Spending 14 hours flying to the other side of the world was well worth the trip for SPHS students. They had an opportunity to experience new languages, cultures, and people as they visited Switzerland, Germany, and Austria.

SPHS Travels to Switzerland,
Germany, and Austria

May 08, 2015
Santa Paula News

Samuel W. Ramirez

Santa Paula High School

Foreign Language Teacher

Spending 14 hours flying to the other side of the world was well worth the trip for SPHS students. They had an opportunity to experience new languages, cultures, and people as they visited Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. This life-changing experience and adventure helped foster their self-confidence, took them outside of their comfort zones, inspired them to be better people, to try new things, and make adult life choices. 

The first day in Europe students explored Zurich’s Old Town, a medieval pedestrian zone filled with gothic towers and amazing stained-glass windows. They walked through a maze of narrow, winding streets, and strolled through the Medieval Kapellbrucke Bridge, which is decorated with murals that recreate the 14th century originals that were destroyed in a fire. They also walked through cobblestone streets contemplating the Lion Monument, a sandstone wildcat gazing down into a reflecting pool, created to honor Swiss Guards who died defending the Tuileries in 1792. They were astonished to see towering snowcapped mountains, the glittering Little Golden Roof, and the balcony where Maximilian I Habsburg and his love Bianca promised to stay together forever. While exploring the country side, they took multiple pictures of the steep ski jump on hill Bergisel, the site of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympic Games. 

In Bavaria, students entered the castle of King Ludwig II, built atop a rock ledge in the Bavarian Alps, which served as the inspiration for Cinderella’s castle in Disney World. Its construction started in 1869 but was left unfinished because Ludwig’s death came early at a young age. They also visited a Bavarian dwelling in Oberammergau, where the black plague spread through Europe, wiping out tens of thousands of people. The residents of Alpine village prayed to be spared from the plague. Now, every ten years, during the summer days, the thankful town puts on the “Passion Play,” celebrating the blessing they were granted as they overcame the Black Death.

While in Munich, students immersed themselves in German life dancing to the folk-music of the Neues Rathaus’s Glockenspiel, tasting typical foods, and viewing the Ollympiapark, a new suburb built for the 1972 Olympic Games. They also visited the BMW Museum, and the Deutsches Museum of science and technology. However, the most appealing place for them was Dachau, Nazi Germany’s first concentration camp.

This concentration camp truly touched students’ hearts. They could feel the freezing cold, the suspense, the trauma, and the suffering Jews experienced. Students scrutinized every corner of this camp: the gas chamber and crematorium, restored as a memorial to the 206,000 prisoners interned from 1933 to 1945; the barracks, and the small church where they attended; the small cemetery where ashes were thrown and where some were buried; the museum that examines pre-1930 anti-Semitism, the rise of the Nazi party; and, the documented lives of prisoners. Silently, students watched a video of actual footage taken at the camp during the time it was opened; most were unable to hold back their tears.

On a happier note, students visited the birthplace of the prodigal composer Mozart, in Salzburg, Vienna. They took a glimpse of his humble home, a sample of his hair, his actual writings and compositions, his piano and violin, and felt the rhythm of Salzburg’s Old Town Square. They were astonished to see such an impressive collection and admired his talent and achievements as a young composer. In the evening, they attended a live concert to hear the best of classical music composed by Mozart. Its spiritual undertones and carefree finales compelled them to get lost in the complex melodies imagining Mozart playing at age of 17. It was a cultural treat for their ears and spirit. Finally, students explored Vienna on a cruise; they admired art in the riverbank as they cruised the Danube River, Europe’s second largest river and the only one flowing from west to east. They learned how vital transportation was 2,000 years ago. 

Next year, students will have the opportunity to travel to China (Beijing & Shanghai) and learn about its art, culture, and history.





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