Trip to Europe a Success for Niwot Students

After years without a teacher-led trip to Europe due to travel restrictions brought on by Covid, Niwot students were excited to be able to travel together. A total of 48 students and chaperones toured seven cities across Europe for 15 days. Students departed for the trip just days after graduation on May 30 and returned June 13.

According to Niwot English and IB teacher Becky Myers, this trip is a highlight of the year for many kids. "It's a very global perspective, which features history and literature of the area," Myers said.

Myers has done this same trip 6 times in the past and was very keen to travel after the hours it took planning and organizing, only to have it canceled in 2020 and 2021. This year the trip, booked through EF Travel and dubbed the European Carousel Trip, included tours of Amsterdam, Heidelberg, Munich, Innsbruck, Venice, Lucerne, Dijon, Paris, and London.

The students who participate are naturally curious and can handle uncertainty. "We find the students who want to stretch their knowledge, get out of their comfort zone, and be a little uncomfortable are the ones who really benefit from taking this trip," Myers said..

One of the highlights of the trip was visiting a cheese-making operation in the Netherlands. "We landed in Amsterdam and the first thing we did was we went to a little farm that makes cheeses, mostly Gouda, and they also make clogs. The students enjoyed the clog-making but it all came together for them with the cheeses," Myers said.

"The farm was run by a woman from Colorado who met and married the Dutch farmer," Myers said. "She went on and on about the various flavors and textures of the cheeses, and about the whole operation. It was gorgeous, very pastoral with gorgeous horses and a beautiful setting, plus the connection with the Fort Collins woman - the kids loved it."

Another highlight for the chaperones was seeing how the students responded at the tour of the Anne Frank house and museum. "One student was very touched. She was so moved by seeing the actual house and hearing the recordings of the words she'd read in Anne Frank's diary, she had to take a moment and was visibly upset while we stood and honored that moment."

Amsterdam itself is antiquity interspersed with the modern world," Myers said. "You respond to that dichotomy when you see something of such historical significance. Another thing the students were impressed by was the fact that there are so many bikes and so few cars comparatively in the Netherlands."

A sampling of the itinerary the students enjoyed:

• Netherlands: Dam Square, which is home to Koninklijk Paleis (the Royal Palace). The Anne Frank House, where the young girl hid with her family from 1942 to 1944. This is also the site where she penned her poignant diary.

• Germany: Heidelberg Castle wine barrel. Munich-Olympic Stadium; Residenz; Marienplatz.

• Italy: Venice, tour of St. Mark's Square, a glass-blowing demonstration and water taxi to Murano.

• Switzerland: Swiss Alps experience Verona to Lucerne.

• France: Burgundy region and a walking tour of Dijon. The city of lights, Paris walking tour of Île de la Cité. Eiffel Tower, Versailles.

• England: London – Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Piccadilly Circus.