This current summer I took a trip to Europe. I went to many intriguing places including Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, and London. Some places that you should definitely go to is the Louvre and Eiffel tower in France. In Germany, you should go to the castle of Koln, but don’t forget to just walk around and see all the different and ravishing cities! In London, you have to go to see the Big Ben and take a ride on the London eye. But we can’t forget the Netherlands! While you’re there, make sure to go the Anne Frank house. Well, the reason I went on this trip and got the chance to go see all these fantastic places was because I got selected to travel abroad with a program called People to People.
People to People is a traveling program, started by President Eisenhower, which was established in 1956. Through this program, students experienced educational travel that opens minds and lets us experience many different cultures of the world. In order to be a part of this program you had to be chosen. You went through a process of filling out your application, writing an essay, getting recommendations, and going to an interview. It truly did change my life for the better. So since we went over some background information that leads me to talk about the places I went to!

To start with, France, without any question is place you have to go to if your ever there. Now everyone knows about the Eiffel Tower, but experiencing it for yourself, is truly amazing. You’re able to see the entire city from the top, which was jaw dropping for me. The Louvre was absolutely fantastic. Actually getting to see so many of the masterpieces of the world that I’ve learned about in class was mind blowing, especially when I saw the Mona Lisa.

To continue with, Germany is also another place that you should definitely consider. There was always so much to do and so many sites to see, The Castle of Koln was really a beautiful site, and it was astronomical! The only thing that wasn’t as fun was climbing all those stairs! While I was on the trip I got a chance to stay with a German family and even attend school there. Just in general, Germany had such a pleasant atmosphere and everyone was so friendly! It was truly one of my favorite countries that we went to.

Moving on…To England! London was one of the most interesting cities we went to partly because it was so similar to America yet so different. For one, we all spoke the same language which was cool because we didn’t have as much trouble trying to understand them. What was also really interesting was that a lot of teens over there wore American flags, while here in America we are wearing English flags! Well some places to go, the Big Ben! But to get the best view, look at it from the London eye! Not only do you get to see the Big Ben, but the rest of London! If you do ever go, I would advise to go earlier, the line was extremely long and we had to wait almost an hour when we went in the afternoon.

Last but definitely not least…the Netherlands! The architect there was absolutely beautiful and the cities and places we went, spoke of so much history. One of my favorite places was the Anne Frank house. All my life I’ve heard of everything she went through, but to actually be in the place she stood and struggled, to read the actual journal she wrote in, it was astounding. There was so much emotion and history, and a mix of feelings that hit me when I actually climbed those stairs, and stood in the crammed space that was her room. I was just extremely honored to even be there. But, if you do ever go there, make sure to get there earlier, just like in London, we waited in line for a long time since we go there in the afternoon.
In conclusion, I hope that some of the tips I said were helpful to you. This trip really did have an impact on my life though. It was such an eye-opener to see and really experience the different parts of the world. It planted in me, an appreciation for all the cultures and different type of people in our world. It really was an astonishing experience for me, and if you ever get the chance to travel, I hope it’s a fantastic experience for you too!