I like to sit down after a trip and reminisce about the experiences. This blog actually sprung from that activity. I first started writing "Where in the World is Mr. Lavoie?" in 2013 and here we are, nearly a decade later, and we still are going strong.
This past week has been an amazing one. A few times today, I paused and reflected back on the different things we saw and experiences we had. I needed this trip. It definitely let me clear my mind and made me think back about my own time traveling as a high school student. Today's entry is a quick review of what our trip home was like and a preview of our next adventure.
This picture was taken at roughly 10:30am on Friday. We felt triumphant and Covid-free. We knew that we'd be headed home on Saturday filled with mixed emotions. We would be happy to return to our normal routines, our families, our friends, and our own beds, but we also would miss these places. At the end of Friday night, before our Metro troubles began, some of the kids got emotional speaking about how much this trip meant to them. Some of us chaperones did too. We had no idea that Saturday would be filled with anxiety as we scurried to make our way home.
We woke at our hotel in Paris after a stressful late night arrival. The breakfast at the Ibis hotel was pretty good. It was another buffet style option, but felt a little more modern. They had mini crepes, French corn bread pastries called Madeleines, and fresh fruit salad. Our group had to be divided into two sections due to our size and between 8-8:30 the kids funneled in and out of the dining area. Our bus arrived and we began our trip to Charles De Gaulle airport. We arrived with more than three hours before our departure. When we entered, we saw a madhouse. The terminal was absolutely packed. It was difficult to determine which line to join to check-in and secure our baggage. Eventually, we got in the right spot and began getting our boarding passes. This process was automated to make it simpler, but the system was not effective at all. Some of the reservations of our travelers were lost and we needed manual assistance to complete our booking. Eventually, we all got our bags checked and we joined the massive security line. This is where we spent a bulk of our time. It crept forward, but only slowly. Joanna eventually said goodbye to us and went off to complete her booking home.
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| Our group at the Sacre Coeur |
At one point, when it became apparent we'd be cutting it close, I made an executive decision to try and guarantee our return. Air France agents had repeated come to me asking if I was traveling alone. Apparently, they have a program for single travelers that lets them expedite security, kind of like our TSA Pre-Check. Because I was with the kids, I kept on declining, but when we reached the actual snake part of the security line, I could see no one at the single traveler lane. For whatever reason, my reservation was not the same as anyone else in the group. Chatting with Mrs. Comproni, I decided to go through the expedited line. I literally crossed through customs and security in less than 5 minutes.
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| Our group at the Eiffel Tower |
The rest of the group continued to slowly eek their way to the custom's agents. I was able to go to our gate, check with the gate agents, and then wait meet the kids as the crossed through security. Our flight was halfway boarded before the first Saugus traveler got through...it was nerve wracking. But, one by one, the kids and chaperones made it through...we had seconds to spare, but we all made it. The Air France gate agents could sense the look of relief on my face as I followed our last student on to the plane. We counted two or three times to make sure we didn't leave anyone behind and took our seats.
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| Our group striking a pose at the Louvre |
At that moment, they came over the PA and announced a 30 minute delay because there were at least 50 other people stuck in line. We eventually buckled our safety belts and headed home. I watched a movie (I can't remember which one) and had the airplane lunch. I then set my clock to Boston time and tried to take a power nap. With about 45 minutes of sleep under my belt, I then watched some more videos and waited to land.
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| Our Versailles guide asked a question to the kids. She asked what they thought about the Mona Lisa. Afterwards, she thought she'd trapped them when she said, who saw the painting across the hall from the Mona Lisa...at least four or five our kids said, "The big one?" They took notice of their surrounding! I was so proud. |
Security in Boston couldn't have been easier. We zipped through custom and began getting our baggage. Knowing how anxious the kids were to see their parents and guardians, I told them to go through security and meet their rides. Eventually, all of our kids had their bags and I walked through the final doors of Terminal E with Michael to a mostly empty reception area. We had done it. We were home.
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| At the Pantheon with our last Gelatos in hand |
This trip will definitely be locked into my mind as one that was extra special. Covid really rocked me. I hate that I couldn't travel with all of my Eurotrip2020 kids. I was so very pleased to be able to get over to Europe this past week and to get everyone home safely. It is special for a totally different reason too, however, because it reminded of me how travel impacts us.
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| Most of us under the shadow of Vesuvius |
Walking through the streets of Paris, one of the girls told me that she thinks she might major in French. Saugus no longer offers this language, so to hear her say this melted my heart. It was a conversation I had several years ago with a different Eurotripper too. This type of thing makes travel worth it.
Friday night, one of the girls thanked me for putting this trip together. I stopped her and thanked her. I thanked all of the kids for making this trip special. I thanked them for being great travel buddies and doing what we asked of them, for being on time, for traveling to learn. This is the conversation that triggered some emotions in all of us. Appreciating our now makes travel worth it.
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| Jon Luigi and his amazing self skills at the Coliseum. |
In Pompeii, I had a conversation with two of the kids about what the city must have felt like long before Vesuvius. One of the girls said that she wants to go back and spend more time walking those ruins. Another said, one a different day, that they want to go back to the Vatican museum, another, on yet another day, said they wanted to go back to the Louvre. The thing that jumped out at me is that these kids all, from my initial impression, seemingly would have been interested in shopping and selfies. Don't get me wrong, they are, haha, but they changed during these 7 days. They found a traveler's eye on a sunny day in Rome or under the twinkles of the Eiffel Tower. The late nights and stressful departure was all worth it for these moments.
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| Catching our connection between Paris and Rome when Eurotrip22 was still in front of us. |
I use the phrase, "One Must Travel to Learn" to market my trips to kids. I truly think these kids caught that magic this past week. A whole bunch said they'd be joining me next year for #Eurotrip23. Even if they can't, I know that travel has impacted their lives forever...and that makes all travel worth it.
I will be taking the next few days to count receipts and cross reference them with donations before I send off any information regarding Covid testing costs to the kids and their parents, but I am already aware of a growing interest in travel at our school again. Three students joined our next trip while we were abroad. We are up to 12 travelers, 8 of whom, I've never taught. We will be starting back in Rome, but will head north to Florence and Pisa and Verona for a few days. We will cross into Austria and spend a night in the Alps at Tyrol before headed to Germany. In that beautiful country, we will good and evil as we see Neuschwanstein Castle and the concentration camp at Dachau. Finally, we will go to one of Europe's hidden gems, Prague. It is a longer trip than that which we just completed and the cities are very different than Paris. Some of the destinations are new to me and some are among my favorite. I don't like to think too much about a future trip until it is the only one in front of me...and that is where we are now. #Eurotrip23 is next...I hope you will join me on that adventure too!
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| Terminal E...before Saugus arrived to travel to learn. |
Mr. Lavoie, currently catching up on American TV while hoping he has enough energy to successfully combat Jet Lag before work tomorrow.
For information on #Eurotrip23 Italy and Germany click on the link.
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