Abbey Road High School Modern Europe Program

My 16 year old daughter had a very good time socially with her peers —this was the “growing edge” for her on this trip— and she enjoyed the outings and teaching of the guides, history being her favorite subject. However, a serious regret was missing both the tour of Versailles Palace and the Gardens of Versailles, due to poor leadership/management with the Versailles tickets and incorrect timing of entry with lunch. Also the whole group completely missed the train to Cologne the next day and had to sit on the ground in the Paris train station waiting for the next train— five hours!—and so miss a half day of touring in Cologne—. These were significant disappointments ... Also, providing well for vegetarians’ meals should be required. My daughter ate a lot of French fries for dinner.

The Modern Europe tour provided a fantastic outlet to explore Europe, and it's history, in a very fun and interesting way. The cities picked were perfectly selected, and the staff facilitating the program were compassionate and fun to be with, whilst also balancing a safe environment with a good amount of autonomy from the group. I think that this trip was an incredible experience, and my views of Europe as a whole have grown significantly because of this trip. The program did a very good job in conforming to people's needs, and was very inclusive to everybody involved. One thing I would improve upon is the overall preparedness by the coordinators of the trip. I found that numerous things had to be cut short, or missed, because things like tickets, passes, and itineraries were not planned in advance. I found this particularly frustrating when there were very interesting things I wished to see, but couldn't because we had to spend time buying tickets for something which could've easily been done online.

To preface this, I think you should know that I received an International Baccalaureate Scholarship from my school that allowed me to go on the trip. I chose Abbey Road’s Modern Civilization program for a multitude of reasons. I really wanted to get something out of a summer program beyond simply sightseeing. It was really important to me that my program does not resemble a surface-skimming tourist group. Whenever I travel, I love truly experiencing the foreign city and not just moving from monument to monument with blinders on. The fact that Abbey Road has you staying in a location for at least a few days and really experiencing the culture was extremely appealing. 



I got more out of the trip than I could have ever hoped for. I got to immerse myself in the vibrant cultures of all four countries, I fell in love with France, I got to see so much incredible architecture that I cannot possibly name them all, I got to learn about the German perspective (both historical and contemporary) of WWII and the Holocaust, I made two amazing friends that will last a lifetime (I’ve honestly talked to them every day since returning home), and I got to sample all of the regional foods, discovering some favorites along the way. 



By going on this trip, I truly enhanced my view of history and broadened my global perspective. In addition, I honestly believe that I was able to grow as a person. I had never really been on my own before (I have a twin brother) and I got to see how good I was at handling my own affairs. 
I went on the trip by myself, without knowing anyone prior to arriving at JFK. I immediately clicked with my two future friends in the airport and in the first city, Berlin, and that chemistry lasted the duration of the trip. As the trip went on, I found myself getting closer and closer to my two friends and was able to get along well with the others in the group. 

 
 The staff did an excellent job orienting us with each new city. The hotels were topnotch. The rooms were lovely, the locations were perfect, and the breakfasts were superb.

I would definitely recommend it or any other Abbey Road program. 



8 am​: The sky is cloudy, drizzling rain falls down. The brisk cold air is refreshing
compared  to the heat wave, we we're in just a couple days ago. ​9 am​: Men and women are
walking to work, everyone dresses very well. You can tell the tourists from the locals. The local's 
dress  minimalistically  with  a  pop  of  color  and  the  perfect  mix  of  old  and  new. 
10:30 am​: Rosenthaler metro station is bustling, there is a new train almost every minute. It 
was confusing at first to find how to get to Alexanderplatz but luckily the German's are very kind 
and helpful! Our train arrives and we get on, I think everybody knows we're American's because 
I'm  holding  a  folding  map.  Awkward...Another  give  away  was  the  fact  that  we  were  talking 
somewhat obnoxiously  loud. Probably shouldn't have done that!  ​11:15 am: The sky is still 
grey but I enjoy walking the streets of Mitte that way. I felt like we weren't tourists anymore, just 
some angst­ridden teenagers roaming the streets, what we do best. The window displays were 
mesmerizing,  each  one  unique  in  it's  own  way.  From  one  design  you  could tell the brand's 
consumer,  identity,  signature  look!  ​Noon: After walking many blocks,  turning  many  corners, 
and  then reverting to Google  Maps,  we  found Neue Wache! There were many tourists posing 
for pictures or using their selfie stick to take a selfie. Zeughaus was right next to Neue Wache, 
which  was the German History  Museum. However, we recognized it  from all  the posters of a 
naked man with red lipstick on, that had been following us all over the metropolis.  
12:50 pm: After exploring some more historical treasures, we found a rickshaw. I had 
been wanting to go on one,ever since we had seen them the first day we got to Berlin. I know it 
was  such a "touristy thing" but it  looked  so fun! When in Berlin became my new motto! While 
taking in all the beauty of the city on our ride, we were planning out our afternoon. The talk of a 
record store  came up  and our driver overheard us  so he took us to  the "best record store in 
Berlin."  ​1 pm: Dussman das KulturKaufhaus (Dussman Department Store) was  basically  a huge Barnes and Noble but it was much prettier and modern. If you wanted to escape your job 
on  lunch  break,  this  was  the  place  to  go.  Five  floors  of  literature,  poetry,  vinyl  records, 
notebooks, stationary, art, documentaries, biographies and much more. It was a fete of all that 
was  great  in  our  big  bad  world.  ​1:45 pm: ​Briskly walking  towards the  store I had  been 
dreaming about going to in real life, it was right there in front of me. MONKI! When I walked in, it 
felt like I had been transported to every "hipster" girls closet. When I think of the word hipster, I 
believe it is some one who forgets the trends and creates their own look which usually turns out 
really  cool.  She  is  not  afraid  to be  different. One  corner  of the  store was like walking into  a 
updated  school  dance,  with  a disco ball, and mirrors everywhere. They had 60s and 70s retro 
meets hippie,  minimal with a twist,  just plain  crazy and  funky  and a huge sale! I noticed that 
there was some another store on the other side, and I thought it was mens clothes because the 
store  itself  was  the  opposite  of  Monki.  Suddenly  my  eyes  stopped  on  a  pair  of  jeans, they 
looked  exactly like the  boyfriend  ankle  jeans from Acne Studios. They were women's and 45 
euros! Much better than the 200 dollars in America! The store was called Weekday, and it had 
men and women's clothes. No other two stores could be different than Monki and Weekday yet 
they were put together.......Upstairs was even more Weekday clothes, comfy tees for 10 euros, 
dresses for 30 or 40 euros, jeans from 35 euros and so much more! It kinda reminded me of a 
more sophisticated Brandy Melville. I tried on everything I could possibly fit in the dressing room, 
changing from one thing to the other, racing against the clock! By the time I went to check out, I was  sweating and it was cold in the store! We ran to grab a cab as soon as I got my receipt.
Finding a cab at 2pmduring the week was like trying to find a pearl on a white carpet.
After standing in the street risking our lives, we finally got a cab. When I got in the cab, I took a 
huge breath. Phew! ​Beige  was all  I saw as we drove down the hectic Friedrichstrasse center. 
Beige Mercedes, Volkswagens, and BMWs swarmed this frenzied area. ​Americans, driving in a 
Mercedes Benz for a form of quick transportation is “pretentious”, as if Germany is showing off 
their  power  and  wealth.  However,  since  Mercedes’s  are made  in Germany, it’s like buying a 
Prius in America. ​3:30pm: DOME! WOW! ITs SOOOO PRETTY! I think I might of been a little 
too  excited to walk  by the Berliner Dom, but how  could  you not look in  awe! ​3:35pm : As 
soon  as  we  walked  into  the  DDR  museum,  I  heard  French,  German,  Chinese,  and  British 
voices. There were throngs of translators  all throughout the place. I tried to stay with a buddy 
while going through the exhibit, but that was often hard for me because I took like 5 minutes at 
each explanation or artifact. Compared  to the many other museums we had gone to, this was 
definitely  the  best  for  kids  and  teenagers  because  it  kept  you  engaged  with  the  interactive 
learning.  I  found a  part  of the exhibit,  talking about  the woman of Germany post WW2, East 
Germany compared to West Germany. ​West Germany kept up with the latest trends, which 
was the Mod look, the US adopted from the UK starting with Twiggy. ​Beehive updos, shift 
dresses,trousers, and penny loafers were featured in the photos from 1950­-1960 ish Magazines from Germany. Better yet, there were samples!  

I enjoyed the program! There was lots of activities and fun events with the program! I would go on this program again and enjoyed the opportunities available.

Housing was good and liked living with other students !

My favorite was traveling to other cities and doing the cultural activities !

I would recommend this program! This program was a great experience :)

The wifi isn't the best but the other opportunities available make it worth it.