After two years of planning and a pandemic, eight students from Parke Heritage High School along with adults, Amy McCalister and Darlene Reeder, and sponsor Leitha Stone traveled to Italy and Spain during Spring Break, March 19-28.
The students who traveled were Ashlyn Hybarger, Maryssa King, Adeon King, Garret McCallister, Grant Thompson, Michaela Troutman, Jorja Hammonds and Hunter Spurr.
Leaving from Indianapolis they traveled through Philadelphia to Rome, Italy spending two days seeing the sites of St. Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Coliseum, Roman Forum, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and the Catacombs. Of course, the group ate a lot of pizza, pasta and gelato. Moving on to visit Florence Italy, they saw the Duomo, Gates of Paradise, Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio, Basilica Santa Croce. Florence also brought more gelato and sidewalk cafés.
Leaving Florence, the travelers flew to Madrid for two days. Despite the rain, they visited the Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Mercado de San Miguel, and toured the Royal Palace. Some travelers took a side trip to Toledo while others took in the Prado and Reina Sofia Art Museums. The rain made a cup of hot chocolate and churros a treat. Another highlight was riding the AVE Bullet train from Madrid to Barcelona. In Barcelona, Parc Gűell, La Sagrada Familia, they spent time walking and shopping along Las Ramblas, Montjuïc.
The group was guided around the different sites by their tour director Jose Luis Tejedor.
