Fairfield High School students tour Europe

A dozen Fairfield High School students recently returned from a two-week educational tour to Europe.

The students embarked on a ?WWII and the Western Front? tour with EF Educational Tours to visit important war battlegrounds and sites. They were chaperoned by Sue Hansen, FHS French teacher, and her sister Soni Harney.

The high schoolers began in London, where they were met by their guide, Allyson Seward, and the other groups that would accompany them during the tour. Students were allowed to walk through the areas where the Globe Theater was located, watch the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, see St. Paul?s Cathedral, ride the London Eye, cruise the Thames River and take a bus tour through London. The tour also took the students to the Imperial War Museum, Churchill?s bunker and war rooms, and on a Jack the Ripper tour.

The students then bussed to Portsmouth, England, where they visited a museum dedicated to D-Day. That night, they boarded a ferry to Caen, France, for a tour of the Museum of Peace. The students then took a bus to Pointe du Hoc, the D-Day beaches, Arromanche and the American Cemetery. Students were stunned by its expanse and eerie beauty. The number of white crosses and Stars of David allowed them to experience the cost in lives of D-Day. Students also had some time to shop and enjoy the beaches before boarding a bus to Paris.

During the ride, the group watched the film ?Saving Private Ryan.? Not a word was uttered during the film as the students realized they had seen areas where the film had taken place. The students had seen the craters left by bombing, the towering cliffs that had to be scaled, the bunkers and the beaches that had cost many their lives.

Upon arriving in Paris, the weather had warmed up significantly and the tour visited Notre Dame Cathedral, the Left Bank and Sacre Coeur Cathedral. They took a bus tour of Paris to see the Arc de Triomphe, the famous Champs Elysee and other famous sites. Later that evening, they took a relaxing boat ride on the Seine River and finished by ascending the Eiffel Tower. From there, students could see all of Paris. One morning, they visited Versailles, the palace of King Louis XIV. Due to the heat, many tourists decided to go there rather than stay in the city, so it was overly crowded.

Leaving Paris to go to Bastogne, Belgium, proved quite a feat due to massive traffic jams. In Bastogne, the tour visited the site of the Battle of the Bulge. A local guide took them through the Mardasson Memorial, McAuliffe Square and the still visible foxholes in the Ardennes forest. The students then went to the Ardennes Cemetery, which was opened just for them by the superintendent. He pointed out notable Medal of Honor winners, explained the notification and burial processes and helped the group locate a Fairfield student?s relative, who is buried in a nearby cemetery. The day was especially memorable for the chaperones, as their father fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

The tour left Belgium the next day by bus and went to Cologne, Germany. Students were able to scale the narrow steps in one of the bell towers to see incredible views of the city. Inside the cathedral, students were able to see the golden tomb of the Three Magi as well as the expansive interior of the cathedral, which had been badly bombed during the war. They visited the markets to pick up snacks for the train ride to Berlin. Arriving late in Berlin, the group was taken to their hotel to settle in for the night.

Berlin proved to be an exciting city for the students. The group was able to experience Checkpoint Charlie and its museum, the changing landscape of East Berlin with West Berlin, the Brandenberg Gate and a personal tour of the Parliament Building by one of their elected senators. It is rare that this happens, but one of the tour?s fellow travelers from Kansas had a former exchange student who was able to arrange the tour. The group was able to have some time to pick up souvenirs, do some shopping and enjoy the city.

The tour left Berlin by bus and headed for Nuremberg. The city had hosted the rallies of Hitler and also was the site of the famous hangings of German officers during the war. The quaint city and its welcoming residents allowed the students to sample local food favorites, shop and wander the city. The group passed through the walls of the city through tunnels as they left before boarding a bus for the long trip to Munich.

Upon entering Munich, the group saw the Olympic stadium and its venues. Their hotel was a bit out of town but gave them some quiet from the hustle and bustle of the city. The following day, the group toured the infamous Dachau concentration camp. It was a solemn reminder to the students of the Holocaust and its brutal treatment of prisoners. Students were amazed at how the camp was considered to be ?gentle? as compared with the many others. One Kansas student explained how her grandfather had been imprisoned at the camp and survived. She was the only family member to visit the camp since her grandfather?s release.

On the final two days of the tour, the students went to the Alps to see the Eagle?s Nest, Hitler?s hideaway that was constructed and given to him for his 50th birthday by his wife, Eva Braun. There, students could see the Alps, the snow caps on distant mountains, the villages below and the hideaway itself. After descending narrow, one-lane roads, the class toured the bunkers that were created for Hitler and his men.

To wrap up the two-week tour, the students journeyed to Salzburg, Austria, for the afternoon. The city is cut in two by the river, with a huge castle perched on a cliff overlooking the city. In the main square is Mozart?s home, quaint shops, outdoor cafes, massive cathedrals and tiny cemeteries. The movie ?The Sound of Music? was filmed in Salzburg.

The students left for the airport in Munich early the next morning to return to Cedar Rapids.

Following the trip, Hansen said it gave the students a new appreciation for the history, sites and foreign cultures of Europe.