A Spring Break Date with History
By: Kyle Grabowski
By: Kyle Grabowski
When people hear the names Greece and Italy , their minds immediately flash to massive empires and ancient ruins. The Mediterranean Sea laps on white sand beaches and hunky men drive around on mopeds. Two mighty countries at the forefront of history, style, and imagination were the destinations for Platte Canyon High School ’s travel club this Spring Break. Fifteen students along with two teachers and a parental chaperone left Denver on Friday March 21st for Washington-Duluth International Airport in Washington D.C. After a half-hour there the group boarded the Boeing 777 for a 7-½ hour trek across the Atlantic to Frankfurt, Germany. Another hour was spent there, money was converted to Euros and the final flight to Athens took off. A walk to the National Gardens, Parliament, and Temple of Zeus followed a quick visit to the hotel to drop off suitcases. Dinner that night was a fairly disappointing bland spaghetti dish. We all slept well that night before venturing to the Agora and Acropolis the next day. By the time the sun rose the next morning our group was already on a bus to the famous sight of Delphi, where an oracle was said to have prophesized. That night would be our last in Athens before visiting Olympia the next day and moving to a seaside hotel before boarding a ferry to Italy. Shortly after the ship docked we were shipped again by bus to relatively nearby Pompeii to visit the ruins. A cross-country drive stood between the Eternal City of Rome and us. When it was finally over, we took a jaunt to the legendary Trevi Fountain. It was all lit up at night and almost empty, so the moment was just about perfect for all parties involved. The next day involved guided tours of the Vatican City, Coliseum, and Roman Forum. We thought that this would be our last night, and celebrated a wonderful trip. Unbeknownst to us, our flight would be delayed two hours the next morning and a plane that was too small was sent. United Airlines fitted the bill for us to stay in the Airport Hilton for the night and paid for lunch, dinner, and breakfast the next morning. We saw the Mouth of Truth and Circus Maximus (where they raced the chariots) and got in one last, frantic hour of shopping. The flights home the next day went off without a hitch and all that was left was a long drive back to Bailey from the airport loaded with gifts, pictures, and stories.
