Coffee under the Eiffel Tower, hiking in the Alps, and gondola rides through Venice, Italy; through the student travel organization Educational Tours, thirty-nine of Colonial Forge’s Juniors and Seniors got to tour seven European countries over the course of fifteen days.

The group started its tour in the Netherlands, then traveled to Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France and ended in England.

Although this trip was not organized or sponsored by the school, four of Colonial Forge’s teachers chaperoned the trip, including Mr. Oldenberg and Ms. Thornton.

This was Ms. Thornton’s fifth time visiting Europe. “This trip was kind of like a flashback for me, because when I was in high school I went to Europe with my class. But it was weird this trip because the roles were reversed, I was the teacher watching the students and it was really fun!”

The Company organized trips and planned everything very well.

Kate Roberts (‘14) found the most memorable place in Amsterdam at Anne Frank’s house.

“Visiting the Anne Frank house meant a lot to me because my dad’s Jewish, and my grandmother’s sister died in the Holocaust,” Kate said.

Students who went on the trip can’t seem to talk enough about Switzerland, from the scenery to the culture.

“The Swiss Alps was definitely my favorite place we visited.  I felt so high up and free when we were at the edge. The views were breathtaking,” said Mollie Clemmons (‘12).

In France, students found the feeling some locals had towards tourists. [WU1] “When we were waiting for our bus in France, these French teens were hitting each other with baguettes and they mooned us. They dislike Americans,” said Lauren Evans (‘12).

Not all attractions were education-related, though.  Jenna Ulizio (‘13) was able to experience a common toy put in cages to entertain hamsters.

“Kate Roberts, Mr. Oldenberg, and I went into those blow up hamster balls in the water in Germany! It was crazy and so much fun!” she said.

Mr. Oldenberg also found himself getting lost in the side streets of Venice, Italy.

“All of the locals tell you to purposely get lost in the side streets and alleys,” he said. “It was absolutely amazing, the architecture, the history, and shops; everything was just beautiful.”

When they arrived in London, England, preparations for the 2012 Summer Olympics were coming to an end.

“It was so fantastic being in London so close to the Olympics,” Ms. Thornton said. “The streets were so prideful and it really helped prove that the Olympics untie the world during the games.”

The students say that they formed new friendships and made many new memories over the course of the trip.