My trip to Europe was one I will never forget. The Spanish Club decided to go to Europe the upcoming spring break. My twelve classmates and I were thrilled about traveling oversees with our two advisors. Despite the immense cost, all the students quickly signed up. Through extensive planning and endless begging to our parents, we finally made it happen. Our next stop: Europe!
The next morning we arrived in the beautiful romantic city of Rome, Italy. Being the hopeless romantic that I am, I had always wanted to visit the city that conveyed romance through art, religion, and history. Rome was known for their strong beliefs in the catholic religion. It was a surreal experience to be present at the Vatican during Easter mass given by the famous Pope Benedict XVI. Even though it was raining and we had to fight through the crowds of people, it is a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life. Seeing the Pope with my very own eyes is an unbelievable moment that not many people can check off their bucket list.
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“Buddy up,” everyone heard as we entered the coliseum, which was the commonly used phrase to reassure that we were all together. The travelers entered the first amphitheater to be built in Rome. It was astonishing to see the vast ellipse. We undoubtedly have the same reactions as others entering one of the most famous tourist attractions. The monumental size had us all in awe.
After our visits through Rome, we were off to venture to another great city in Italy called Florence. There we visited the most historical attraction known as The Leaning Tower of Pisa, which was more breathtaking than expected. You can see most tourists taking, what I call, the “ritual” picture of envisioning yourself holding up the tower. I was one of them. As the group was returning to the tour bus, we stopped for some impromptu shopping from the various street vendors. I will never forgot this woman on the street. She drew a mural of a mother holding her baby with a sorrowful look on her face in the middle of the street simply with vibrant multicolored chalk and her diligent hands. The size of this creation was so massive that it took the whole width of a road. The creativity of the mural was so mind-blowing.
Despite our unforgettable sightseeing in Italy, our exploring was not over. Our next destination was Barcelona, Spain. One of the wonders there was the first attraction we visited called La Sagrada Familia. This eminent church was built by well- renowned Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi. La Sagrada Familia is located in the center of Barcelona making it one of the universal signs of identity of the country that is visited by numerous amounts of people all over the world. Our only disappointment was the scarce time period we were granted with to discover Spain. The time consisted of a single day. Our weary bodies could not hold off anymore, but the lack of time motivated us. The eager tourists forgot all about their exhaustion once they saw the astounding architecture Spain had to offer.
Regardless of the vast cost, this experience was worth every penny. The diverse food we tasted, the architecture we observed, the history we learned from all the churches visited, and our inside jokes are unforgettable. The spring break trip I took was a remarkable experience that I can always travel back to through the four hundred pictures I took to reminisce on the sights and beauty of historical Europe.
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