Overseas adventure: Creston youths, teacher use summer vacation to visit Europe

Three Creston youths took summer vacation literally this year, heading overseas for a whirlwind tour of Europe. Hannah Finehout, Emerald Gwinner and Kylea Lynam spent 11 days visiting Italy, Switzerland and France, along with Creston High School Spanish teacher Ann Simmons and friend Karen Kline. “I’ve always wanted to see Europe,” said Gwinner, a Creston High School senior. “Now, I just want to go back.” Simmons has taken students on trips before, but never a group this small. “It was nice to travel with just a few in our group, because we could see more of what we wanted to see,” said Lynam, who graduated from CHS this spring. Tour The five Creston travelers joined 31 other students and teachers from three other schools across the U.S., but they had plenty of time to see what they wanted to see. The tour, from June 12 to 22, was organized by EF Educational Tours, a company Simmons has worked with before. “It was fast,” Finehout, a junior, admitted. “It’s not long enough to gather all of the culture, but we got to see the main points.” As they chatted about the ups and downs of their tour and flipped through photos of the highlights, the camaraderie between the group’s members was evident. They easily reeled off sights they’d seen, such as Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel, Roman Forum and Colosseum in Rome — but were quick to interrupt each other with everyday memories. “The gelato, we can’t forget the gelato,” said Finehout, speaking about Italy’s flavorful ice cream. “It was so good, and there were so many flavors.” Finehout’s favorite flavor was coffee, Lynam preferred the coconut, and Gwinner said she loved the pineapple. Itinerary Gwinner admits when the group landed in Rome, it was overwhelming at first — after a long flight and significant jet lag, all she wanted to do was sleep. But, it was morning in Rome and the group couldn’t check into its hotel yet, “so, instead, we went on a walking tour,” said Gwinner. They stopped in Assisi, Italy, for an afternoon, which “was a relief after all those people and all that pollution,” Finehout said. Then, it was off to Florence for two nights before moving on to Pisa to see the famous leaning tower. The group then went on to Lucerne, Switzerland. “Lucerne was my favorite,” said Lynam. “We got to ride on this tram all the way up a mountain. I was bummed we couldn’t stay a little longer.” “Yeah, I would go back in an instant,” added Finehout. “After being in all those busy towns with the horns and the yelling and the sirens every second, Lucerne was nice.” Then, it was on to Paris, where the group saw more traditional sites, such as the Arc De Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Versailles, Musee d’Orsay and Louvre. All three youths said history and music appreciation classes they’d taken in high school helped them understand much of what they saw in Italy, Switzerland and France. And, they made sure to mention their favorite food in France: crepes. “Those were amazing, too,” said Lynam. “I had to get coconut there, too.” Home All of the trip’s participants said they had to get used to more walking than usual. “The people in Europe walk a lot, and they walk fast,” said Simmons. “They’re used to it, and we had to keep up.” They returned to the U.S. tired, but certain it had been worth every sore muscle. After a frustrating visit to customs in Chicago where some vacuum-sealed sausage — purchased as souvenirs — was taken from Lynam and Gwinner because it wasn’t commercially packaged, the group headed back to Des Moines. The travelers have been home for a few weeks now, and said their families are getting a little tired of their stories. “I’ll admit it, my dad and my sister are getting pretty sick of it,” said Finehout. “My mom is being very patient, she’s still listening.” Lynam laughed — “My dad just turns around and walks away now when I go on my schpeel.” —————— Jasmynne Sloan can be reached at (641) 782-2141 ext. 236 or jsloan@crestonnews.com