the famous German castle that inspired the castle in Sleeping Beauty. Afterwards, the group took a turn to Oberammergau, a German town known for their passion plays produced and orchestrated every ten years. After those excursions, we went to Munich for dinner before heading to the hotel for the night.

The next day started off with a sightseeing tour of the city, which included a visit to the BMW Headquarters. Afterwards, a visit to the Dachau concentration camp was in order. Visiting this sight of course was saddening, just to think that years ago, the place would have been full of people innocent of any wrongdoings held captive for who they were. This visit was hauntingly inspiring and we all took a lesson from it: we all deserve to be happy and equal, regardless of who we may be. That night, the final night of the trip, the group had a traditional bratwurst dinner.

The last day arrived and everyone was sad to leave but we left with new experiences, new friendships, and a newfound passion to travel back to Europe once more. Europe is a beautiful place, full of different cultures and traditions that seep into our lives here in America. As we returned, we found ourselves carrying a piece of Europe with us, carrying new customs and ideas. Europe definitely had an impact on our lives, and each one of us is grateful and thankful for being able to have the opportunity to travel.