European Humanities Tour: A Student's Perspective

By Doc Stanley, Class of 2023

Last year, after a Denmark and Sweden Discovery trip, I was told to prepare a one-minute summary of the trip for my parents. After this trip to Europe, a one-minute summary wasn’t possible. I journaled voraciously on this trip — we all did — and so I handed my entire journal to my parents to read.

A few highlights of our Grand Tour through Greece and Italy emerged: the gorgeous Biblical views from the hilltop Disney-like castle in Corinth looking down at the Adriatic Sea and to the mountains on our side; the night spent on the rooftop of our monastery in Rome with a direct view of the Colosseum, even in the darkness of the night; shopping speed-runs through Florence during free-time with Titan and Jackson; the evening in Florence in the rain when the whole city gleamed as the cobblestone streets and the pastel colored buildings drowned in water; dancing both outside the restaurant where we had lunch after the Vatican, and near the Medici Chapel during our first evening in Florence; the hours spent on bridges in Venice, gazing out on the canals and the bright-colored buildings during sunset; and the evening debriefs, particularly the night in Florence — probably the most open, emotional and vulnerable night of my life, where everyone showed their true colors in the best way possible. 

This trip was the best time of my life, there’s no other way to describe it without understatement or unnecessary hyperbole. The reason why is the love that was exhibited by everyone on the trip for everyone on the trip. As Mrs. Davison keenly pointed out, this was because we followed the example set for us by Mr. Coffman of pure Christ-given love for each other. That is my biggest takeaway from the trip: the power of love.

The art, monuments, and cities we saw have defined human history for the last several millennia and are now forever ingrained in my memory. The Acropolis of Athens, built by Pericles during the Golden Age of Athens in the fifth century BC; the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill, which dominates the historical center of Rome and for me, made me question what the center of Washington DC — the White House, National Mall, and Congress — all the icons of America, the superpower of today, will look like two thousand years from now. Seeing the Vatican and the magnificent Sistine Chapel, as well as the ornate, gilded churches of Rome demonstrated the power of raw, unadulterated beauty. Walking the streets of Florence and Venice, two of the most beautiful cities in the world, and seeing the Uffizi Museum and Michelangelo’s David, was a blessing beyond belief!

Yet the biggest gift of the trip was the human connections built and solidified. On the senior retreat, in the snack room, all of us Humanities kids piled up into one small booth, and probably set multiple records for its seating capacity, up to twelve of us at a booth meant for four. There we talked, laughed and reflected, exhibiting the special relationships that this trip built between us and the memories that hold us together.