McCreary goes Mediterranean
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- Published on Friday, April 29, 2016
Submitted photo. The McCreary Travel Club, consisting of eight students, two teachers and five adults, took a 10 day tour of Greece and Italy, including a stop at the Parthenon in Athens, Greece, where this picutre was taken.
Submitted Article
The McCreary Travel Club
Nearly two years ago, a group of students, parents and school staff gathered together in McCreary School to discussed potential destinations for their second community trip. The choice that was made proved to exceed the expectations of all of those who went on the trip. An excited group of 15, including students, educators and adults, signed up for a trip of a lifetime to various destinations in Italy and Greece.
The group consisted of eight students; Gina Musgrave, Bradley Mozdzen, Taryn Buchannan, Lauryn Dunning, Lyndsey Dunning, Kaitlyn Szewczyk, Blaine Oshawee and Caleb Rudkewich; two educational chaperones, Byron Billett and Donna Duggan; and five adults, Nancy Buchannan, Trudi Musgrave, Becky Rudkewich, Tina Szewczyk and Lee Dunning. The EF Education First trip to Italy and Greece was an excellent choice, as the club was fortunate to join another Manitoba group from Roblin and travel across various landscapes in southern Europe. The group enjoyed various experiences, from swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, to the enjoying hot chocolate in the Greek mountain town of Metsovo, to driving through the vineyards of Tuscany. The group was provided meals of local cuisine, hotels, airfare, ferry service across the sea and a full time tour guide, as well as local experts as we visited a variety of different tourist attractions.
Throughout the year, the group participated in various fundraisers to help fund their trip. The group had cash raffles, NHL drafts, numerous bottle drives, sold paraphernalia for Manitoba Hydro at the community Christmas parades, held a Dance-a-Thon, collected donated items for a Canada Day fundraising auction, participated in perogy fundraisers, prepared food for Turtle River School Division in-service and McCreary’s Maple festival, organized a weekly lunch program for students to purchase and participated in various other enterprises throughout the year. The group met many times throughout the year to discuss the various things that were expected to prepare for the trip.
After the long wait, McCreary Travel Club could not have chosen better places than Italy and Greece to enjoy favourable weather with temperatures that reached as high as 25°C in Rome. The places that we explored in Italy and Greece not only provided our club the opportunity to experience some of the most historic sites in the world, it provided an opportunity for members to immerse themselves in the local cuisine, culture and customs.
The trip was not limited to a few places in each country; it was quite intensive, leaving numerous experiences for the group to reflect upon. The club started in Athens, taking a guided tour of the countless sites. Notable places that were visited in Athens included the Parthenon on the top of the Athenian Acropolis, the Temple of Zeus and the Plaka district. Capping off the time in Athens was an action packed night of dancing and eating during a Greek evening event. The next major stop was Delphi, where the group walked the awe inspiring Temple of Apollo. The club then hopped on a bus and drove to the Meteora region, experiencing the community of Kalabaka before visiting Meteora Monastery. Next was a trip through the Greek mountains, stopping in mountain villages to stretch our legs and enjoy time to explore before boarding a night ferry and travelling across the Adriatic and Ionic seas to Italy. While in Italy, the club first travelled to Florence, climbing the steps of the Giotto's Campanile Tower and visiting various landmarks of the Renaissance era, including the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio, Chiesa di Santa Croce and the Gates of Paradise. The group also had an unexpected perk to the trip as our tour guide, Jason Healan, provided us with an opportunity to visit the Tower of Pisa before the day was complete. The last place that the group was able to visit in the trip was Rome and Vatican City. During the first day at Rome, the group visited the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Altare della Patria, along with various other sites in the city. The second day in Rome had the group visit Vatican City, where they experienced the marvel of the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. On the third day, before heading back to Manitoba, the group visited countless markets, the Trevi fountain, restaurants and numerous other tourist sites.
The group experienced 10 action packed days that they will be able to remember their entire lives. Students gained meaningful experiences, independence and confidence, while learning and interacting with the people, architecture and landscape of two beautiful countries. The group is now working to compile pictures and videos of various highlights of the tour to share with the students and staff of McCreary School, hoping to inspire future travelers.
